Adapted from a workshop titled "Facilitation Processes in Disaster Intervention" facilitated by Maria Begona Rodas Carrillo, Lenny Diamond and Deb Starzynski.
Graphic by Peter Durand, Alphachimp Studio, Inc.

1. Normal State
Basic Need: Stability and growth
Activity: Aspire
Life with its ups and downs, minor glitches and lessons learned.

2. Traumatic Event
Whether an individual or a community, the pattern of life is radically disrupted. This inspires various immediate reactions: denial, sadness, anger, despair, fear, guilt, blame, violence, depression, somatic symptoms, relational stress, spiritual distortions, etc. Every crisis demands a decision be made-- whether to address the trauma using functional strategies or dysfunctional strategies.

Almost immediately after the traumatic event, people start to make an assessment of the situation and accept (or not) the reality of it. A set of symptoms generally develop and are part of the initial reaction. These are all very normal and necessary within the context of the traumatic experience, although in other contexts they may be seen as pathological. They should never be considered as such as they are all important aspects of the process of grieving and, eventual recovery.
The initial reactions appear in a different way in every one of the human dimensions.

We are a system and we have different subsystems all of them react to the crisis.

A set of symptoms develop which are part of this initial reaction. These symptomsoccur in the four different personal dimensions, often in a combination of two or more:

• Physical Reactions
• Mental Reactions
  
• Social Reactions
• SpiritualReactions
  

It is important to facilitate growth in each dimension. These are normal reactions and don’t have anything to do with psychologicalillnesses and it is the best moment to intervene in the grief process.

PHYSICAL REACTIONS:

• Somatic reactions
• Alteration of sleep patterns
• Alteration of eating habits
• Changes in appearance

MENTAL/EMOTIONAL/PSYCHOLOGICAL REACTIONS:

• Nervousness
• Animic extremes
• Perceptual distortion
• Inadequate use of money and objects
• Loss of desire to live
• Emotional excesses

SADNESS: There is a deep and recurring sense of loss during a sometimes long period of time. To cry is normal, natural and even necessary in an intense period of sadness.

ANGER: As illogical as it may be, it is also normal and natural to feel anger and even rage with:

• Nature
• Government and/or International Community
• Family
• Friends
• Volunteers
• Even with God!

FEAR: Different kinds of fear appear and reappear:

• Of another crisis
• Of not being able to survive
• Of financial loss
• Of the consequences of these on others

GUILT OR SELF-BLAME:

• Many feel guilty for something they did.
• Others feel guilty for what they think they failed to do.
• Some people even blame themselves in some way for natural tragedies.

SOCIAL REACTIONS: Group and interpersonal relationships also feel the impact:

• Scapegoating, ethnic tension and revenge
• Mob rule, gang violence or chaos
• Political repression and/or human rights violations

RELATIONAL STRESS:

• A crisis affects all relationships.
• It is most often seen in individual behaviours of:
• Aggressiveness
• Passivity

SPIRITUAL REACTIONS:

• Increase in magic thinking.
• Spiritual rejection, distortion or fanaticism.

3. Reactive Stage
Basic Need: Survival
Activity: Accommodate
Physical, mental, social and spiritual survival. Grief, fear and numbness rule decision-making.

Dysfunctional strategies are pseudosolutions. Cycles of self-destructive behavior can result from a failure to recognize crisis as a normal, natural and necessary aspect of human life. Can spiral resulting in a secondary crisis.

Paul Watzlawick (1989) was the first to introduce the concept of "pseudo-solution:

"...a difficulty turned into a more serious problem by the use of a solution that is more dangerous than the initial difficulty that is trying to be resolved."

Pseudosolutions (Watslawick, 1984) are what we do, with the best of intentions, when we try to solve a problem with a strategy that ends up making it worse. These dysfunctional strategies are the “danger” in a crisis.
It’s like drinking salt water when your thirsty.

4. Receptive Stage
Basic Need: Security
Activity: Assimilate
Acceptance of the new reality through awareness and reflection, pave the way for adaptation to conditions. An improved attitude reveals a "light at the end of the tunnel." Analysis and observation provide the basic elements for crafting a strategy for recovery.

5. Proactive Stage
Basic Need: Autonomy
Activity: Activate
The use of functional strategies lead to personal and group psycho-social recuperation and reconstruction. Ownership of growth and improvement through active participation, flexibility and accountability yield greater and greater achievements.

In this stage, the silent enemy to recovery usually manifests in the form of post-traumatic stress syndrome. Though an illusion of "normalcy" may return, unresolved emotions from the traumatic event undermine steps towards true transcendence. Self-destructive behavior such as depression, isolation and violence are common.

6. Interactive Stage
Basic Need: Transcendence
Activity: Associate
Strengthen social bonds and intimacy through affiliation and alliances. A social system based on sharing and cooperation. A healthy balance between personal advocacy and group solidarity.

More materials from this seminar available from www.iaf-world.org/ManDis.htm