Wednesday, October 24, 2007

PTSD and California prove humans suffer from trauma

California Wildfires: Experts, Advice on PTSD, Grieving, and Families Experiencing Sudden Loss
Newswise — In the midst of news stories about the catastrophic wildfires that are destroying southern California homes and businesses, it is easy to downplay both the personal losses inherent to these natural disasters and the profound influence that media can play in the preparation and healing effort. Alliant International University, which has had three of its campuses closed due to fire, announced today that experts from its California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP) are ready to assist journalists with pertinent information as to how natural disasters affect people and how they can help educate, inform and inspire those who have lost their homes, as well as potential victims of this wildfire phenomenon.

“Alliant International University has called together leading experts in the field of gentle, post-traumatic stress counseling to assist journalists as to how to reach survivors, witnesses and others in the San Diego area touched by these traumatic events,” said Associate Vice President of Communications Nicolette Toussaint. “The media is where people affected by this natural disaster will go when they need information that helps to make sense of what has happened and how they can move on.”
go here for the rest
http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/534618/

We saw it after Katrina. We saw it after 9-11. We saw it over and over again, yet when it comes to the men and women we send into combat, we failed to expect it. PTSD is a human wound, suffered from abnormal events. There is nothing normal about the fires in California, the aftermath of Katrina, the attacks of 9-11 or combat. None of this is part of normal daily life. We ignore this at our own peril. The wounds treated early are wounds healed sooner. Why would anyone have a problem with this?

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