Conflict Trauma

Berlin psychologists believe the impersonal medium will prompt victims of rape or kidnap to disclose more personal information than they would in a face-to-face encounter with a specialist.

"The Internet method is soothing for many victims because they do not have to speak to anyone specific or sit opposite someone," said Christine Knaevelsrud, a psychologist at Berlin's center for the treatment of torture victims (BZFO)

The free service, called Interapy, consists of three stages. First, victims must write four e-mails detailing what they saw and felt during their ordeal.

Next, the individual must write four letters to an imaginary friend who has experienced the same trauma -- this helps the victim rid themselves of any feelings of guilt associated with their suffering.

Finally, the patient is encouraged to write a further two letters, one to him- or herself and the other to the perpetrator of the wrongdoing. This step helps the victim say "you no longer have a role in my life."

"Some victims have been raped, some kidnapped," Knaevelsrud said. "Others have been maltreated during arrests or have seen mutilated bodies."

Around 250 victims -- mostly from Iraq, but also from Sudan, Syria, or Palestinian regions -- have used the online service.

The web-based therapy was created to fill a massive hole in the availability of psychological treatment in Iraq's more dangerous southern provinces.

The BZFO currently has a therapy center in Kirkuk, in northern Iraq, and has plans to set up two more clinics for traumatized Iraqis in the Middle East country.