Islamic Trauma Healing: A Scalable, Community-based Programme for War and Refugee Trauma

Principal Investigators: Lori Zoellner, University of Washington and Norah Feeny, Case Western Reserve University

Purpose

Due to war and regional unrest, many Somalis have experienced not only the physical wounds of conflict but also damaging mental wounds. These often include problems such as confusion and related symptoms of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress (PTSD). This mosque-based programme addresses the effects of trauma in the community and promotes community building. The programme incorporates Islamic principles with techniques from evidence-based, trauma-focused interventions to address the impact of trauma in one’s life and community.

This work seeks to strengthen the capacity of the community to facilitate trauma healing through existing mosque infrastructures. The programme will be expanded to additional mosques. Using a train-the-trainer model, community leaders become expert trainers. These leaders will then train and supervise new leaders. Accordingly, the programme task shifts to community leaders in local mosques by training them in enhancing mental health and promoting reconciliation.

Expected Outcomes

This randomised controlled trial will produce strong empirical evidence for the effectiveness of this brief intervention for war and refugee trauma and its ease of implementation by community leaders. It hopefully will lead to improved mental health and improved day-to-day functioning and wellbeing in those participating in the programme, including enhanced connection to one’s community, one’s faith, and forgiveness of others.

This research aims also to highlight the ease of uptake of such an intervention with Muslim communities. Through both quantitative and qualitative data, we expect group members and leaders will report that the intervention matches well with their culture and faith and that the intervention is easy to train and implement.