Have You Seen the Faces from Haiti?

25th January, 2010 - Posted by L. John Mason -

The media is filled with the most recent disaster, and this one is truly epic. The poor nation of Haiti suffers a huge earthquake and hundreds of thousands are dead, many more are without homes, food, water, and medical care. But after two weeks of coverage, the media is beginning to show the return of volunteers who responded quickly and met the horror of Haiti’s situation. Have you seen the look in their eyes? More than overwhelm! They have lived a nightmare that will forever be a part of their consciousness. For some, it was the smell of death. For others, it may have been the amputations. For some, it was the conditions of the orphaned children. “Like living in a war zone!” These brave responders are the next generation of PTSD cases. Like the returning military personnel that are circulating “stateside,” our emergency medical teams and the other first responders will have to exorcise their demons. Heck, many people sitting safely in their homes have been shell-shocked by the media’s portrayal of life for the survivors of Haiti’s earthquake.

Think about it. None of us are prepared to face the devastation that has taken place, and yet the images are not far from our consciousness. With reminders about how fragile we really are, we can all face our insecurities. Be reminded that we need to take special care of ourselves and the people we care about. Be prepared to deal with the emotional and spiritual trauma that we all must endure.

Technology is a wonderful thing, but very few of us have mastered the emotional control of dealing with 24-7 media assaults upon our minds and hearts. And for those of us who travel to the “hot spots” of this shrinking world, please get help and support if you have felt the emotional impact of your experience “in country.”

A place to begin, would be the articles we have posted on dealing with panic/anxiety and the use of temperature training biofeedback combined with a program of systematic desensitization. If you require additional support or coaching, please contact the Stress Education Center. If you want to be trained as a professional coach or therapist to work with the growing number of clients who require assistance with PTSD, please call for more information regarding training and certification through the Stress Education Center.

At the very least, please TAKE GOOD CARE OF YOURSELF!