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Trauma Healing and psychological Conditions of Natural Disaster Victims

Authors:
Nida Maula Balqis¹, Talitha Azalia Wibani², Tatu Zakiyatun Nufus ³
Psychology faculty of UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, Indonesia

Abstract
Trauma is a condition when individuals experience events that shock them mentally and
physically. Indonesia is a country with frequent natural disasters such as tsunamis, landslides,
floods and earthquakes. Victims of natural disasters not only have a material impact but also
an impact on their mental state. In natural disaster refugee camps, volunteers usually organise
trauma healing activities with various methods for disaster victims. This is done so that
victims can continue their lives calmly without being overshadowed by the trauma caused by
what they experienced.

Introduction
Based on previous research on trauma healing activities and post-earthquake child
protection education for children, trauma healing activities are carried out using methods of
community education, legal counselling, and psychological support to reduce the level of
trauma and psychological disorders experienced by earthquake victims.
Trauma healing that is carried out offers play activities as a form of therapy to children. Play
therapy can divert children's focus from tense and worrying situations. Play can at least
mentally prepare children to accept the current situation. When used in the right situations
and conditions, it can be meaningful as a physical activity as well as a therapy (Endah
Nawangsih, 2014: 164). Handling the psychological impact on earthquake disaster victims is
achieved by providing psychosocial support, as a form of trauma recovery.

Literature review
Trauma Healing is a psychological disorder that most children or communities experience
as a result of the natural disasters they experience. Trauma occurs because of the lack of
preparedness to deal with the event. As a result, traumatised children need help healing
literally means healing. According to Arthur S. Reber and Emily Reber in The Penguin
Dictionary of Psychology Third Edition, trauma healing is taking care of everything that
causes trauma. Trauma healing can be done on someone who has suffered a relatively minor
injury or trauma. Some use trauma healing as a type of psychological disorder therapy to help
the healing process. Therefore, trauma healing is a treatment method for psychological
disorders that a person experiences due to poor handling of mental functions.

According to child and family psychologist Ratih Zulhaqqi, trauma healing aims to
anticipate Post-Traumatic Syndrome Disorder (PTSD). PTSD is post-traumatic stress
disorder. Trauma healing for children, said Ratih, tends to be rather difficult because children
often find it difficult to talk about their anxiety like adults. She said, playing is the right
trauma healing method for children "(If you play), they don't feel they are being treated, they
don't feel a tense situation. And those who accompany them should not always bring up the
story (about the earthquake)."

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition caused by a horrific
event, such as an accident, war, or natural disaster (earthquake, tsunami, landslide, etc.). The
impact of trauma disorder itself certainly varies, from mild to severe. Here are some of them,
always feeling anxious and very disturbing, imagining the disaster, nightmares that cause
difficulty sleeping, the physical condition of the sufferer becomes alert when they remember
or think about the trauma experienced. Such psychological symptoms cannot be allowed to
persist. Victims must be helped to recover their psychological condition from traumatic
experiences through trauma healing. PTSD disorders in disaster victims appear after 1 month,
while trauma disorders that appear less than 1 month are called Acute Stress Disorder (ASD).
Usually, victims who experience ASD can recover from trauma disorders so they only need
psychosocial support.

One of the methods commonly used in Trauma Healing activities for children is the Play
Therapy method. This method is an option in the method of handling trauma healing for
affected children, because play is a natural medium that can be used in expressing themselves
so that children will return to the world of cheerful and happy children. In play therapy,
children do various games that can entertain, do activities that can encourage children to be
more creative such as drawing, singing and so on.

Methodology
 The qualitative descriptive review serves as the foundation for the methodology of
this research, focusing on the in-depth investigation and exposition of specific aspects of the
phenomena under study. The data collection process involves in-depth document analysis,
aiming to gain a profound understanding of the context and characteristics involving the
research subjects. This approach is expected to provide a comprehensive overview and rich
interpretation of the observed phenomenon.

Result and finding

The results of our data analysis research show that play therapy has a very important
role in trauma healing activities for children. With this activity, children can forget for a
moment the tragic events that have just happened to them. This is because play helps children
to enter into their cheerful and happy world. Trauma healing is carried out using the Play
Therapy method. This method is used so that children do not feel that they are being treated.
Based on the data, Play Therapy is effective in relieving trauma symptoms in children who
have experienced traumatic experiences.

Trauma Healing is an effort to help children accept their post-disaster circumstances by

helping them process traumatic experiences and rebuild emotional stability. Through this
approach, children are given space to express their feelings, whether through play, art, or
cognitive therapy, enabling them to understand and cope with the psychological impact of
traumatic events. In addition, trauma healing also aims to rebuild children's sense of security,
confidence and social connections, providing a strong foundation for long-term recovery.

The Play Therapy method used in Trauma Healing activities is in the form of games that hone
cooperation, concentration, and socialisation skills. The games used in one of the Trauma
Healing activities in West Sulawesi are playing puzzles, playing handcuffs, and role playing.
According to Handjani and Yunita (2019) playing puzzles improves children's thinking and
concentration. By playing puzzles, children will learn something complicated to solve and
how the puzzle can be arranged correctly. Handcuffing game is one way to hone children's
ability to socialise. In this game, children are asked to pair up and then tie their hands with
raffia rope as "handcuffs". The children are then asked to remove each of the handcuffs that
are placed crosswise. They must work together to remove the handcuffs from their hands.
The last game is role play. In this game, the child will take a paper containing professional
roles. Then the child will act out the role activity of the profession that has been chosen.
 Children with post-disaster trauma experience disruptive events in their lives. Their
personalities change as a result of the trauma experienced. That's why when we meet children
who are victims of natural disasters, we must do various ways so as not to trigger the trauma
experienced by them. Among them are:
1. Keeping children away from media exposure to their traumatising events
2. Keep them away from the places where the events are taking place.
3. Provide support by showing that we care and empathise with the victim's condition.
4. Provide donations in the form of food, clothing and shelter.
5. Inviting the victims to play and joke around can ease the traumatic stress
experienced by the victims.
6. Doing activities together such as cooking in the communal kitchen.
7. Being a listener to the stories of victims, if they are ready to share their calamities.

Conclusion
Natural disasters that often occur in Indonesia such as earthquakes, landslides, and
floods do not only affect the physical condition of the victims, but also their psychological
condition. Psychological trauma experienced by children can be carried over into adulthood.
To prevent this from happening, Trauma Healing with the Play Therapy method is needed for
affected children. Play Therapy has a significant impact on children's mental stability.
Children become calmer and eliminate their fears. With Trauma Healing, children can
continue their post-disaster life ideally and with a smile.

A trauma healing approach using play therapy is effective in helping children process
and cope with the psychological impact of traumatic experiences. Through play as a means of
expression, children are able to explore and express their feelings naturally, helping them to
overcome anxiety, fear and stress that may arise from trauma. Thus, play therapy methods in
the context of trauma healing not only facilitate children's psychological healing process, but
also help build a strong foundation for long-term recovery, enabling them to develop
holistically after a traumatic experience.

References
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DosenPsychologi.com: https://dosenpsikologi.com/trauma-healing

Mulyasih Ratna, D. L. (2019). Trauma Healing Using the Play Terapy Method for Tsunami
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Akmal Nur, Widyastuti, et.al. (2021). Play Therapy as a Trauma Healing Solution for
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Noya Andris, Talupun Johanna, et.al. (2022). Trauma Healing for Santri after the Earthquake
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