DEVELOPING INDIGENOUS PSYCHOLOGY IN DISASTER MITIGATION: Reflection on the Application of Indigenous-Trauma Healing to the Victims of Mount Merapi Eruption, Indonesia, 2010

From the list of 229 countries vulnerable to natural disaster, Indonesia is among the top 10 countries. This Maplecroft's Natural Disaster Risk Index (England) is based on data of disasters happening from 1980 until 2010. The data includes various indicators, including the total and frequency of the disasters, total casualties of the disasters, and the ratio between the casualties and the nation's total population. Disasters here include earthquakes, volcanic eruptions; tsunamis, typhoons, floods, droughts, landslides, heat waves, and epidemic diseases. For this, Indonesia has lost more than 220 thousand people m the last three decades. It is important to note that the potential severity of the natural disaster on each country is worsened the high rate of poverty and weak management of the government. These result in the double burden for the victims: the problems of poverty and the problems of destructive impacts, such as casualties, material losses, damage on infrastructures and social relationships, as well as physical and psychological disorder, causing a trauma among the society. According to Green (2004), failure in coping and adapting towards traumatic experiences will invoke huge, long-termed, and irreversible snowball effects towards the physical aspects individuals, as well as the aspects of behavior, emotional, psychological, even the psychosocial aspects in form of social deprivation. At the point, the crucial issue is the model selection for trauma treatment for the disaster victims. Responding the issue, the researcher will explore further about the roles of indigenous psychology which is proven as an effective and efficative solutions in handling the trauma of victims of mount Merapi eruption in Indonesia by the end of 2010. Facts show that the strength of local values, customs, traditions, cultures, beliefs, and religions, which are grown on the thinking and behavior pattern of indonesians, significantly explain the importance of paying attentions toward yhe social-cultural time and space contexts in determining the model of trauma therapy. Here, studies of indigenous psychology find their relevance. . In the case of Merapi, the researcher will elaborate the details of Javanese Psychology as well as the application of Javanese Model Trauma Healing, which root is in the local cultures. This empiric study is expected to diaspora the noble values of Javanese Psychology as well as give inspirations to developing the indigenous psychology in different contexts. Doing such will make the study flourishes in academic field as well as be capable in handling the emerging contemporary problems