Ryssar av idag- märkta av Sovjettiden...

Marilyn Murray fortsätter sin resa med att beskriva hur många ryssar av idag är märkbart fortfarande påverkade av Sovjettidens märkliga verklighet..

Läs första artikeln här från Moscow Times som handlar om hur lögner och tystnad skapade ett helt liv av rädsla och psykologiskt förtryck..

Learning to Live Outside Stalin's House of Silence

The Soviet system created a world in which honesty often was not an option if a person wanted to advance in profession and lifestyle — or simply to stay alive. Unquestioned obedience to authority and a firm belief in Communist Party doctrine was demanded of every citizen. During the Stalin era, to waver even the slightest could result in imprisonment or death.

Den andra artikeln handlar om hur många ryssars dominerande varje-dags-känsla faktiskt är rädsla och hur ett liv som präglas av denna känsla redan från barnsben lätt kan fortsätta i en neråt-spiral.. men att det trots allt går att ändra på genom att aktivt välja andra känslor..

Choosing Joy Over Sorrow, Triumph Over Fear

When riding the metro or walking the streets in Moscow, one sees a variety of faces: stern and harsh, young and cocky, elegant and beautiful, stoic and resigned. Most are masks that cover a vast array of emotions. This reality becomes apparent during our Level I class concerning the treatment of trauma, abuse, neglect and addictions.
The first homework assignment is called a Trauma Egg. During this project, the participants list all the painful events and long-term stressors in their lives from birth through the present time. They also list the emotions they felt — or should have been able to feel — when these traumas occurred. Then they share which emotions were the most prevalent throughout their lives.
More than 2,000 people in the former Soviet Union have participated in this difficult work, and fear is the emotion most often listed as No. 1 by both women and men. I have students from 35 countries, and Russia is the only one in which fear is consistently at the top of the list.
Fear results from many different situations, including family violence, being left alone for long periods of time, severe illness, death of loved ones, being bullied, being a victim of sexual or physical abuse, or facing ruin by a serious natural disaster and other financial stressors.
These events are also listed by my students in the United States and many other countries. But, in Russia, fear also evolves out of specific events endemic to the former Soviet Union and to Russia today.