ABSTRACT
This chapter will consider how dominant ways of understanding such matters as trauma, mental health problems and forgiveness may both guide and constrain people's responses and choices in post-conflict situation. The discussion of this research considered the influence of chained stories upon the trajectory of the narrative and the emotional distress displayed by individuals and communities. This chapter has provided an overview of the GMHA and a critical discussion on the role of power in the creation of distress. The consideration of the impact of political and societal inequality upon distress, what peope call mental illness, has been introduced, and will now be further developed by exploring the influence of power in relation to the biomedical model and global mental health agenda (GMHA). The findings from the research discussed highlights the importance of the relationship between dominant and counter narratives in the maintenance of distress.
