Stages of grieving
Grief is a natural and normal though frequently painful, reaction or response to a loss. The grieving process requires patience, time, support and courage. According to Kübler-Ross (1997), the grieving process has five stages namely denial, anger, bargaining depression and acceptance. In the denial stage being the first stage, individuals deny that they have lost. This is the ultimate way the mind shields one from other pains associated with grief. Anger is the second stage where one is filled with great anger over the loss. In the third stage being bargaining, one tries to negotiate with God or other supreme being on the reversal of the loss. In the fourth stage, depression, an individual feels the magnificent weight of the loss and continues on with the bereavement by being deeply depressed and realizing that the loss is real. The last stage, acceptance involves coming to terms with the loss. An individual realizes that everything will be okay and will survive the loss.
When handling a grieving individual it is important to make contact and be always available. It is also critical to be a good listener, avoid giving advice, exercise patience, encourage and model self-care and to provide practical help.
Stages of disaster recovery
There are four stages of recovery namely heroic, honeymoon, disillusionment and reconstruction phase (North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, 1999). The heroic phase occurs during the time of disaster and immediately after the disaster. It involved the use of energy to save self and other people’s lives and property. All emotions at the heroic stage are strong and direct. The honeymoon stage occurs within the first week ant third to sixth month after the catastrophic event. In this stage there is a strong sense of having shared a disastrous experience and survived it. There exist much expectation of great assistance and support. During this stage, clearing of the wreckage and debris takes place.
The third stage is the disillusionment, which lasts from 2 months to 1 or 2 years. It is usually characterized by a great sense of anger, disappointment, bitterness and resentment if there are failures, delays, or unfulfilled promises of support. The last stage is the reconstruction; it runs for several years after the disaster. Individuals have taken the responsibility for their recovery. New construction plans and programs reaffirm faith in the ability to recover.
Characteristics of psychological trauma
Psychological trauma is the consequence of extraordinary stressful events which makes an individual feel helpless and vulnerable or even destroys ones sense of security (Norris, 1992). Psychological trauma may involve physical trauma. An individual experiencing a psychological trauma may exhibit the following characteristic; shock, denial, disbelief, anger, emotional distress, confusion, anxiety and fear, withdrawing from others and even feeling hopeless.
References
Kübler-Ross, E. (1997). On death and dying. New York: Scribner Classics.
Norris, F.H. (1992). Epidemiology of trauma: Frequency and impact of different potentially traumatic events on different demographic groups. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 60, 409-418
North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service (1999). Common Stages of Disaster Recovery. Retrieved from http://webmedia.unmc.edu/bioprepare/2008Symposia/StagesDisasterRecovery.pdf
