Men go through a more subtle traumatic process.

Earthquakes, other natural disasters, unexpected events can negatively affect people of all ages, men and women, and cause symptoms of trauma. According to experts, men may tend to ignore past traumas due to accepted gender roles in society. Üsküdar University NPİSTANBUL hospital specialist, clinical psychologist Solin Cekin notes that earthquake trauma can affect men and women differently. Specialist clinical psychologist Solin Chekin, who noted that men try to look stronger and remain calm, says that such a situation causes a person to suppress the trauma experienced, and adds: “While women seem to seek support after a traumatic life, men are thought to go through a more subtle traumatic process.”

Trauma negatively affects the mechanisms of human survival.

Clinical psychologist Solin Chekin, who has stated that trauma negatively affects the adaptive coping mechanisms of the individual, said that although there are all sub-types of violence, especially sexual abuse, bodily injury or death, such as observing the experience of another person directly or indirectly, He indicates that experiencing something like learning about what happened to him is called a traumatic experience in the field of psychiatry.

Injuries cause different reactions

Noting that injuries can cause different reactions, Chekin said: “The fact that traumatic experiences that negatively affect psychological coping mechanisms do not occur at the right time and lead to death is one of the main reasons for these negative consequences. Injuries that cause such devastating effects cause reactions of anxiety, withdrawal, fear, and avoidance. Many ideas about trauma are that trauma creates more physical wounds. However, while injuries vary from person to person, there are also points in which they differ from time to time by gender.” speaks.

Emotional problems can arise as a result of natural disasters

Specialist clinical psychologist Solin Chekin stated that natural disasters have been at the core of human fears since the day they occurred. “The sudden and unpredictable nature of this can have a huge impact on people. Some people exposed to such a natural disaster may experience some emotional problems even if they do not have physical injuries. Due to the fact that our country is a seismically hazardous area, people have different reactions after strong earthquakes. Of course, these different reactions vary from person to person. In fact, the reactions that occur are completely normal, and knowing what these reactions are helps us to quickly get rid of the psychological consequences of the event. he draws attention to the problem.

Problems may arise because the process takes longer.

Although the earthquake itself seems to be a problem most of the time, Chekin pointed out that the uncertainty in its content causes fear in a person. “In natural disasters that cause severe consequences, such as earthquakes, people who accept the process as usual get used to the new situation within a few weeks and continue their daily lives; In some people, prolonging this process can lead to acute stress disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder.”

Men can suppress trauma

Specialist clinical psychologist Solin Chekin stated that in such cases, men tend to ignore the trauma they experience because of the accepted gender roles in society. “While there is a roof-like space of trust between mother and child, the father figure seeks to create an all-encompassing space of trust. It continues in the same way in terms of both gender roles and human nature. Therefore, males take care to look stronger and stay calmer. This situation forces the person to repress the trauma experienced. While women seem to seek support after a traumatic life, men are thought to go through a more subtle traumatic process.” speaks.

First of all, it is important to create a safe space

Specialist, clinical psychologist Solin Chekin draws attention to the importance of creating a safe space and giving them the opportunity to communicate primarily with their relatives, especially for people who have witnessed destruction, debris, death or did not receive news from their relatives, especially in the early days injured persons.

No immediate therapy

According to Chekin, emphasizing that it is initially wrong to think that people are in therapy. “Because, first of all, we need to make sure that these people feel safe and can meet their basic needs. It is much more important to share feelings of unity and solidarity with the victims of the earthquake.”

Memory is not erased during trauma therapy

Clinical psychologist Solin Chekin stated that this issue is still relevant in relation to traumatic experiences other than earthquakes. “Therefore, the priority is to create a safe space for the patient. After that, it is necessary to plan an interview about the therapeutic relationship in order to understand their feelings. Trauma therapy should definitely not be seen as erasing bad experiences from memory or forcing them to be forgotten. In trauma-focused therapy, the processing of emotions is supported so that the person has a more conscious approach to reality. If, despite all the therapeutic processes, the traumatic life significantly impairs the functional capabilities of a person, one should consult a psychiatrist. he highlights the problem.

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