No New Katrina Aid in Bush Budget - Term Paper Example

 Introduction: As the world is yet to convene to mark the first anniversary since Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf City. More than meet the eye needs to be done in rebuilding the once vibrant city that was reduced into of ghosts. The landscape was put in a state o panorama of death and devastation. Homes become sudden tombs that registered high death tolls with bodies rotting away upon bodies. The laxity in channeling prompt response is to blame for all this regardless of the Tsunami alert systems that have been planted on the vast water masses. The impact of the devastation that hit the gulf cost had a far-reaching resonance that still reverberates in the heart of the U.S irrespective of its worshipped economic prowess. One is left wondering how such a humanitarian and natural catastrophe could conspire to create a living hell, with flooding that stretched beyond 90,000 square miles and creating a human displacement of 400,000 people. Hundreds of thousands of residents lost jobs. In a nutshell the happening of the disaster teared apart the social fabric as ruthless as the physical infrastructure. In reality this is a spiritual dent that is firmly embedded and forever shall ring on the minds of the masses and transcending beyond various manmade stratums in life. Yet this agonizing aftereffect leaves an awkward experience to the urban planners, Policymakers. According to Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs, the analogy here is that the current state of living in Katrina at the bottom of Maslow’s law of hierarchy of needs. Thus the superdome city has become an abyss of suffering, desperation and despair. The worst tragedy is the mayhem created by hoodlums who crept out from their dark hiding places to their new freedom of looting and raping the helpless vulnerable Katrina Survivors and ignorantly exposing the dark belly of New Orleans. William C Compton (2001) Rebuilding Katrina. It is now evident that Environmental catastrophes unfold in different shapes and sizes that cannot be contained by human ingenuity; this can be quantified with the concurrent striking of tsunami in Katrina, Indonesia, Kobe Japan among many places. Therefore rebuilding Katrina to its former, and better stature goes beyond brick and mortar. Posttraumatic syndromes need a specialized approach in combating the menace. Kolk’s classic article, "The Body Keeps the Score," Harvard Review of Psychiatry, Jan-Feb 1994, 253-65). Reports that Trauma alters limbic system structures (involved in various emotions such as aggression, fear, pleasure, and also in the formation of memory) in ways that are not easily corrected through talk or self-reflection. This calls for probing of highly sophisticated positive psychiatry modalities that have the ability to rapidly counter maladaptive hyperarousal in the limbic system. This abolishes the preconceived illusion that is rides on the notions that outlives the materialistic view of food; medical treatment and shelter as the only requirements needed by refugees of Hurricane Katrina. Energy Psychology Therapy With limited psychiatry centers, it is therefore a collective responsibility for clinical psychiatrist’s from myriad backgrounds and the community at large to integrate Energy psychology, a discipline that utilizes cognitive interventions, combined with methods derived from acupuncture, acupressure, and related systems. – In treating emotional and behavioral problems. Historical records indicate that the approach has had a remarkable achievement as post trauma psychological intervention in the wake of natural and human disasters in the Congo, Kenya, Kosovo, Kuwait, Mexico, Moldavia, Nairobi, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, and Thailand and probably it will bring optimistic changes upon the Katrina’s. Energy psychology is an approach to psychotherapy and emotional self-management that uses the stimulation of "energy points" on the skin for the purpose of changing specific emotional response patterns (Gallo.F.P 2004). Stress Debriefing and Cognitive Behavior This approach was founded and integrated in response to Oklahoma City bombings in 1995 namely the Green Cross. During Oklahoma’s post mission healing strategy a Critical Incident Stress Debriefing and Cognitive behavior Therapy, which need to be integrated as positive campaign in the heart of Katrina, objectively, to intervene natural phases, geared towards achieving long-term healing effects. Green Cross on the other hand has been deploying counselors to disaster areas who increasingly use positive psychology,” which rapidly has proven itself to be among the most powerful psychological interventions available to disaster relief workers for helping the survivors as well as the workers. " This has indeed made ancient healing practices that speaks of "energy" as a critical component in their actions (Feinstein & Eden, 2006)­-from acupuncture to meditation to yoga withstood the test of time and emerging into the realms of biomedicine because, laying "a lucid foundation for a growing interest in integrative psychology" and "a valuable expansion of the traditional biopsychosocial model of psychology to include the dimension of energy, mainly because it examines the dysfunctional self-statements and beliefs. Debriefing group may, for instance, coerce individuals who are uneasy about disclosing personal information into sharing in ways that have negative consequences on their sense of self-worth as well as on their ongoing relationships with co-workers who were also part of the group. Some people might, for example, be better served by a period of denial so they can rest and recover emotionally before attempting to process the trauma. Community Building