AFTER THE STORM

Will things ever be the same? It’s the question on many lips. Probably not says humanitarian worker Rebecca Horn. But there are benefits to be had.

By Jackie Rankin

Rebecca’s work takes her all over the world, helping organisations to support the psychological wellbeing of communities affected by conflict and disaster. In these situations she sees the impacts of war, floods and famine but also the resilience and strength of individuals and whole communities.

“Even the worst situations where a community has been completely fractured by conflict or disaster, only a small proportion of people need psychological help,” says Rebecca. “They may be displaced and have few possessions, but as long as they feel safe and have their basic needs met they’re able to contribute to the rebuilding, which in turn helps them grow stronger.” After an emergency her role is to identify the resources and capacity that still exist within a community, and help its members build on those. “Even in the midst of disaster, people and communities have their own inner strength and resourcefulness as well as external resources. The key to their recovery is for them to recognise these and make use of them.”

WHAT IF THE FUTURE IS UNPRECEDENTED?

“Where there’s uncertainty about what the future looks like, it is normal to feel anxious” she says. “We don’t know how things will be, we have little control over our lives, and it’s difficult to make plans when what’s coming next might not be what we imagine”. An important factor in recovering from a difficult or traumatic experience like the Covid pandemic is a sense of self efficacy – recognising that there are things we can do to make life better for ourselves or someone else.

“Making ourselves useful in the recovery process is a way of saying ‘I’m not a victim’. It might be why so many people signed up for the NHS volunteer programme, why we were baking and sewing masks and scrubs. We feel better when we’re helping other people. It benefits the person being helped, but it also helps the helper.” It seems baking for other people is an example of another crucial factor in recovery from distressing events – maintaining relationships. “When everything else is stripped away often relationships are what’s left, so we start to realise their importance” says Rebecca. We’ve also reclaimed something else that was in short supply before the pandemic – time. “Lockdown for some of us means we have more choices about how to use our time,” says Rebecca. “Having to stay put has given us a chance to reassess our priorities and choose how we spend time rather than meet other people’s expectations.” It seems we’re emerging from our lockdown experience a few lessons the wiser. “We’ve had time to work out what’s important to us,” says Rebecca. For most of us that’s connecting with people, less pressure and more time. And that can only be a good thing.

Psychologist and independent psychosocial specialist Dr Rebecca

Horn is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Global Health and

Development, Queen Margaret University

Edinburgh.