Earthquake trauma consists of 5 stages, just like the grieving process. These stages are considered as denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. While the process within these stages may vary from person to person, experts state that if this process lasts for more than 2 months, a prolonged grief process can be mentioned, and in this case, psychological support should be sought.
Unexpected, life-threatening disasters that can cause loss, such as earthquakes, can leave strong psychological impacts on individuals. The traumatic process experienced following an earthquake can be seen together with grief reactions, especially in the event of the loss of a loved one. The grieving process is generally addressed through five stages: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.
These stages represent different aspects of the process by which an individual makes sense of the loss and traumatic event they have experienced and adapts to new living conditions. However, every individual's reaction to earthquake trauma and loss is different. Just as the stages of grief may not appear in the same order for everyone, some stages may be experienced more intensely or for a longer duration.
If intense emotional reactions experienced after an earthquake persist for a long time, make it difficult for the individual to re-adapt to daily life, and noticeably affect life functionality, it is important to seek psychological support.
Stages of the Post-Traumatic Grieving Process
The grieving process is addressed in five main stages defined in the model by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. These stages should not be evaluated as a strict and invariable sequence. An individual may experience certain stages more intensely, return to a previous stage, or pass through some stages in a shorter time.
Stage of Denial: Following an unexpected loss or traumatic event, one of the individual's initial reactions can be shock and denial. Therefore, the period of denial is sometimes referred to as the "shock stage." The individual may have difficulty accepting the reality of the event that occurred; thoughts such as "This cannot have happened to me" or "He cannot really be dead" may arise. Denial is one of the first psychological reactions through which the individual attempts to make sense of the heavy reality they face.
Stage of Anger: Following denial, strong emotions such as anger, frustration, guilt, and regret may emerge. The individual may think about things he wanted to do with his lost loved one but could not, or may believe that the loss occurred too early. The fact that shared plans for the future will no longer materialize can also increase feelings of thwartedness and anger.
During this period, the question "Why did this happen to me?" may frequently come to the agenda. The individual may blame himself, others, or the circumstances experienced. In large-scale traumas such as earthquakes, feelings of anger and injustice can become more pronounced.
Stage of Bargaining: In the bargaining stage, the individual may focus mentally on different possibilities in order to prevent the loss or potential loss. Especially in situations where life-threatening danger persists, thoughts such as "As long as he stays alive" may intensify.
Such thoughts can also be observed while uncertainty persists regarding loved ones trapped under the rubble or whose health condition is critical after an earthquake. The individual may mentally cling to various probabilities for his loved ones to stay alive or for the situation experienced to change.
Stage of Depression: As the reality of the loss begins to be perceived more clearly, emotions such as helplessness, sadness, and pessimism may intensify. During this process, reluctance, decreased energy, feelings of guilt, hopelessness about the future, and a decrease in the individual's interest in things he was previously interested in may be observed.
The depression stage can be a period in which the meaning of the experienced loss in the individual's life is felt more clearly. However, the presence of these emotional symptoms seen in the grieving process does not alone mean a clinical depression diagnosis.
Stage of Acceptance: The acceptance stage is the period when the individual begins to realize that the experienced loss cannot be reversed and that death is a fact of life. To accept does not mean to forget the lost person or that the event experienced no longer creates sadness.
In this stage, the individual can remember pleasant memories related to his lost loved one more calmly, feel gratitude for the togetherness experienced, and begin to realize that he can continue his life despite the loss. Learning to live with the loss and being able to re-adapt to daily life is an important part of the acceptance process.
These five stages of grief do not progress in the same way in every individual. While some individuals experience the period of anger longer, others may transition to the acceptance process more quickly. Emotions can change over time, and the individual may re-experience some grief reactions he experienced previously during different periods. Therefore, it should be remembered that the grieving process is specific to the individual.
When Should Support Be Sought?
In individuals who lose their relatives after an earthquake, prolonged or uncompleted grief reactions can be seen in addition to the grieving process. Especially the inability to reach the lost person or the persistence of uncertainty regarding whether the person is alive can make it difficult to process grief healthily.
If grief reactions maintain their intensity for a long time and noticeably affect daily life, it is important for the individual to be evaluated in terms of professional support. Especially the continuation of intense feelings of longing for more than two months, the individual's constant preoccupation with memories and thoughts about the lost person, experiencing a pronounced insecurity regarding death and loss, or constantly avoiding situations that remind him of the loss should be taken into consideration.
The accompaniment of situations such as intense emotional pain, difficulty in re-adapting to life, inability to fulfill daily responsibilities, and a prominent feeling of emptiness and meaninglessness to these can also indicate that psychological support may be needed.
Emotions experienced during earthquake trauma and the grieving process may vary from person to person. If the process noticeably affects the individual's social life, work or school life, relationships, and daily functionality, seeking support from a mental health professional can help evaluate the experienced emotions and ensure that the post-traumatic adaptation process progresses healthily.