When Fear Blinds the Mind's Eye

The dissolution of Yugoslavia had profound effects on the cultural matrix of Bosnia-Herzegovina, the most culturally diverse of the formerly federated republics. The author describes the consequent dynamics in a multi-cultural psychotherapeutic team during the period March-October 1991. All were overwhelmed by deep suffering, often reflected at the bodily level, but primitive defence mechanisms seemed especially prominent in a minority subgroup who identified with nationalistic parties.