“The
most basic issue in psychological intervention following disasters is to
transform those affected from being victims to survivors. What differentiates a
victim from a survivor is that the former feels himself [sic] subject to a
situation over which he has no control over his environment or himself, whereas
a survivor has regained a sense of control and is able to meet the demands of
whatever difficulty confronts him. A victim is passive and dependant on others;
a survivor is not – he is able to take an active role in efforts to help his
community and himself recover from the disaster.”
Lourdes
— Pioneer week (extended practice for living without power and many modern luxuries, its meant to prepare your family for the different lifestyle that could come in the after math of a disaster, also giving the child a frame of reference that associates it with fond memories to help over ride the fear “we’ll just pretend we are in the 1800’s and are pioneers” as works with study of 3rd world countries and other time periods. The imagination is a powerful tool.)
— Camping and backpacking – once again associating a difficult situation with something of fond memories. It also takes practice to become comfortable living like this.
— Good Habits- cleanliness and safety.
There is very little difference between the physical preparations and the psychological. Rotating and updating together as a family – nothing create a feeling of safety in an emergency than knowing that you and your family are OK and prepared. This is the BEST thing besides drills that you can do for your family. Please review the posts labeled practice for more information and ideas.—
The next several posts are geared toward doing everything you can before and after to create a
foundation for your children and family to be survivors and not victims. We
will look at the 3 principles of psychological preparedness:
Practice, Education, and Lifestyle. Then we will discuss coping during and after the
disaster. They may not seem like they are related but all these things have a
great impact on your child’s ability to cope after. Remember there really is no
way to avoid or prevent trauma, trauma is normal and to be expected, but we can
do a great deal to lessen its effects and pave the way for healing before it is
needed.
PRACTICE
Practice has already been covered in numerous posts already, but I would like to once again reiterate that practicing is one of the best ways to prepare your family psychologically for a disaster.
Regular drills
—
Disaster weekends (stage and
living in a imaginary disaster for a weekend including living off of your 72
hour kits), — Pioneer week (extended practice for living without power and many modern luxuries, its meant to prepare your family for the different lifestyle that could come in the after math of a disaster, also giving the child a frame of reference that associates it with fond memories to help over ride the fear “we’ll just pretend we are in the 1800’s and are pioneers” as works with study of 3rd world countries and other time periods. The imagination is a powerful tool.)
— Camping and backpacking – once again associating a difficult situation with something of fond memories. It also takes practice to become comfortable living like this.
— Good Habits- cleanliness and safety.
There is very little difference between the physical preparations and the psychological. Rotating and updating together as a family – nothing create a feeling of safety in an emergency than knowing that you and your family are OK and prepared. This is the BEST thing besides drills that you can do for your family. Please review the posts labeled practice for more information and ideas.—
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