How_To_Cope.html

How to Cope?

Dealing With the Psychological Aftermath Of Terrorism

by Jenette Restivo and Melinda Willis

abcNEWS.cm

Sept. 13

The reality of Tuesday's terrorist attacks is beginning to sink in and the emotional impact is becoming real as well.

"In some ways, people are really starting to grieve today," says Barbara Rothbaum, director of Trauma and Anxiety Recovery Program at Emory University School of Medicine. "Yesterday, they were in shock. Today, the dust is settling literally and figuratively."

Intrusive images of planes crashing, buildings crumbling, people jumping to their deaths and the nation's symbol of military might burning before our eyes have been unrelenting since Tuesday morning.

"We're all grieving even if we didn't lose a loved one," adds Rothbaum. "We're almost grieving for our own safety."

Coping with Emotions

Coping with the emotions of such a tragedy can pose a challenge.

"What can we do? Find solace in loved ones. Seek comfort where you can. Know that you are not alone," says Kenneth Fletcher, director of the University of Massachusetts Medical School Behavioral Sciences Research Core. "One way to deal with it is to touch somebody, to hold somebody and to let the feelings out in a safe and contained way."

Tips on How to Heal

Think about it. Don't try to bury your feelings or discount your emotions or reactions.

Talk about it. Own your feelings. This helps you move through the healing process.

Take control. Volunteer or give blood to help you avoid helplessness.

Try to get on with life. But make allowances for your feelings. If you can't concentrate, don't try to do too much work.

This can be through talking to a friend, family member, or co-worker. Rothbaum stresses the importance of talking through your feelings as a way of "owning your feelings" and moving you through the recovery process.

Another way to recover is to try to gain control over a situation that has left many feeling powerless and overwhelmed. This can be through volunteering or giving blood. "Helping others will help people regain a sense of power and mastery," says Fletcher.

First Responders at Risk

One group that experts feel is especially in need of coping strategies are "first responders" - which includes rescue workers and the media.

Fletcher says these people deal with their emotions during traumatic events through disassociation or emotional numbing, but "it will hurt them emotionally" in the long run.

"Overdedication is one of the biggest risks to rescue workers and the media," says Dr. Robert Ursano, chair of the Department of Psychiatry at Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, Md. For these professionals, chronic exposure to horrific images holds up the grieving process.

Ursano says that rather than masking emotions through work, these professionals should prevent the tragedy from dominating their lives.

"Rest, recovery and time out are the best remedies."

The same is true for those Americans who have watched the events unfold on TV. Just turning off the TV and returning to your normal life is a start, he says.

Helping Others Grieve

Some will only have to cope with the disturbing images, but others will be dealing with the loss of a loved one. How, then, do we provide solace to those who are suffering such pain?

"This is very hard," says Rothbaum, "but just expressing concern helps

"Though Rothbaum says our society is generally not good at acknowledging anything negative, there are two things to keep in mind

"Just acknowledge it, number one. And secondly, offer assistance. Let them know you're there for them." Most important, says Rothbaum, "it's OK to admit, 'I don't know what to say.'"

Regardless of geographic and emotional closeness to the devastation, we have all experienced some degree of psychological aftermath. Coming to terms with your emotions is the first step in the healing process and knowing, as Ursano says, "The first thing to remember is that the vast majority of people will do just fine."