Picture is in commemoration of a first responder and dear friend Paul Palmisano. Paul is a principle that teaches troubled teens and was on the scene of 9/11 to help and provide assistance anyway he could. 9/11 is a very hard day for him to get through. The memory of 9/11 will be forever with him, and as tragic as it was to be at ground zero that day, Paul has shown resilience through his pain and continues to help those that seem so helpless to help themselves. I am very honored by his friendship. This page is also dedicated to those troubled kids that he loves so much. Please visit the school and see what Paul is doing with his life twelve years later. www.ourlife.academy.com
Abstract
Twelve years ago on September 11, 2001 the American people were faced with a national media crisis as the twin towers in lower Manhattan collapsed from terror attacks in full living color from the comfort of their homes. Never has such an event shook the stability and securities of millions of citizens as each individual can vividly give an account of what transpired that day. There have been close to 3000 deaths that occurred from the attacks and 2000 more from health conditions afterwards. There will be an examination of interventions that were used, and the pros and cons of how this one act of aggression on American soil has reshaped a new era of counter terrorism. There are many questions that are full of gaping debates on how the crisis was handled and what might have been done differently by governing officials. Looking back and into the future America still struggles to find solutions on a grander scale that can bring us to clearer objectives in the wake of 9/11 attacks. While wars are still being consumed by those past events, there are thousands of military personnel that are still facing the crisis of war, and also suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder along with a country that has grown weary to a battle that is still not clearly defined. There are still many unfulfilled answers that have not been given, which leaves no scab to the current wound of knowing the full truth of what happened on that day, and how it changed our complete perceptions overnight. Until clear answers are given, there is no end to what this aggression has cost so many in their search to find healing. Americans are looking for closure to what happened on that day. The evidence that will be presented will be based on research of those that seek the truth about 9/11, and more effective ways that we can deal with a crisis that is still plaguing the minds of the American psyche as we continue to deal with terrorist attacks abroad.
Twelve years ago on September 11, 2001 the American people were faced with a national media crisis as the twin towers in lower Manhattan collapsed from terror attacks in full living color from the comfort of their homes. Never has such an event shook the stability and securities of millions of citizens as each individual can vividly give an account of what transpired that day. There have been close to 3000 deaths that occurred from the attacks and 2000 more from health conditions afterwards. There will be an examination of interventions that were used, and the pros and cons of how this one act of aggression on American soil has reshaped a new era of counter terrorism. There are many questions that are full of gaping debates on how the crisis was handled and what might have been done differently by governing officials. Looking back and into the future America still struggles to find solutions on a grander scale that can bring us to clearer objectives in the wake of 9/11 attacks. While wars are still being consumed by those past events, there are thousands of military personnel that are still facing the crisis of war, and also suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder along with a country that has grown weary to a battle that is still not clearly defined. There are still many unfulfilled answers that have not been given, which leaves no scab to the current wound of knowing the full truth of what happened on that day, and how it changed our complete perceptions overnight. Until clear answers are given, there is no end to what this aggression has cost so many in their search to find healing. Americans are looking for closure to what happened on that day. The evidence that will be presented will be based on research of those that seek the truth about 9/11, and more effective ways that we can deal with a crisis that is still plaguing the minds of the American psyche as we continue to deal with terrorist attacks abroad.
The Awakening of
the Emotional Tragedy of 9/11
Description of the Crisis
It was a clear and beautiful skyline
across New York City the morning of 9/11.
Four American planes were high jacked after they were boarded. Two of the planes were purposely driven into
the World Trade Center in New York City.
When the first plane hit, most people believed it had been a terrible
mistake or accident, and then several minutes later another plane hit the other
building. It became quite obvious to
most people that the country had been attacked from within. The entire country was in a state of shock as
millions watched the towers burn and collapse from their television sets in the
comfort of their homes. Another plane
destroyed part of the Pentagon building, and the forth one crashed in
Pennsylvania. According to the News
broadcast that morning the passengers had tried to prevent the plane from
crashing into any more buildings, and a few of the passengers had broken into
the cock pit and struggled with the terrorists while crashing into an open
field killing all that were on board.
Who would do such
a thing, was the ultimate question of every American that morning. There were a total of 19 terrorists that were
involved in the incident of all four planes.
There were news reports that were calling this group Al Qaeda. America was told that they opposed western
culture, and they practiced an extreme form of Islam that had been orchestrated
by Osama Bin Laden. (Natalie Smith, 2013)
The strike hit at
the heart of America, and there was great mourning, anger and confusion that
flooded the entire country. The entire
media was flooded with coverage as it played over and over with the scenes of
that horrible morning. Americans were
not prepared for any attack of this magnitude.
