What is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder?
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a condition that has been experienced since the early human era of war. Its first naming dates back to the Vietnam War. Startle, re-experiencing, flashback, and hyperarousal reactions begin to be observed in soldiers returning from military service. For the first time, doctors call this condition "Bullet Shock". To date, this condition has been adapted to many situations (caused by human-made and natural disasters) and entered the literature as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Its Relationship with Guernica
Guernica. The painting was made by Pablo Picasso. The painting, which is about the war that killed or injured many people during the Spanish Civil War, by planes belonging to Nazi Germany on April 26, 1937, tells about the bombing of the city of Guernica in Spain. War has been the fundamental problem of humanity since the beginning of human history. Picasso took his inspiration from horror and sadness and left a lasting work and criticism to the world.
Symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Its Reflections in Guernica
The main symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder are startle and re-experiencing. , overstimulation and startle, surprise and shock feelings occur. If we examine the table carefully, it is possible to see the reactions in question on the faces of all living things. Even though the flood of thoughts passing through the minds of the people in the painting are different from each other, the feeling of horror created by the war is felt in the affect like a pessimistic color that dominates the painting.
From Mythological Perspective;
The bull figure, like everything divided by war, is also felt. It is of great importance in Spanish Mythology and Culture. It symbolizes both power and wisdom (in this respect, it can be compared to Athena in Greek Mythology.) The bull figure looks forward in the painting. This is like a direct confrontation with the impact of the war. And it reflects duality (Disintegration of Personality in the Form of Splits, Overstimulation Reactions and Amnesias as Experienced in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder).
Guernica, where we see our existence in broad daylight and whose influence is impossible to get out of, is also at the bottom of the painting, its hand If we pay attention to a hand tightly wrapped around a knife, we will see that death is hidden there in all its reality, like a loyal friend.
Trauma memories are directly related to the way they perceive it. This is a reason and also a result of trying to escape and cope with the effects of war. There is a constant cyclicality in the table about references to life and death.
From a Collective Perspective;
Traumatic experience in the individual is in a direct relationship with past personal experiences. In Guernica, the collective structure of society and past war/civil war experiences add a grayness to the painting resulting from re-experiencing. (The kind that will never end)
Trauma can also hinder an individual's personal change and create anticipatory anxiety. We can see this in the window where he looks towards people through a small gap in the painting. Just like traumatic experiences, the destructiveness of war (thanatos) haunts us endlessly.
In Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, the concept of "Time" often slows down and that moment may seem like it lasted hours, as explained in the "Theory of Relativity". . We feel that time does not flow forward or backward. This “Feeling of Stuck” is felt everywhere in the painting. Some faces are seen looking forward "as if they were still there".
The horror of the moment; It also affects and intertwines place and time. We cannot see which one starts and ends in the table. A dark reality stands there like a day in eternity. Like Guernica, traumatic situations also create the cognitive process of disorganization in the individual. (Orientation to place, time and person may disappear.)
Seeing the traces of war as destruction on faces and confronting the emotional shock with the identity of human beings proves that Picasso is a great genius, and the perfection of this work increases with each look. is valued.
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