Date of Graduation

Summer 6-13-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in International Studies (MAIS)

College/School

College of Arts and Sciences

Department/Program

International Studies

First Advisor

Nora Fisher Onar

Second Advisor

Zartner

Abstract

Alternative methods of healing can be found across the globe and are used by all kinds of people including refugees. This thesis will explore the potential benefits of Complementary and Alternative Medicine otherwise known as “CAM” as a supplementary strategy for helping refugees to deal with stress, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other harmful effects sustained on their journey and lives as displaced peoples. I will do so by first situating my project in the literature on Eurocentrism in healing practices and the emergence of CAM as an alternative. Then, using extensive primary and secondary sources, supplemented by an expert interview, I will show that techniques like movement therapy, theater healing, and yoga, have been used with considerable benefits including: reduced Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, better integration into one’s community, and the increased ability to tell one’s story as giving power to the refugee, i.e., agency in the representation of their own experiences.

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