TRAUMA HEALING
Thinking about the victims of the Merapi incident in Jogjakarta, it is important to not only fulfill their physical needs. Their emotional needs are highly affected by this incident and it is crucial to help them cope with their trauma.
Emotional and psychological trauma is the result of extraordinarily stressful events that shatter your sense of security, making you feel helpless and vulnerable in a dangerous world. Traumatic experiences causes human beings to experience struggles with upsetting emotions, frightening memories or a sense of constant danger that you can’t let go of. You might also feel numb, disconnected or unable to trust other people. It takes a while for human beings to get over their pain -after a terrible incident- in order to feel safe again. To speed up the recovery the support from family and friends is crucial for effective treatment methods.
It is not a one day process to recover from emotional and psychological trauma. You need to let yourself cope with the losses and fear you’ve experienced. This takes a lot of time. You shouldn’t force yourself; try to be patient when you are dealing with your recovery. Finally, be prepared for difficult and volatile emotions. Allow yourself to feel whatever you’re feeling without judgment or guilt.
Staying grounded: A trauma self-help exercise
It is very important to stay ‘grounded.’ If you are feeling disoriented, confused, or upset, you can do the following exercise:
- Sit on someone’s lap. Feel your feet on the ground. Press on your thighs. Feel your behind on the lap and your back against the other person. (It is recommended to do this with a family member that you trust).
- Look around you and pick six objects that have red or blue. This should allow you to feel in the present, more grounded, and in your body. Notice how your breath gets deeper and calmer.
Trauma self-help strategies:
- Don’t isolate. Following a trauma, you may want to withdraw from others. But isolation makes things worse. Connecting to others will help you heal, so make an effort to maintain your relationships and avoid spending too much time alone.
- Ask for support. It’s important to talk about your feelings and ask for the help you need. Turn to a trusted family member or friend.
- Establish a daily routine. In order to stay grounded after a trauma, it helps to have a structured schedule to follow. Try to stick to a daily routine, with regular times for waking, sleeping, eating, and exercise. Make sure to schedule time for relaxing and social activities, too.
- Take care of your health. A healthy body increases your ability to cope with stress. Get plenty of rest, exercise regularly, and eat a well-balanced diet.
