Bogotá.– Anxiety, insomnia, fear that it will happen again, and difficulties in returning to normalcy are some of the invisible wounds left by the powerful earthquake recorded in Colombia, where thousands of people have sought psychological support, many of them for the first time.
“Many people just want to be heard,” explained to EFE Nubia Villescas, dean of the Psychology program at the Konrad Lorenz University Foundation, an institution that activated a free emotional support and containment network after the earthquake and has mobilized more than 1,100 professionals, graduates, and interns.
The earthquake on August 10th, with a magnitude of 7.4, left 331 people dead, estimated damages of 9.5 billion dollars, and nearly 400,000 people affected. Many of them still face the emotional consequences of a tragedy that altered their routines, their sense of security, and their way of facing day-to-day life.
In this context, the care network has received requests for help from about 1,400 people of different ages, many of whom had never previously sought psychological care services.
The coordinator of the psychological brigade, Diego Sánchez, pointed out that, although more than a month has passed since the earthquake, many people remain affected. As he explained, the needs for care have changed over the weeks, following the initial impact caused by the emergency.
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Remote psychological support
From the early days of the emergency, thousands of volunteers joined a telephone support network coordinated between foundations and public entities working in the affected areas.
The number of professionals allowed for the distribution of cases and avoided an overload of work. According to Sánchez, each brigade member has attended to between four and five patients since the beginning of the emergency.
The program also included support for the professionals themselves in charge of providing assistance, under the principle of “caring for the caregivers.”
“The psychologist is still a person. Having all the knowledge they possess does not mean they are unaffected by what they are hearing,” explained Sánchez.
In some cases, it is family members, friends, or neighbors who request help upon noticing that a person close to them is not sleeping, remains constantly alert, or has difficulty returning to their routine.
However, not everyone affected is prepared to talk about what happened. While some need to recount their experience repeatedly, others are still focusing their efforts on meeting basic needs such as locating their relatives, finding a place to sleep, or obtaining food.
Nubia Villescas explained that some people need to address their physical survival needs first before they are prepared to receive emotional support.
The fear of new seismic movements
For many affected individuals, returning to normalcy has also been complicated by the fear that another earthquake might occur. Since the main event, the Colombian subsoil has continued to record movements.
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The Colombian Geological Service (SGC) has identified 297 aftershocks of the main earthquake, in addition to another 1,232 events corresponding to a seismic swarm recorded at a shallower depth.
The organization Ayuda en Acción also detected from the very first moments a significant emotional impact among the victims and set up a guidance and active listening line for those who remained in a state of shock.
Just like the aid intended to cover the material needs of those affected, emotional support networks have promoted self-care practices, the strengthening of support networks, and the management of exposure to social media.
Ayuda en Acción psychologist Luis Miguel Pérez explained that the main emotional reactions identified have been anxiety and the fear that seismic movements will recur, sensations that are also affecting the daily lives of the survivors.
Minors constitute a group that requires special attention. Professionals work with them using tools such as play to help them recognize and express their emotions, in addition to strengthening their support networks.
Fear intensifies especially during the night. Difficulty falling asleep, recurring thoughts, and the feeling of being constantly on alert are among the main reactions detected by specialists attending to those affected by the earthquake.
