December 5, 2001
Happy holidays create seasonal stress
Seminar offers coping mechanisms for trauma, grief and stress during the holidays
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
"Grief is a healthy process, an emotional response to a perceived significant loss."
With a nation grieving the loss of lives, innocence and a perception of safety since the terrorist attack on September 11, the approaching holiday season this year may be even more challenging for many.
"The 9-11 attacks were a tremendous loss of our sense of safety and security," continued Chad Campbell, a social worker with Great Lakes Community Mental Health.
Campbell was discussing grief at a brown bag luncheon entitled "Coping with Trauma, Grief and Stress During the Holidays" held Thursday afternoon at the Grand Traverse County Civic Center. The forum was sponsored by Great Lakes Community Mental Health and drew more than 60 attendees.
Grief, a natural healing process, can affect even people who had no direct connection to an event, such as September 11.
"The key with grief is a perceived significant loss, it can go beyond deaths and divorces or the end of a long-term relationship,"Campbell noted.
Even without the events of September 11, the holidays can be a time of mixed emotions, even a time of dread for some. For those facing the direct loss of a loved one, coping with a trauma or feeling overwhelmed in general, the stress levels can seem unbearable.
Campbell discussed a variety of grief triggers, from special dates, photos, gatherings and even sounds, sights, tastes and smells. He also discussed different stages of grief, as identified by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross and composite of grieving tasks. Campbell emphasized the importance of finding resolution, especially if there are issues that keep a grieving person stuck at one of the stages.
Campbell also told attendees it is important to distinguish between grief and depression, which is not a healthy process. Often the duration and depth of the feelings is the clue for mental health professionals that a grief process has deepened into depression.
"Depression is like a monster that is trying to consume you," he said. "Grief is a process you go through and makes you then stronger."
Other speakers at the luncheon included Tom Vinette, a case manager specialist on the Assertive Community Treatment Team, and Art Newhouse, operations manager for clinical services and the Assertive Community Treatment Team.
Newhouse detailed how trauma can reverberate among individuals, families and even a nation for a long time. However, he did note that Great Lakes Community Mental Health has not seen an upsurge in referrals in the past two months, which he attributes to the shared nature of the experience.
"Nobody feels alone because we are all sharing this together," he said. "It has affected everybody to a different level. A comfort is how the country has all come together and people are looking at their prejudices and how they tolerate differences."
The scope of the terrorist attacks overwhelmed the coping mechanisms for most citizens and many are still unsure how to respond. Many people started in denial and moved into a stunned state. Then people became preoccupied with it and began compulsively to watch and read everything about it.
"Denial is natural in trauma, disaster and grief because our mind just can't comprehend all of it," Newhouse said. "One of the things we notice from critical incident debriefing is that oftentimes these people will have flashbacks, they just keep coming back to it. "
Peggy Howey frequently attends Great Lakes Community Mental Health brown bag luncheons. A manager of an adult foster care home, she deals with mental health issues on her job and noted that the events of September 11 affected her residents as well.
"The developmentally disabled have an additional issue when dealing with things like that," she said.
Both Newhouse and Vinette are also members of a local Critical Response Team that debriefs fire, police and emergency service workers who have been impacted by a traumatic event. Vinette noted that happiness in the face of traumas, whether personal or as large as the attacks on September 11, can seem inappropriate.
"After the attacks, I couldn't laugh for a week," he noted. "September 11 was an abnormal situation for every person here. We all went through that and are still experiencing it."
Vinette discussed a variety of options for reducing stress in general and during the holidays, from a good diet and regular exercise to changing your environment to changing yourself.
"You can think ahead to the holidays and prepare yourself emotionally," he said.