GARDEN ROUTE NEWSFLASH - After the devastating fires that swept through Knysna and Plettenberg Bay, Famsa has become aware that there is still a need for trauma counselling, six months later, and acting director Karin du Plessis has supplied the Knysna-Plett Herald with the following information:
What is trauma?
It is the exposure to actual or threatened death, or serious injury.
Even if you were not exposed, just knowing someone who was, causes anxiety.
This disaster was unanticipated and our usual protective mechanisms did not work out as expected.
The traumatised person
• Every person is different and experiences trauma differently. Distressed but resilient people recover quickly but may still experience the responses for a while afterwards.
• Some people talk about the event, others may choose not to – nobody should be forced to speak about the incident.
• Emotions experienced are normal.
• Emotions that may be experienced are shock, disbelief, anger, guilt, sadness, frustration, helplessness and depression.
Posttraumatic responses after the incident
Tiredness, nightmares, mood swings, memory failure, concentration problems, too much sleep, inability to sleep, muscle tension, social withdrawal, and flashbacks of the event.
These responses happen to most people and they will pass. If they persist, professional help must be sought for an assessment. Some people may experience some or none of these responses. This too is normal.
Read more in Thursday's Knysna-Plett Herald, as well as online.
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