Living with Vulnerability and Resiliency: the Psychological Experience of Collective Trauma

Abstract

Large-scale disasters often induce a chain of psychological phenomena that have direct impact on a person's physiological condition, psychological state, functional capacity, interpersonal relationships, communal involvement and spiritual beliefs. Psychological knowledge about the emotional experience, process and impact of responding to a national-scale traumatic event such as the devastated earthquakes, floods, fires, viral outbreaks and terrorist attacks over the globe is often confusing if not overwhelming. Applying over two decades of clinical experience in working closely with the psychologically wounded, the author hereby seeks to deconstruct and introduce a practical model of the Psychological Process of Collective Trauma, accompanied by a novel model of the Resiliency Process of Collective Trauma. To put these two models that essentially illustrate ones' internal state of vulnerability and resiliency, a general understanding of the long-term effects of primary trauma, secondary trauma, retraumatization and multitude grieving is crucial. This report aims to present a simply and clear framework of psychological recovery that can be applied across disciplines in the case of disaster work and the aftercare mental health services. Above all, the learned lesson that the author is humbly sharing is: Being weak is strong, being strong is weak, and being both is needed.

The stigma within

“…Chang writes that the core aspect of healing and resiliency involves experiencing a sense of helplessness and vulnerability. 5 Both are characteristics I've personally experienced and faced head on to overcome. Resilience is an increasingly recognized concept in trauma studies and positive psychology.…”

Post-Apocalyptic Stress Disorder in the Leftovers

“…Examples of such fictions include The 4400 (René Echevarria, Scott Peters, 2004, in which 4400 people who have been missing for the past 1 tissue of a community, influencing relationships, changing government's processes and policies, and the way the community operates (cf. Chang 2017 andHirschberger 2018).…”

The Social Psychology of Trauma

“…For the most part, the threat of the pandemic was dealt with collectively at a national level, and to some degree the WHO has attempted to coordinate a global response. As would be expected when a collective trauma is experienced, this has impacted relationships, changed social norms and altered policies and governmental processes, and the way society functions (Chang, 2007;Hirschberger, 2018;Muldoon, Lowe et al, 2021;Saul, 2013). And it is likely that more social and political ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic are yet to come.…”