Hindu Distress in Context, From History to Healing: The Ethical Imperatives for Integrating Hindu Historical Trauma in Counselling
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Authors
Salimath, Bina
Issue Date
2026-03
Type
Capstone
Language
en
Keywords
medieval Hindu history , historical trauma , iconoclasm , transgenerational trauma , epistemicide , cultural trauma , epistemic justice
Alternative Title
Abstract
This capstone examines historical suffering and transgenerational patterns within Hindu history, analyzes their systematic exclusion from mental health case conceptualizations, and advocates for the inclusion of Hindu history as a matter of clinical necessity and epistemic justice for the Hindu-identifying population. Despite extensive historical documentation, mainstream mental health often overlooks these collective experiences, resulting in reductive understandings of distress. Focusing on the medieval period (7th–18th centuries), this study explores the transgenerational effects of invasions, iconoclasm, religious persecution, and epistemic violence on Hindu cultural identity, mental health, and community well-being.
Drawing on Hindu historiography, trauma studies, and decolonial scholarship, the literature review analyzes violence driven by political power, economic greed, and theological zeal, alongside patterns of survival and resilience, to demonstrate that erasing Hindu historical experience constitutes an ongoing form of epistemicide. Integrating historical context into clinical practice expands therapeutic validation by situating distress within a broader socio-historical frame, enabling grief for collective losses, fostering compassionate understanding, and opening paths for cultural healing and reconciliation. Recognizing historical suffering and epistemic differences allows clinicians to respond with cultural humility, honour lived and inherited experiences, and uphold ethical and epistemic responsibility. These implications align with trauma-informed approaches developed with First Nations communities in Canada and other populations affected by intergenerational trauma.
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License
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States
openAccess
openAccess