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The Bagyong Ondoy onslaught has ruined the lives, homes and livelihood of thousands of Filipinos. Tragic experiences brought about by Bagyong Ondoy and Pepeng would certainly cause long lasting trauma among its victims. Attending to basic needs like food, medicine, clothing and shelter will not suffice the “moving on” stage of the typhoon victims, they also need holistic healing from all the pains and trauma that our dear Kababayans experienced.
In an interview with Dr. Robert Dellosa, a well known psychotherapist, he said that there are several types of trauma based on different emotional incidents experienced by individuals. Among the emotions felt by the victime of Ondoy are the following:
SHOCK over the suddenness of the disaster, being unprepared for it, and feeling bewildered. Dellosa said there is also a tendency for victims to deny that things were happening to them, even if they were confronted with flood waters and scenes of death and destruction.
ANGER that can be directed towards the disaster, God, others, or themselves. Victims question why disasters happened to them and if they had done anything wrong. They can also feel regret for choosing to live at a certain place, especially when there is great loss.
DEPRESSION after losing property or loved ones. Dellosa said it is natural for victiims to cry profusely, even if they don’t know the reason, or to feel an overwhelming sense of sadness. “That’s part of the grief of losing so many things,” he said.
SURVIVAL GUILT or wondering why they survived and others did not. Victims may feel that others were more worthy of living, or that they did not do enought to help others. This is sometimes accompanied by the feeling that they should have died along with their loved ones.
Further, people surrounding a typhoon victim or survivor are also at risk for developing psychiatric disorders because the experience of dealing with others’ losses can be traumatic or make them feel vulnerable.
Victims can develop anxiety disorders like a panic disorder. Throughout a person’s day, they can experience periodic symptoms like shortness of breath, palpitations, gastric disturbances, and tenseness of the body.
Dellosa said victims can also experience anticipatory anxiety, or the fear that something traumatic will happen again. This can happen, for example, if a typhoon victim gets nervous at the first sight of rain.
Depression can manifest in sudden changes in appetite, energy level, or sleeping patterns. Victims have difficulty focusing or concentrating, and can even have suicidal tendencies or thoughts – just to escape pain or even to reunite themselves with their loved ones. ‘Sometimes they are stoic and do not show emotions. But they are delaying the manifestation of their anxiety. Everyone can experience this, from old to young,” Dellosa said, adding that children and the elderly are particularly vulnerable to emotional stress.
He warned those who have relatives of friends who exhibit overwhelming anxiety or depression to seek professional help immediately, or to offer a sympathetic ear so that victims can unload their feelings.
In counseling, this is called a “defusion stage” where victims release pent-up emotions and tell their stories so that healing takes place. “You have to lower the level of anxiety and terror that they feel. This takes place in the first few hours after the disaster and before they sleep. Allow them to vent and share their stories,” Dellosa said.
People should also avoid showing graphic images of calamities to victims because it reinforces their negative feelings. It would also be a good time to mobilize the victim’s support system (friends, family, church) to remove feelings of helplesness or loneliness.
We in WOWBatangas hope that more psychotherapists will extend help among the typhoon victims. In times like these, we really need to be of help to those in needs. We are blessed by God with different skills and so let us maximize these skills and capabalities in helping people. There are universities and colleges in the country that offer courses like psychology and other related programs, we just hope that these institutions will create a project or program that would help typhoon victims recover from these traumatic experiences.
[tags]Psychology, psychological, Trauma, help, assistance, Bagyong Ondoy, Dr. Robert Dellosa, tragedy, WOWBatangas/tags]
