Veterans, in particular, are finding it hard to witness what is going on with the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“It’s very triggering,” Vietnam War veteran Vela Giri, who helps veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, said. “Immediately a veteran knows what is going on by our experiences. You just can’t help but identify with the people who are being oppressed, as well as the Russian soldiers who are probably not very happy about killing people or being killed. They took away the passports of the Russian soldiers. They are getting killed over there and no one knows who they are. They are not being buried. Their family can’t ever find them again.”
Millions have fled Ukraine, and millions more are trying to survive bombings and destruction their homes, businesses and hospitals. Those experiences are likely to produce lifelong psychological traumas even if the war ended tomorrow.
“If you are on the receiving end of a rocket or artillery, when that comes over your head, it sounds like a 747 jet about to hit you,” Giri said. “It is so loud and frightening that it makes you scramble, but you don’t know which way to run. To be under that kind of fire constantly is so terrifying. It is also hard knowing someone is getting hit even if you are not. Basically, we are in World War III right now.”
Giri said when the invasions began, he had a total meltdown; he totally lost it. For several days he was dysfunctional and depressed, emotionally exhausted, and kind of blindsided.
“I didn’t think it was going to hit me that hard,” he said. “I did have support from my wife, Francesca. But I feel for veterans who are out there alone with severe PTSD, and no one to help. Veteran suicides are off the chart. First, there was the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan thing and now this. This war, seeing people being slaughtered, destabilizes everyone’s psychological well-being and emotions. We all, especially veterans, know that could be us.”
The war comes on the heels of the pandemic disruption and physical isolation. The U.S. has lost an estimated 966,000 Americans to Covid-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, while the worldwide death toll is estimated at more than six million. There have been disparities in vaccine availability, meaning that few people in poor countries have access to vaccines.
Giri said there is currently a tremendous amount of grief in the collective consciousness. He has read that half of the people in the country are suffering from depression and/or anxiety.
“And there are a lot of people who have pretty much lost it to even worse psychological issues,” Giri said. “It’s difficult to process that much grief. Few people are able to engage with their emotions of grief at the tremendous loss we have already experienced, the loss of half the species on Earth. It used to be that you could go out into nature and really enjoy it. Now it is hard to put out of your mind that it is being destroyed. The news is constantly telling us nature is being destroyed. We are losing everything we grew up with.”
He sees the evidence that climate change is getting worse, with more devastating wildfires, floods, droughts and impacts on whole ecosystems.
“And now this thing in Ukraine is threatening the stability of the whole world,” Giri said. “I just spent my 75th birthday with my first grandchild. My granddaughter is a month old, and the only child of my only child. It has given me another lease on life, a reason to live. When I do my meditation, I look at her sweet face sleeping. I can breathe and be there with her. It is a real blessing.”
Giri also, for his own longevity and sanity, practices three to six hours of yoga and meditation daily. He also recommends engaging with other people instead of isolating. Find groups of people who share your concerns.
“Be with other people to manage your emotions,” Giri said. “Keep your spiritual focus. Spiritually, there is always something there.”
Giri is interested in joining with other people to discuss the Deep Adaptation movement. Deep Adaptation is a concept, agenda, and international social movement. It presumes that extreme weather events and other effects of climate change will increasingly disrupt food, water, shelter, power, and social and governmental systems.
This is the first article in a series to tap into the wisdom of residents about how to cope, respond, and be prepared for continuing challenges. If you are interested in being interviewed for this series, please send an email to bgillette4@cox.net.