The traumatic aspect of an earthquake is very strong. At this stage, individuals feel weak and tired despite their efforts to get out of the traumatic situation and need help from the environment. With the help they receive from the environment, their awareness increases, they start to act consciously and develop a sense of hope.
Üsküdar University Founding Rector Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan shared important information about the shock period in earthquake trauma. Stating that the sense of hope under the rubble is very important for the person to hold on to life, Tarhan said, "If the person loses the sense of hope, the brain becomes sullen, and when the brain becomes sullen, it starts not to produce chemicals related to defense and the body collapses rapidly. Because the basic urge of human beings is the urge of life and death, without this feeling, people would want to die."
Which stages are seen in the person after the earthquake?
Stating that those who are currently experiencing the most severe shock are those who do not see such an earthquake as an option, Prof. Dr. Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan; "The characteristic of the shock period is that the person usually experiences that feeling of shock gradually, the brain secretes excessive cortisol stimulating hormone and the person is blocked as soon as possible... For example; When a person's arm is broken, it hurts, you can't move it, you can't work the brain, you walk around looking meaningless. The same is the case with a person whose relatives are trapped under the rubble, they walk around doing nothing because their brain is blocked. So much so that even deaths can occur with sudden panic and fear. Some people get over the short-term shock and immediately take control. These people are usually the ones who are ready for crises in advance...", he shared about the trauma experienced after the earthquake.
Making evaluations about Japan and the earthquakes in that region, Tarhan said, "The Japanese are trained in crisis management, they give earthquake alarms at certain intervals, they give reminders and trainings about the earthquake, and in such cases, the person knows what to do when an earthquake or a shock event comes. At the moment, the people who experience the most severe shock are those who never expect it, those who never see such a thing as an option, those who have experienced an earthquake before and still have not overcome that trauma. Those who have resolved the trauma immediately turn it into experience in such situations. For example, I know in the Yalova earthquake, when the earthquake happens, everyone runs down in panic, but the guests from Japan, on the contrary, when the building collapses, they go to the upper floors to survive, and this is related to their education or previous experiences. " he used his expressions.
What are the Psychological Effects of an Earthquake?
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan answered the question 'What do people who stay under the rubble for hours experience psychologically' as follows: "Now, personality structure is very important here, for example, people who are prepared, educated and have stress management are different from others. Stress management is something that is unconscious, they are people who have experienced some difficulties in life before and have endurance training... People who do not give up easily in the face of difficulties, for example, commando trainings, etc.It is like that; a person is left on a mountain, told to take care of himself for days, and after 3-5 days he is taken from there; there is a big difference between a person like that being trapped under the rubble and us being trapped under the rubble."
Tarhan said that if a person loses the sense of hope, the brain sulks and said, "When the brain sulks, it starts not to produce chemicals related to defense and rapidly collapses.In such cases, there are people who age overnight... Because the basic urge of human beings is the urge to survive, without this feeling, people would want to die. The life and death impulse comes from creation. There is an example of two frogs, we use this example in therapy... Two frogs fall into a big cauldron of milk, one of them says, "I can't get out of here, it's a big cauldron, I can't get out of here," and loses hope and lets himself go... And dies. The other one doesn't give up, doesn't lose hope and struggles, something he never expected happens, a thick layer of fat forms, then he steps on it and gets out of the cauldron and survives. " he said.
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said that this world is not a ship wandering in the universe, this ship has a captain, there is a high power and a high will to which this ship belongs.
Pointing out that the human brain normally produces a great fatigue substance when it does not sleep for 2 days, Tarhan stated that there is a hidden potential in the brain, and if the person does not fall into despair, the brain has a hidden potential that will keep the person alive for a much longer time and energize the person.