Susto is usually translated as "fright" but a better way to translate it would be trauma . As Wikipedia puts it: Susto is a cultural illness, specifically a "fright sickness" with strong psychological overtones. Susto comes from the Portuguese, and Spanish word for "fright" (i.e. sudden intense fear, as of something immediately threatening). A more severe and potentially fatal form of susto is called espanto (also from Spanish and Portuguese, meaning terror or intense fright). It is indigenously attributed to "soul loss" resulting from frightful or traumatic experiences.[1] Among Native Indian populations of Latin America, susto may be conceptualized as a case of spirit attack.[2] Culturally stressed adults (women more often than men) are most likely to suffer from susto, although children may also be afflicted. The onset of the disease generally follows a sudden frightening experience such as an accident, a fall, witnessing a relativ...
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