The past few days have presented our local Central Coast community with some interesting personal challenges. For a few days, the entire geographical area has been pounded by nature. A category 2 cyclonic event has been wreaking havoc. Torrential flooding rain; cyclonic winds in excess of 120km per hour,; huge trees uprooted and strewn across roads and homes, like dry twigs in a summer breeze; loss of communications and power for many and an almighty disruption to our normal day-to-day routine lives.
All of us have been affected in many ways. Unfortunately four people have also lost their lives. The event has disrupted our daily lives. Schools have been closed for days. Some businesses have closed due to lack of power, as well as concerns for security. Trains have been delayed or stopped. Boats have been washed up onto roads and footpaths. Bus services have ceased. Grocery shops have been inundated for food stock-piling, especially anything ‘long life’. Fridge freezers are thawing and have been forced empty. Many people evacuated from their homes and directed to local community shelters. It really IS a major disaster, with the state government declaring an official state-of-emergency. A catastrophic event by any standards. Mother nature at her loudest.
One of our clients contacted us to inform us that she was unwilling to drive her children to our centre as she was terrified of driving anywhere. She is certainly not alone. For those who are game enough to venture out of the safety of their homes, witnessing the destruction has been overwhelming.
I too have been triggered with concerns for my own family and loved ones. Our collective concerns are real, as we witness the overwhelming scenes in our local neighbourhoods.
Where do triggers come from?
The nature of our significant triggers as adults are NEVER those of our ‘adult selves’. They are sequestered parts of our being that are usually very young (child or adolescent) and are, at times, almost inconsolable by our ‘adult selves’. These triggers are held in our body/mind and usually get re-triggered by events in the present moment. Most of us have experienced this almost hypervigilant overwhelm that is frequently out of proportion to the experience being currently faced. In fact, for many of us, this part takes over and can determine much of our response to these situations.
It might be mindful to remember, that we ALL have these totally human responses to traumatic events and that it is never, ever too late to let our ‘adult selves’, compassionately ‘re-parent’ these often neglected parts of our whole being.