Just one week after the largest terrorist attack since September 11, the Balinese continue their struggle to recover from the bombing. The three-bomb attack that killed more than 200 tourists and locals has dramatically affected the mental state of most Balinese as they attempt to redefine their culture.
"The Balinese are really suffering," says Robert Lemelson, Ph.D., an expert on Balinese culture at the University of California at Los Angeles. "They have never really experienced something like this. It is a world-wide event," he continues, noting that the terrorists picked the one square block that was the most potent symbol of westernization.
"People are feeling angry, but there is a tremendous amount of public sorrow," says Lemelson. To help cope with conflicted feelings, natives are relying not on psychologists—there are very few in the country—but on a more established group: traditional healers.
"People almost always go to healers, and they're going to healers for relief from this bombing," says Lemelson, who worked with traditional healers while doing research in Bali. "They will serve a very important purpose in helping people to recover."
