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| “Out of the Dark: Into the Garden of Hope” by Sam Keo, a Cambodian psychologist. (Photo: Courtesy of Dr. Sam Keo) |
Thursday, 26 January 2012
Men Kimseng, VOA Khmer | Washington, DC
“The disease that we endured during the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime cannot be completely healed.”
Click the control below to listen to the audio program:
Cambodians who survived the Khmer Rouge will have to live with the emotional scars of the regime, but staying positive can help them move forward, says Sam Keo a Cambodian psychologist who has written a new book.
“Out of the Dark: Into the Garden of Hope” is an attempt to help Cambodians move past the trauma, he said on “Hello VOA” Monday.
“The disease that we endured during the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime cannot be completely healed,” said Keo, who is a clinical psychologist in Los Angeles. “It stays on. But we can help them work as normal for certain periods of time, until they run into big stresses.”
“Out of the Dark” is an exploration of post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, and Keo’s own struggles with it, he said.
Keo was in high school when the Khmer Rouge took over Cambodia, forcing him into work camps where he was beaten, tortured and left for dead.
His father was killed by soldiers of the regime, and four of his younger brothers died of starvation and disease before the age of 10.
Overcoming such trauma is not easy and going back into the past does not help either, Keo said.
“We have to forgive ourselves because if we flash back to that split second, and ask, what would they have done?” he said. “If we jumped to help, we all could have been killed, and no one would have lived to tell the tale.”
10 comments:
Why is the Moderator Men Kimseng more fluent in Khmer than Dr. Keo? In addition why does the Dr. keep buying time with his thanking of each question asked...and then he seems to be at a loss sometimes in providing the appropriate answers to the questions asked. Why is that woman from Phnom Penh speaking as if she is a baby? She has the most horrible accent I have ever heard. She stretches the letter sounds far too long. Anyway, just my observation based the existing man-made standards out there.
Isn't "Vicheak bandit" referring to a medical doctor? I thought that psychologist and other doctors (Ph.D's) who are not physicians are "bandit" and should not be referred to as "vicheak bandit".
@first comment: Mr. Men is a professional moderator, he must have clear speech, that is a given. Dr. Keo has been away from his home country for over 30 years. I would not surprise if he has Khmer accent, however, I did not detect any accent. Are you sure that he spoke with accent? As a person who trained in English for his professional career, I would want him to pause and think before he answer in Khmer. There are so many words that can be misled if not saying correctly. Anyhow, your comment indicated that you care very much about our Khmer beings and we all Khmer should thank you for your advocacy.
@second comment: You are absolutely right. Khmer word for vicheak bandit is reserved for physicians. You will be surprised to know that many English speakers cannot tell the different between psychologist and psychiatrist. Because these two professions end in the same work environment (hospital, clinic, or academia setting), it is easily for people to make mistake or confuse. I do not thing the live radio interview is the place for Dr. Keo to explain the different and you should not criticize Mr. Men for common mistake. Again, we all should thank you you for being able to pick up something about the interview rather than seeing a large picture and the pupae of the interview.
At Anonymous, I thought you were trying to look yourself down. We understood all Dr. Keo's Khmer language. It was just you who had a bad ideas to post the comments here. If some words what you couldn't listen clear, you may keep replay it. Otherwise, you are probably not a Cambodian, so you need to take Khmer class. One more thing, I can tell that you have a broken with writing in English.. remembering the stupid often hate the educated; but the poor without knowledge hate the well off. I think you are kind of that person..
no one is perfect; nobody is better...
Anyway, thankful to Dr. KEO, Since I listened your interview about PTSD. It open my mind. Keep my life goes on and look for the future..
I cannot believe hour said this. Really? Are you sure you are Khmer? I listened to the same radio, and I did not hear the accent. Really? He took time to answer, rally? I think if you are smart, you need time to answer, but again, I thought it was spontaneous.
One thing that has been bother me and many Khmer was that there are the few Khmer who really gear that other might be more success, so they "kdech truoy" to be sure that the plant don't grow. That is why we a but behind our lifelong enmy Vietnam. Grow up and learn to support hour people, idiot.
Really?
Another classic Khmer who fears that other Khmer might do better than him. With all the content that he could learn and teach other, he picked on tacky tatch, something that is not relevant to the topic of discussion. I love Khmer as I am one of them, but derate your ignorance. Hope you are not a real Khmer so I do not have to tell my Khmer brothers that we have a jealous blood who is sooooooo stupid.
Thank you Westside for sneering with me that the first two are idiots, narrow minded, jealous, did not see positive, very negative individuals, and I can go on and on.
I didn't write it on purpose, but you were just sneering by yourself.. you cannot go on if think that your smart enough..!
What happen to me in Cambodia is still stuck with me for the rest of my life. I seen what happen to Khmer, in the my own land. Even I am still young, But I remember what happen, well it still fresh after 30yrs living in United State. What I been through is haunting me for the rest of my life. Khmer Rouge made up from the Khmer govt. Not from the peoples of Cambodia, the government is to blame.
You are absolutely right. Government created Khmer rouge, not Cambodians. Sihanouk created Khmer rouge in the early 60a to make him look more powerful. Since KR was his creation, he had them made small movement against his government so that he can say he was powerful over his enemy. Unfortunately, it also have birth to Khmer serei such as song Ngoc thanh, Sam Sary and lek Sam Oeurn group. Sihanouk hated this group. His God father go chi Minh did not like the group. So, sihanouk began his killings. Does anyone know how many KR sihanouk kill up to 1970? At this same period, how many Khmer serei he killed? Please share.
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