Navigating Hope and Despair: The Agonizing Boat Journeys of the Sri Lankan Tamil Refugees.

Abstract

This study investigates the psychological experiences of Sri Lankan Tamil Refugees (SLTRs) involving boat journeys and the refugee lives that follow. Thirty participants from rehabilitation camps in Tamil Nadu, India, were interviewed. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyze the responses. The two overarching themes were 'the motives and consequences of exile' and 'the complexities of refugee life.' The findings reveal that the participants experienced psychosomatic symptoms immediately upon arrival, reflecting the inner conflicts resulting from war trauma and boat crossings. They reported serious bouts of trauma during and after their crossing. The first- and second-generation participants recounted nightmares pertaining to boat journeys which contributed to hauntedness, which is a state of emotional or mental disturbance often attributed to past trauma. Refugee life is complex, encompassing hopelessness and haunted memories which are passed down to subsequent generations, leading to intergenerational trauma. The boat journey in itself is an ambivalent phenomenon blending hope and profound agony. This study is a novel attempt to gain coherent insights into the boat travel experiences of the SLTR, the dynamics of the interplay of collective unconscious mechanisms, and anxieties in exile. These insights can play a seminal role in facilitating psychological reconstruction and developing effective coping strategies.