BURKE HALL1955 to 1975

A world class trauma disaster which will 

fascinate the psych world !

Welcome to

the Burke Hall Survivors website !

It is OUR trauma, but Professors and Doctors around the world will want to 

know how you have coped in your life - in a huge variety of ways. 

You may hold the key to an understanding of trauma and resilience. 

Please contact this project, and add some meaning to your experience.

 in a world that needs to find fixes for trauma.

So, if it is of any help, what we can do now can be really important.

FACTS : An historic event : 

what we know :

For a period of about 20 years, Burke Hall was a violent, brutal, disempowering place, described by those who went there as ‘concentration camp’, ‘war zone’, or ‘prison’. 

The combination of traumas is so unique that it might hold 

mental health secrets.

Your input and witness is important

But helping you is vital, even this far away from the events.

I don’t mind if you blame everything bad in your life 

on your time at Burke Hall and work back from there.

We look forward to meeting you, having conversation, 

and group discussions. 

We plan an annual Reconciliation Day, and the raising of a statue.

Help us to work out the causes, and we can all grow.

‘I intend to have meetings with all, and discussion to see what caused it. 

I intend to do all I can to change system and church and its doctrine to 

ensure that this cannot happen again. 

We can all achieve something from this.’ Lowen

Lowen is a survivor, a past student (1962-67) 

Lowen is a theologian, organisational psycho-dynamicist and psycho-traumatologist.

Lowen has a Doctorate in art making and in trauma. 

He has a Masters in the psycho-dynamics of system, and organisation. 

Lowen endured 6 years at Burke Hall back then, 

and spent a lifetime putting the puzzle of his personhood back together. 

He is a children’s author and animator, a sports coach, and consultant. 

He was known for his independence at Xavier.