Firefighters are making progress on containing the wildfires that have been raging for weeks in Southern California. But even once the physical threat of the fires diminishes, the mental-health toll will linger for months and even years, experts say. With thousands of people evacuated and homes destroyed, rebuilding people's social and psychological resources is one of the next pressing challenges.
Mental-health crisis centers are already seeing a surge in wildfire-related calls from the Los Angeles area. Here's what experts say survivors can expect as they process their experiences, and the resources available to them.
Other ways to start healing
Staying connected to your social network can be very useful, say experts, although it’s important not to surround yourself with others who constantly ruminate on the disaster and its aftermath. “You don’t want to be on either extreme—you don’t want to not talk about [your experience,] and you don’t want to do nothing else but talk about it,” says Moser. Mindfulness techniques can also help.
What will work best depends on the person. “There is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to managing emotional responses,” says Ethan Kross, professor of psychology and management and organizations at the University of Michigan and director of the Emotion and Self Control Lab. “Some people might benefit by interacting more in a social support network, which can help them to reframe things, where other people might benefit from cognitive strategies and looking at the big picture.”
Read the full article at TIME.
