Ep. 244: Greatest Hits Vol. 24 – Helping Someone in Crisis

There are so many ongoing crises we can witness happening all over the world – the recent fires in Southern California (I have family and friends down there as well who have been affected), the ongoing crises of genocide, wars, political rest, and more…

 

And then there’s the intimate crises we all go through on a smaller scale with the loss of jobs, family members falling ill, and more.

 

I know when we see people suffer it can be so hard to know what to do. Many ways we can help support people in our community and families are simpler than you might think, and there are also things we also should NOT do that can potentially make things worse.

 

Many people might feel there’s not much they can do if they’re not a therapist, but there are definitely ways we can all help and things we can learn to be of benefit to others in need, even if it might not be your professional role.

 

I remember after the fires in Maui in 2023, I attended a seminar on Emotional First Aid, which was given to those who donated to the Maui relief fund, by Melissa Tiers and Simone Seol. And what they covered was so valuable that I want to share it with you here.

 

What I cover not only includes tools that can be applied for immediate relief, but also includes what NOT to do, because often – even with good intention – we can cause more harm when we intervene unskillfully.

 

For example, Melissa, who has experience using these tools after 9/11 in New York as well, says that so many therapists went down to help people process through their shock and trauma. And unfortunately, what the research showed was that when we process this way in the first 24-48 hours, we can create a situation in which people are prone to suffer from PTSD.

 

We’ll cover several guidelines and tools in this episode, including Ring Theory, the various ways people process trauma, how the language we use impacts our processing (and that of the people we are trying to help), havening, and more. 

 

I hope you find this episode helpful – there’s lots of great tools and tips that you can use right now to be of benefit to your people. And, as always, keep on keeping on, soul warriors.



In this episode, you will learn:

 

// Ways we can all help one another stabilize and heal from disaster or crisis of any kind – even when you’re not a therapist

// What NOT to do when helping others process their trauma… and why

// How Ring Theory helps in the immediate hours and days 

// Practical tools you can start using today 

 

Resources:

// Episode 50: When Someone You Love Has a Mental Illness

 

// Episode 164: Stopping Anxiety in its Tracks – learn additional techniques not reviewed in this podcast

 

// Introduction to Havening video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmrvGEJuCxY

 

// The Worst is Over: What to say when every moment counts (book)

 

// If you would like donate to help victims of the Southern California Wildfires, here are a few vetted charities:

American Red Cross

Pasadena Humane

California Community Foundation