Model To build Katrina’s psychological comeback calls for the health the fact that community building was not, previously conceived, as applicable to social problems, as large as those created by the hurricane. Members of the Trauma Relief Team of the Association for Thought Field Therapy Foundation (see Organizations) have, for instance, utilized TFT while providing disaster response services in more than a dozen countries, with strong results being reported. The Humanitarian Committee of the Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology (ACEP) reports corresponding observations based upon its work with some 300 tsunami victims. While systematic follow-up has not yet been conducted, the ACEP group describes strong, rapid responses to the psychological aftermath of the disaster, including alleviating anxiety, depression, and anger, as well as the successful resolution of earlier traumatic memories activated by the tsunami experience. One of their most interesting findings has been that, since it is more acceptable for individuals in these cultures to complain of physical suffering than emotional pain, many of the treatments focused on physical pain and consistently brought about substantial relief, based on both the survivors’ self-reports and a reduction in observable physical difficulties. The World Health Organization is offering a Healthy Communities approach by engaging the whole community in an ongoing community building process that builds on the community’s strengths. The associated concepts and program offer many positive ideas and experiences and can be based on as a foundation for rebuilding after Katrina. Major foundations have been aggravated to take this opportunity to gather people involved in many different approaches to community building and discover ways to maximize existing resources throughout the Gulf communities and also in the distant towns and cities. Hurricane Katrina offers us an opportunity to address the great pain of the people from these communities and of the nation through a community building and community development approaches. This would not only assist these communities but also provide a different vision of community in America. Logan, John. R. (2006) Democracy based Approach. In order that for community based- approach to climb the rungs of Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs, as far as Katrina’s concern calls for the need to base it’s actions on the practice of democratic building, agitating the legislation of laws that will entrench in law the application of professional psychotherapy community contrary to American Psychological Association that has taken unprecedented step of singling out energy psychology as an area whose study cannot lead A.P.A approved continuing education credit, hence creating clashing paradigms. However, Humanitarian Teams have collectively witnessed striking clinical results with hundreds of highly traumatized individuals in post-disaster situations. (Walsh & Shapiro, 2006) The implicit here is to abolish the traditional patch-’em-up approach; by envisioning a deep and community-wide process, driven by residents from all parts of the community, including those who are poor and black? Jordan, Lara Jakes. (2006) While the psychotherapy community continues to debate the efficacy of energy interventions, relief workers are developing guidelines for their application in global disasters. For instance, the Green Cross, a humanitarian relief organization analogous in its mission to the Red Cross, but with greater focus on alleviating the psychological consequences of trauma (see Organizations), has been working closely with the TFT Trauma Relief Team and the ACEP Humanitarian Committee to expand the number of available relief workers trained in energy psychology methods. Psycho-Socio Spiritual Approach. By utilizing social amenities and make shift camps, generally, in response to invitations from The Professional psychiatry should opt to utilize social amenities i.e. churches, private groups and make shift camps to sensitize the society to develop a general need of champion themes of spiritual cleansing and purification, by encouraging leaders and religious elders to promulgate love hope and faith as the really attributes that should stay in quiet center of the storm- an inner sanctuary of peace, mindfulness and selflessness. The main objective for this promulgation is by openly deliberating the fact that denying the dark side of humanity is to ignore warnings about the destructive powers of Katrina. We need to know our shadows in order not to be trapped by them. We need to descend to hell to appreciate heaven. Like wise the positive Psychology of peace must be built from the carnage of war and peace. All faculties maintain advisory and consultative relationships with various community-based organizations. Seven circles is an organization founded on the belief that we are all related. It advocates the focus on preserving and learning from the rich cultural traditions of indigenous and ethnically diverse cultures, sponsoring regular forums for the exchange and sharing of the traditions and greater awareness of the richness and understanding of diverse individuals, helps to build a bonded society References: Eden D. & Feinstin .D (2006). Six pillars of energy medicine: Gallo, F. P. (2004). Energy psychology: Explorations at the interface of energy, cognition, behavior, and health. (2nd ed.). New York: CRC Press. Harvard Review of Psychiatry, Jan-Feb 1994, 253-65). Jordan, Lara Jakes. (2006) “No New Katrina Aid in Bush Budget.” Washington Post Logan, John. R (2006) Walsh, R., & Shapiro, S. L. (2006). The meeting of meditative disciplines and Western Psychology: William C Compton (2001) An Introduction to Positive Psychology Read More