In the book Trauma and Recovery, Judith Herman explores the disjointed history of the acknowledgment and study of trauma. She focuses on domestic abuse and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and seeks to explain the many instances of what she calls “episodic amnesia” that have interrupted the study of trauma throughout history (Herman, 1997, p. 7). She explains that, in order for research to occur, there has to be a political or social movement that addresses the problem of trauma and seeks to help victims. In her words, there has to be a desire to “give voice to the disempowered” (Herman, 1997, p. 9). Frequently, this requires people to challenge traditional views on behavior and gender roles. In her book, Herman explains three main instances in recent history that have opened the door to the study of trauma. …show more content…
She explains that, at the time, France was a very religious country and the majority opinion of the public was that hysteria was spiritual illness. Psychologists Charcot and Freud were a part of a political movement that valued secular ideals as opposed to religious ones, and their goal was to establish a scientific cause of hysteria. Both believed that this discovery would “demonstrate the triumph of secular enlightenment over reactionary superstition…” (Herman, 1997, p. 16). After conducting lengthy interviews with many women previously diagnosed with hysteria, they found that the vast majority of them had experienced some form of sexual trauma. This caused a new area of psychology to emerge, and trauma research began. However, before too long the secular movement succeeded in their aims, and interest in researching trauma disappeared (Herman,