The psychological trauma of a disappearance can trigger many different emotions with the relatives. For every victim the personal situation is different and the reaction is distinct. Factors that determine the depth and kind of emotional distress and consequently the healing process are amongst others the kind of relationship with the disappeared, gender and age, cultural settings, the way in which the disappearance occurred, the solidarity of neighbours and close family members, the time that has elapsed, participation in victim’s organizations, access to justice and reparations, etc.

Despite the differences between relatives in general terms the uncertainty caused by a disappearance adds to the processes of revictimization by being singled out, affects the emotional stability and prevents someone from leading a stable and dignified life.

The need for psychological support to the relatives of disappeared is far larger than the aid they currently receive. The experience with therapy is slowly growing but still very limited. It is a responsibility of the State to provide access to reparation in the form of psychological support. Psychological support should be provided for in a tailormade manner and should address the specific situation of each individual. This makes it a very costly and time consuming effort which is often neglected. Only in some countries the general health services have established special clinics for victims of human rights traumas.

Moreover, in spite the fact that victims of enforced disappearances are recognised as torture victims, the existing psychological support system organised by the international community has not yet reached out fully to the victims of enforced disappearances. There is some support from the refugee agencies, the International Committee of the Red Cross, specialised torture trauma services (like the International rehabilitation Centre for victims of torture) and several humanitarian agencies.

It is often left to individual organisations at the local and national level to address the need for psychological support and single-handedly organize processes of healing for victims. NGOs and organisations of families in different countries provide support services.

In Asia the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearance (AFAD) has developed a tailor made healing programme for relatives of disappeared which could be an example to other associations in the world. It includes training of local healers which makes it possible to reach out to many victims.

In Guatemala, where an estimated number of 30.000 people disappeared, different organisations offer help to relatives of disappeared. One of them is the Liga de Higiene Mental   that provides support the relatives in their search for disappeared children.