Psychological and social recovery of children disfigured by physical trauma: elements of treatment supported by empirical data

Abstract

Survivors of physically disfiguring trauma experience a series of assaults on the mind as well as on the body that present extraordinary challenges to human resilience. The 'trauma' for the survivor is complex. The injurious event itself is traumatic; additional traumas can also occur from painful and frightening medical treatments. The physical changes in the survivor's body are permanent reminders of the fear, horror, sadness and pain experienced. The reactions (real and imagined) of others to their disfigured bodies present survivors with the additional and ongoing trauma of feeling rejected, isolated, unworthy and humiliated.