Coming to terms with the loss of a home—or a neighborhood—is a difficult task left to many Californians in the wake of last November’s disastrous fires.
To aid this process locally, Norman N. Blumenthal, Ph.D., and Tzivy Reiter, LCSW, of OHEL Children’s Home and Family Services, were invited by the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, City of Malibu and Malibu Schools Trauma Response Team to talk to local mental health professionals, families and students earlier this week.
A post-traumatic response is part of “just being human,” Blumenthal began. He explained trauma can occur when someone’s natural expectation of life is suddenly derailed.
A post-traumatic response—not to be confused with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)—may involve flashbacks, trigger response, avoidance, diminished interest and/or detachment. A trigger, which could mean smelling smoke, seeing flames or hearing sirens, can take people back to memories of the Woolsey Fire. On the other hand, PTSD—emphasis on disorder—involves significant diminishment of function.
Trauma does not necessarily happen right after the catalyzing event, and it manifests for different reasons.
For Malibu residents, evacuating in the face of excessive smoke and flames was a traumatic experience. Living in a foreign place for weeks and even months was (and is) a traumatic experience. Seeing the destruction of landscape—especially when you once associated it with peace and tranquility, as many do in Malibu—Blumenthal explained, is a traumatic experience.
Unfortunately, there is no standard time for feeling or processing trauma. Blumenthal pointed out some may feel the effects after their rebuild is complete, when they have to settle down.
Now, more than two months after the fire, a united community is important to the process of healing.
“When you’re in it together with other people, it’s less bad,” he said.
This phase—called disillusionment—is the second of three general phases people affected by a disaster go through.
The first—the honeymoon phase—happened in the weeks following the Woolsey Fire. In this phase, the community and local politicians rallied together to provide assistance and begin the effort of returning to normal.
Disillusionment, more or less what many are going through currently, happens when the adrenaline subsides and reality sets in. This, Reiter said, is when anger against groups such as local officials, safety officials and even neighbors whose homes may have suffered less damage from the disaster may appear.
Both speakers emphasized the importance of talking to and supporting one another. One thing to do for someone who lost their home is simply listen.
When talking with those who lost their homes, Reiter recommended not using the phrase “at least” when talking about items that may have survived “because things matter. Things are meaningful to people.”
In the third phase, reconstruction, people begin moving back to their homes and adjusting to their “new normal.”
Reiter advises parents to involve their children in the recovery process, and to keep them informed rather than “insulated” from what’s happening. Moreover, she said, “You can feel your trauma reactions in a physical way.”
Typically, Reiter explained, parents ask whether it’s OK to cry in front of their kids. The answer? Yes. This also helps with getting rid of the stigma of crying, Reiter said.
When it comes to kids, however, Blumenthal described them as “remarkably resilient,” with a natural disposition to look toward the future.
Mental health professionals emphasize returning to as normal a routine as possible after a traumatic event is key in facilitating healing.
For tips, resources and advice on maintaining a healthy mental state, visit bit.ly/SMMUSDResource or malibucity.org/906/Resources.
