ABSTRACT
In the 1970s film, Apocalypse Now, one of the most powerful and disturbing scenes depicted the deranged Colonel Kurtz, a tragic Conradian character, describing how a local despotic ruler responded to an unsolved crime by hacking off the left hands of all the male villagers in his fiefdom. In the medical and behavioral health context, it has been used to provide cover to oppressive structures by presenting oppressed populations as inferior beings, who do not merit equal treatment, protection or opportunity. Medical and behavioral health professionals have also played a role in maintaining hegemonic domination by directly participating in the abuse and torture of subjugated people under their care. Trust is an essential, but fragile, element in the healing process. A clinical example from our program is that a young woman was tortured in her Central African country because her father had been in an elite position in the government.
