The long gap between posts is because I've lost heart re this project, overwhelmed by the unrelenting, not to say mounting, "upheaval" in the Middle East. Senseless slaughter. How can the survivors ever feel peace?
With The Lebanon under siege once again, my heart is heavy. Even as I type, I wonder how many people will die violent deaths in Iraq before I have formulated what I am trying to say. Increasingly I worry about the long term effects of living under such constant stress.
I have been reflecting a great deal on the enormous emotional damage suffered by those living in Iraq today. Amongst my former pupils are two Iraqi brothers. A year or so ago, they had a cousin from Iraq over here to give him some respite from the civil war. They told me of the effect on him of a car backfiring. I met him once, and could see a young man whose eyes betrayed how much he had suffered.
I googled PTSD and found, amongst others a US site for veterans of conflict, with suggestions as to how they could manage traumatic stress.
But what can one do for Iraqis for whom Post-traumatic Stress Disorder is hardly "post"? What help and advice can one offer people to whom that traumatic stress is far from 'post'? And what about the children....?!
I have obtained a Google page. I want to use it to list simple points which will help people living in an environment of ongoing traumatic stress. That's damage limitation for those in it, now - not after the storm has abated.
If you know an expert, please ask for their advice. You can leave a comment or email me at aboveallnations at gmail dot com.
