Myth, materiality and mental health
Channel: Recording Archaeology
Date: 2016-04-18

Archaeologists are familiar with the idea of objects with biographies, and the concept that the materiality of things helps in the construction of meaningful assemblages. I would like to take these ideas further and explore how objects, documents and places help to construct the narratives of an individual in the present day. I wish in this paper to explore what an archaeology of the self might consist of and how such an archaeology might help people who have for a number of reasons partial amnesia(s).
Memory loss and dysfunction plays an important role in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD can be diagnosed for many reasons but it is particularly severe for those who have survived intense life threatening trauma. For people with this illness, while parts of their memory will be bright and vivid other parts may have lacunae; there may be partial amnesia either organic or psychological in nature. I will argue that objects, documents and photos assist the process of therapy in several
ways. They can help bridge memory loss either by stimulating the recovery of lost or buried memories, or by filling in details lost to time or to amnesia. Secondly, the process of therapy often involves grounding. Grounding is important within the healing process in two ways firstly it is a means for patients to bring themselves out of the more disturbing aspects of their illness when they occur and secondly in therapy it is a way of returning to normality after revisiting traumatic events. Grounding can take several forms but physical contact with significant objects has an important role to play in this process. This paper is a reflective piece on the role materiality and the archaeology of the self played
and continues to play in the treatment of my own PTSD.

I would like to thank the Wulstan Unit of the Worcester Royal Hospital and it's dedicated staff of therapists for their help. In particular my therapists Jacquiline and Rachel. I would also like to thank the Open University for providing funds for the talk and my employers at the Open University and the University of Worcester for their support.

Andrew HOAEN (University of Worcester)