Torture is one of the oldest forms of violence performed by some persons against others. Racist and discriminative inclinations were among the prominent motives behind violence. They emerge from contempt of the other, persecution of the weak and a feeling of superiority. Torture is a way to claim strength, power and the ability to harm others whenever and however it is occurred to them. It is an effective method to force the weak to do what the torturer wants, to confess or even a way to please a third party backed by the police or assumes high position or at least a statesman as was the case in most of the instances….
Torture is one of the most horrible methods known to humanity. Despite being widespread in some societies – such as Egypt – it is rare to find anyone talking about it, whether being the tortured or psychologists. Torture is a hard experience for anyone to talk about as being beyond human knowledge. It is too violent, shocking and painful for the victim to understand. No previous or subsequent experience is similar unless it is repeated…
Describing a torture case requires that the victim recalls all memories of the situation with all time and place details which means feeling the whole experience again causing greater pain for the victim. Memories entail psychological pain that may exceed torture pain itself… Naturally, the reaction is complete silence whether being from the part of the victim or the psychiatrist who does not wish to aggravate the pain for the victim…
Also, psychological pains suffered by the tortured cannot be diagnosed as psychological or physical so as to be treated or medically classified like any other illness. The victim goes through a state of what can be called – self loss – for he\she experiences psychological and mental shattering and the lack of self feeling as one whole. One of torture victims expressed his feeling as (a glass shattered into tiny pieces). The victim also feels the loss of one’s human entity. Feeling such distraction, man’s only solution becomes death or even non-existence….
Torture is a form of intentional and organized violence which the victim lives consciously without having the ability to understand, control or identify its dimensions. Still, the victim does not expect any response from the part of the torturer then falls into a state of improbability … and a psychological disbelieve. After all, torture aims not only at deleting the victim’s unlimited freedom, will and ability to control one’s body but to rule out human entity and turn it into a mere object of torture… And that is the secret of its strength….
Any illness with powerful pains dose not cause symptoms like those imposed by torture. Even earthquakes and volcanoes are tangible conditions unlike torture that is incomprehensible….