wfn.org | Commentary: Sept. 11 anniversary may trigger anxieties

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.ORG>]

Aug. 26, 2002 News media contact: Tim Tanton7(615)742-54707Nashville, Tenn.
10-71BP{377}

NOTE: A head-and-shoulders photograph of the Rev. Anne Ross Stewart is
available. For a related commentary, see UMNS #378.

A UMNS Commentary
By the Rev. Anne Ross Stewart*

The one-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center
and the Pentagon is fast approaching. Where are you emotionally? How have
those events impacted your personal sense of well-being?

It shouldn't take such catastrophic events to remind us of our individual
and collective vulnerability, but the events of Sept. 11, 2001, have made it
more politically correct to inquire about our state of mental health. It is
much clearer that clinical depression, anxiety disorders and post-traumatic
stress disorder are mental conditions that can and do happen to ordinary
people.

Family systems theory reminds us that the anniversary of certain important
events in our lives may stir up old feelings. We would expect that most of
us recall the shock of Sept. 11 and our response to it. For many people, the
losses experienced on Sept. 11 tapped into some "emotional leftovers" of
other losses, and the anniversary of that date may trigger some of those
feelings again.

Chatting with other pastoral counselors in the Baltimore-Washington
Conference about their experiences with people after Sept. 11 revealed
different kinds of feelings. More people took advantage of free depression
screenings last October than before, and more of those who were screened
tested positive for symptoms of depression and post-traumatic stress
disorder. 

Those people were referred for further treatment.

While not all pastoral counselors experienced a significant influx of new
clients, most found that the events of Sept. 11 triggered memories of other
losses in current clients. The event became an opportunity for many people
to work through unresolved grief about other losses. 

Many counselors found themselves, as well as their clients, doing more
"nesting" - spending more time at home with the family. Counselors working
with couples in conflict discovered mixed reactions. Some couples were able
to put their relatively petty differences in a new perspective and decided
to stop making mountains out of molehills. 

Others with more severe differences decided that life was too short to
prolong their poor relationships.

Since most pastoral counselors work in church settings, many cooperated with
local congregations to provide opportunities for people to "debrief." Many
local churches opened their doors for special prayer time. Some provided
discussion groups where people could share stories of how Sept. 11 impacted
them. 

As we approach Sept. 11, 2002, there will be opportunity for each of us to
take another mental inventory of our sense of well-being. 

As Christians, we are often able to draw upon our faith resources to assist
us in the healing process. We know that we can be strengthened by our faith
in God. However, being Christian does not make us immune to any mood
disorder or other mental illness. We are not exempt from the possibility of
needing counseling, longer-term therapy or medication to restore us to a
more normal level of functioning.

For more information about depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress
disorder, there are numerous organizational Web sites you can visit. These
include the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, www.nami.org; National
Institute of Mental Health Information Resources and Inquiries Branch,
www.nimh.nih.gov; and National Mental Health Association, www.nmha.org. 

To find a pastoral counselor in your area certified by the American
Association of Pastoral Counselors, check the association's Web site at
www.aapc.org.

# # #

*Stewart, who serves in the United Methodist Church's Baltimore-Washington
Conference, is executive director of the InterFaith Counseling Services for
the Pastoral Care Working Group. This article was originally published in
the conference's UMConnection newspaper.

Commentaries provided by United Methodist News Service do not necessarily
represent the opinions or policies of UMNS or the United Methodist Church.

*************************************
United Methodist News Service
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