In response to last year's wildfires in Sonoma County, my colleagues and I created a resource to help people with emotional recovery from any kind of disaster. It's called the When It's Too Much Toolkit and it offers a variety of ways to think about and address the toxic stress generated during unexpected events. This resource is based on the priniciples of Somatic Experiencing, a trauma healing modality that is particularly effective for helping people recover from events like these awful fires.
I want to share it here such that the folks in Butte County may find it helpful too. Please share it far and wide. Please contact me at suzie at suziegruber.com if you have any questions about it.
Here's a sample:
In order for the effects of whatever is too much to become part of your history rather something that lingers, you must give yourself time and space to feel your emotions and discharge any survival energy that may be lingering. The emotions and discharge will come in waves and can come at inconvenient times and places. Have as much compassion for yourself and others as possible when you notice these experiences. It might look messy. You probably won’t have it all together. That’s okay. That’s how disasters can impact your nervous system. When you invite feeling emotions rather than bracing against them, you support the release of body tension that can otherwise lead to physical symptoms later on.
It's about self-care.
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