Foundation provides help for traumatised people

A non-profit organisation, Arogi Trauma Care Foundation, has been launched to offer free counselling and make therapy accessible to traumatised individuals.

According to a statement on Thursday, renowned Professor of Psychology, Andrew Zamani, spoke on dealing with marital traumas at the foundation’s maiden conference with the theme “Dealing with life’s emotional struggles.”

Award-winning radio broadcaster, Andrea Oduobi-Teke, was also said to have spoken on “Dealing with life’s emotional struggles”; while a Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Dr Charles Umeh, spoke on “How to find happiness.”

The statement read, “Experts at the conference commended the Arogi team for ‘launching at a time when Nigerians are saddled with depression, traumas, suicidal tendencies, and worry’ amongst other things.

“According to the professionals, there are a lot of ‘hidden pains’ masked behind smiles and laughter that people are yet to identify as depressions and/trauma.”

One of the speakers, Dr Fred Nnadi, was quoted as saying, “We won’t be lying if we state the obvious that Nigerians are going through a lot. And Arogi couldn’t have come at a better time. People need a place where they can go for therapy, in fact, free therapy, because finance is another constraint.”

 Nnadi added, “People need to be able to talk about their emotions, instead of drowning them in alcohol.

“Alcohol is not the way out. Nigerians have always had that ‘we move’ capabilities, like we just move on from anything, and get up from anything. But you realise that people just subdue those emotions in entertainment and alcohol, instead of addressing the issue.”

 Zamani, validating Nnadi’s position, said, “Trauma has been a very elusive mental situation in this country, and right now, I think we are taking the bull by the horn. Research has it that most alcohol abusers are depressed, and alcoholism is a means by which people try to cope with their daily life challenges; albeit maladaptive.

“And when people who abuse alcohol discover that they can bury their woes and escape the reality of their stresses, they tend to repeat and increase their indulgence. That eventually leads to depression because they soon realise that alcohol does not solve the problem.”

Founder of Brands Optimal, Grey Cottage, and Arogi Trauma Care Foundation, Otis Ojeikhoa, said although people know that they are traumatised, they stay in denial because they believe that somehow, someday, things will get better.

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