How We Can Help When Disaster Strikes
There is no better time than now to talk about trauma. As we prepare up here near the Gold Coast for Alfred's arrival, I’m observing people’s behavior and the panic that arises. PTSD symptoms from the devastating 2022 floods are emerging in real time.
From fires and floods to financial stress- How can we best respond when it happens?
The first step is to understand how our nervous system responds.
The Polyvagal Theory explains that when we sense danger in our environment, our autonomic nervous system sends a command to the brain to shift into survival mode. This unconscious response impacts how we act, think, and feel:
Reduced activity in the prefrontal cortex, making it harder to think rationally
Disconnection from others, leading to a loss of curiosity and compassion
Difficulty making decisions and comprehending complex information
A heightened focus on survival, making us more self-oriented rather than connected to the wider community
This response isn’t just personal—it happens in organisations too, affecting how we work and relate to others. While organisations can't predict disasters, they can ensure people feel supported.
How Can We Support Others' Emotional Wellbeing?
The importance of Co-Regulation
We naturally and unconsciously send signals of safety or danger to each other, either amplifying or reducing our fight-or-flight response. If someone is dysregulated, we tend to pick up on that. Conversely, if someone is calm and centred, our nervous system and brain waves adapt to that calmness, helping us regulate ourselves.
Your ability to regulate yourself helps others do the same. The HeartMath Institute describes this calm, regulated state as Coherence.
Five Elements of Psychosocial Support
Research on risk and resilience (SAMHSA, 2010; Queensland Health, 2008) highlights five key elements of psychosocial support. Our ability to self-regulate and maintain coherence influences all of these:
Ensuring safety
Promoting calm
Encouraging connectedness
Supporting self-efficacy and group efficacy
Instilling hope
It’s important to remember that people don’t all react the same way or at the same time to a crisis. Some have strong immediate reactions but manage on their own or with support. Others may not react initially but experience distress later.
The Role of Workplaces
Beyond the physical impacts of disasters, crises also deplete emotional resources, explains Professor Sanders from UNSW school of management and governance. Workplaces must recognise their essential role in helping employees maintain emotional wellbeing during disasters. While they can’t predict crises, they can ensure people feel supported. Professor Sanders emphasises that one way to mitigate risk is through effective and compassionate communication from managers during disaster events.
Six Tips on How You Can Make a Difference
Stay calm and present- when you remain calm, you help others feel safe and secure.
Establish human connection
Limit obsessive news consumption- to keep your nervous system regulated.
Stay connected to curiosity and compassion, even when stress pushes you toward withdrawal.
Mini moments of mindfulness- breathe deeply (box breathing; 4-7-8 breathing) do a short body scan, take breaks, eat nourishing meals, or call a good friend.
Encourage a sense of ‘You Got This’- one of the most important research findings is that a person’s belief in their ability to cope can predict their outcome (Bandura, 1977). As a leader, friend, or parent, you can encourage this belief in others.
Helpful Resources:
