Religious Interpretations and Psychological Recovery from the Aceh 2004 Tsunami: The Promise of Heaven, Healing the Trauma

Abstract

This chapter discusses post-disaster mental health recovery and its relevance for disaster risk reduction. Specifically, it describes how to design post-disaster mental health programs that take into account the perspectives of the victims in both the design and implementation. Some theories state that religious beliefs and practices guide people's understanding of a problem toward finding solutions. The flexibility to adapt to local context is the key to successful and effective mental health programs. However, little is known about how Muslims themselves perceive disasters, death and loss because of disaster, and how they use their faith to recover. This understanding is relevant since some countries where the majority of the populations are Muslim, like Indonesia, are disaster-prone areas. Data is used from interviews with the beneficiaries that were conducted in December 2005. The interview data was analyzed using a thematic analysis. The themes appeared by identifying, analyzing and looking at patterns within the interview data. The study finds five specific viewpoints that emerged, including: the disaster was preordained from God; there will be ease after the hardship; one must be grateful for what they still have; to pray to and remember God to find peace; and those who died are martyrs and were rewarded by God with heaven. These viewpoints are then explained through the lens of three prominent Muslim scholars and their texts that deal with Islamic perspectives to responding to calamities. These findings provide a basis for a proposal to develop and implement mental health programs that respect the perspectives of the victims in both counseling and discussions, are supported by religious figures, incorporate the use of prayers as a way of coping and healing, and integrate a mental health program with a livelihood program to help victims rebuild their lives.