“Experiencing or witnessing an earthquake directly can have several psychological consequences”
Specialist clinical psychologist Elmas Merve Malas stated that earthquakes, like other natural disasters, are painful traumatic events that affect the individual, the family and the whole of society, explaining that “Exposure to these events can have similar effects on people who are also exposed to these events look like those who experience them.”
Specialist psychologist Malas emphasized that each individual’s reactions to traumatic events can be different: “Depending on the magnitude of the event, their own culture, past experiences, whether they have had similar traumatic experiences, whether they have social support from others have been given, their age, gender, social role and many other variables, it may be different. It’s normal to react,” he said.
Emphasizing that these reactions can change over time, Elmas Merve Malas said: “There can be physical problems such as headaches, tremors, appetite problems, pain, insomnia, but also feelings such as crying, numbness or frostbite, intense surprise, inability to understand what happened, extreme fear, anxiety, guilt or anger.” There may be intense introversion or recounting the event, fear that something bad will happen again. It is normal to feel these feelings at such times. It’s normal to react abnormally in abnormal situations,” he said.
“Let Mourn and Mourn”
Psychologist Elmas Merve Malas says, “Let grieve and grieve because you have lost in this process. This is your most natural right and you may need a little more time to feel better. There may be sudden ups and downs in your emotions. Remember you are not alone, everyone is experiencing what you are going through and similar situations.
Malas argues that daily routines should be created and maintained as much as possible, and he said, “Knowing and accepting that in some areas, such as home, work and daily lifestyle, there will be no routine that can change can make it easier for you to deal with the emotions you will experience during this period.Keep in mind that the feelings you experience after this painful experience, like all feelings, may seem impossible to you, but after a while these feelings will subside and their severity will gradually decrease. Remember that you can reach people and even experts who are ready to help you if needed.”
Malas says, “Everyone has different needs and ways of coping; don’t criticize or interfere with them. Some may want to pray, others may want to meditate, while others may want to be with their family and chat. and more negative emotions. You may feel guilty, confused, depressed, or even crazy. All of these feelings are normal in this process. As helpless as we may feel when someone has experienced a traumatic event, we should not try to offer advice or mind reading. Allow the other person to express their feelings and needs on their own. Trying to lighten the weight of the traumatic experience and make it feel better will make the person feel more helpless and worse.”