In the face of a catastrophe like the one caused by DANA, all material and emotional help is little. But the truth is that it is not always accompanied (in person, virtually or by telephone) in the most appropriate way. Those affected are often given all kinds of advice, recommendations, calls to action, attempts to get them to contact a psychologist and numerous proposals to get them to move, to react, to move forward… But many of them are physically tired, psychologically saturated and emotionally overwhelmed. Therefore, in order for interactions with them to be effective and respectful, what Francisco Gullón proposes, clinical psychologist at the Mental Health Day Hospital of Granada and professor at the APIR Academyis to approach aid with two fundamental ingredients: naturalness and the empathy. «When we refer to naturalness we talk about not forcing; There will be people who are not ready to speak yet and some people will even claim that they do not want any type of intervention from psychologists and this is understandable and reasonable. As for empathy, it means not letting yourself be devastated by the tragedy, but being able to place yourself in the shoes, in the circumstances and at the time of the person who has suffered this terrible event. There are few sensations more psychologically comforting than feeling that your interlocutor is understanding you without having gone through the same circumstances as you,” he explains.
Regarding the actions of mental health professionals, Gullón reveals that psychologists Experts in intervention in catastrophes and emergencies have a whole corpus of techniques in this sense and one of the best known is the psychological debriefing (a session involving a group of individuals who have experienced the event, as well as any professional involved in the work after the catastrophic event). But what is also considered necessary is emotionally validate what the person is feeling, that is, do not judge or try to change that anger, that pain and that loneliness that the person is experiencing.
Furthermore, the psychologist clarifies that it is essential to adapt to the time of each person who is treated, since some may need a week, others a month and others even more time to approach realities as painful as this. Therefore, as he clarifies, there is no pre-established chronology that is correct or usual to digest this type of tragedies. “It is vitally important to respect everyone’s deadlines and times,” he says. The key to this, he adds, is to maintain the sensitivity to remind us that he who marks the times of the accompaniment It is precisely the person affected, since untimely support can be more harmful than healthy.
What can be done for them
In addition to the essential material help, logistical support and the family network and friends that can be created to make their lives easier, it is also advisable to make an effort to accompany them so that they do not feel alone. «Any action that helps alleviate the loneliness of the survivors is a good action,” insists Gullón.
Another aspect that the expert highlights is that They must feel that they are being helped. «On many occasions what generates greater discomfort on a psychological level is feeling that one needs help and that it does not arrive. And of course we must avoid speeches that suggest that there is only one way to deal with this,” advises the psychologist.
Ultimately, the course of timethe aid constant and the accompaniment These are the factors that, according to the psychologist, can help those affected by DANA digest the catastrophe in the least harmful way possible. But for this it is essential to maximize the factors that contribute to ensuring that your discomfort does not become entrenched. «It is reasonable, it is logical and it is appropriate to feel devastated when something so serious has happened. That is why at this time it is essential that the entire society gets involved in making those people who are suffering see that They won’t have to rebuild everything with their bare hands.but they will do it with the support of the entire society. Very hard times have been experienced, are being experienced and will be experienced; But if we manage to face them together and with that feeling of constant support, we will be able to put a stop to the psychological consequences of this devastation,” he says.
In this sense, there are many initiatives solidarity and empathy that are providing free personalized psychological care for those affected by the DANA tragedy and that for several days we have been sharing in the Instagram account of @abc_bienestar.
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