How to Coach Yourself and Others Empowering Coaching And Crisis Interventions | Page 124

This book is in B&W, not color - Print page in Grayscale for Correct view! Emotional Labeling During a crisis situation, feelings are often confusing and hard to define. Helping the person label the emotions that he or she is feeling helps him or her to make sense and gain some control of these emotions. Labeling the emotions also gives the person a chance to clarify and correct the perceptions of the crisis service provider. Crises happen as a result of some loss, real or perceived, in a person's life. The pain felt in a crisis is grief over that loss. The loss may be something you can put your hands on like an automobile, money, or a home. It may also be less tangible, like loss of self-'esteem, power, freedom, or prestige The resulting grief is the same. There may be a number of losses present in a single event. For instance, it is not unusual for a widow to lose financial well-being because of her husband's death; thereby she loses security, power, prestige, and quite possibly friends and social contact. Two key elements in any crisis are grief/loss and anxiety. No one can predict exactly what a grieving person will feel like. However, there are stages identified by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, which are seen in most people experiencing grief. The five stages of grief are: 1) Denial; 2) Anger; 3) Sadness/depression; 4) Bargaining; and 5) Acceptance These stages provide a road map of sorts that point out where someone may be in the process of his or her grief. Grief doesn't progress through the stages and end there. Rather, it seems like a series of loops, traversing the same ground over and over. We may be at different stages with each aspect of our grief at any given time. The following responses may or may not occur as a grief reaction. This is not meant to be a complete list; other reactions may occur that are quite normal. Emotional reactions and their somatic, or physical, counterparts often occur in "waves", lasting a varied period of time. Emotional responses Behavioral responses Sadness/Abandonment/Despair Anger/Rage/Resentment - Irritability/Vengefulness Relief Fear/Panic/Anxiety/Worry Guilt Feeling Lost/Numbness Hopelessness/Helplessness/ Crying at unexpected times Hostile reactions to those offering help or solace Restlessness Lack of initiative or desire to engage in activities Difficulty sleeping Constantly talking about the loved one and his death Isolation or withdrawal Increased smoking/alcohol use Somatic (physical) responses Cognitive responses Tightness in the throat Shortness of breath Empty feeling in the stomach Nausea / Headaches / Dry mouth Weakness, overall lack of physical strength Delusions/Hallucinations Nightmares Poor attention span/Indecision/Slowed thinking Disorientation/Memory problems/Blanking out Anxiety is an emotional response that can be expected to manifest in any crisis situation, because there are no answers, and seemingly no resolution. People may become afraid of the unknown or what they fear might For [email protected] Property of Bookemon, do NOT distribute 124