The United States had been protected from invasions with the vast sizes
of the oceans of both coast lands. At
this particular time terrorism was something that most common people in America
did not concern themselves with, but the fate of the attack of September the 11th
brought the shock and horror of what can change the feelings of safety to a
very insecure feeling of fear, rage and helplessness.
It was a different crisis; something
Americans had never experienced from their very homes. It was an unthinkable act that our very own
planes would become the weapons that destroyed our landmark of national freedom
along with thousands of working Americans that set from their desks conducting
business from the apple of our land.
Most people can still remember exactly where they were and what they
were doing at the time of the attacks.
There was horror and destruction at ground
zero as many first responders, policemen and fireman sacrificed their lives to
save any remaining survivors. In the
American spirit this attack entered the hearts and minds of all that witnessed
the tragedy, and many are still unable to grasp such a horrible incident. The faces covered in white ash running away
from the building. The jumpers that fell
to their death rather than being burned alive was not a motion picture coming
from the screens, but real life people just like the rest of us. These scenes are buried into the memories of
all that witnessed these events on that memorable day that will never be
forgotten.
Historical Context of September the 11th
after the First Five Years
In October following the attacks, the US
and its allies invaded Afghanistan where the terrorist cell was based. The Taliban government was protecting Osama
Bin Laden and there were training camps that were being ran from the country
itself. US forces destroyed the
Taliban. Since 2001 there were many Al Qaeda
members that were captured or killed.
The US then invaded Iraq in 2003 because of intelligence that Sad am
Hussein was hiding weapons of mass destruction.
This war was one that was well supported by most of the American people
because of the fear that was inflicted from the attack on 9/11. It was later determined that no chemical
weapons had been found. Hussein was
later captured and executed by an Iraqi court.
The US government took steps to ensure tighter security and safety for
the American people during this time.
Airports were more secured and people welcomed the changes hoping it
would make lives more secure from the events of 9/11. Public buildings were more secure, and a new
government position was taken to secure Americans against terrorism known as
Home Land Security.
According to Christopher Reed (2004), in
global statistics of war world wide 9/11 was relatively minor, but due to the
fact that Americans have lived for centuries protected by bodies of ocean
water, the US was over confident that no foreigners or invaders could bomb the
area. Reed stated, “September 11th carnage was psychologically
catastrophic. Americans said it changed
the world, but in fact Americans, or the US government, are making the most
changes” (p 1). Americans have taken
losses in the casualties of war, but the war against terror cannot be so
formalized, but that is really not the point of the statement. Americans need to be advised that the world
is a very shocking and violent place and 9/11 is a constant reminder of the day
that a country awoke from their sleep (Reed, 2004).
During this time period President Bush
made claims that war in Afghanistan and Iraq had made not just the US safer,
but the entire world. This statement is
simply not true. The death toll from
terrorism in the year 2002 was approximately 750. In 2003 it was around 650. In 2004 it exceeded 1000 deaths, and this did
not include the 191 deaths in Madrid, and the 271 deaths in the Shiite festival
in Iraq the same month (Reed, 2004). The
most hoped for incident had not occurred, the capture of Bin Laden as he
presumed to move about from cave to cave in neighboring countries. The frustrations and effect of war was taking
a toll on the American people will very little closure of the atrocities of
9/11. America was suffering causalities
of war, and the structure of a safe place has been changed by the new policies
of Home land Securities.
Historical
Context 10 years after the Tragedy of 9/11
According to the Lancet
journal (2011), the attacks of 9/11 were the deadliest seen on American Soil
since World War 2. The events from that
day changed the Historical Trajectory of the United States of America, and it
continues today to have profound effects and consequences in health. It was further stated that “One inadvertent
consequence was that, on a population level, anxiety, fear, and sometimes
xenophobia were fostered at home and overseas”. (p 1). Many American Muslims felt stigmatized and
intimidated, while the government continued to shift its spending priorities
into home land security and emergency preparedness, and because of these
things, health as a whole suffered greatly. (Lancet Journal, 2011).
Ten years after the 9/11 attacks New York
City is still greatly affected. During
this time more focus was being placed on the surveillance of the World Trade
Center survivors and there long term mental and physical health concerns. In 2010 Health and Compensation Act was established
providing 2.8 billion dollars with those that had been affected by illnesses
caused by the attack of the World Trade Center.
There were 3000 victims as well as first responders that endured ongoing
health problems that needed a continuation of treatment. The health of troops returning from Iraq and
Afghanistan is an ongoing concern. There
were an estimated 46,000 troops that were currently serving in Iraq with 98,000
deployed to Afghanistan. There was a
growing number of military personnel that were returning with brain injuries as
well as Post Traumatic Disorder, depression, suicide, alcohol misuse, and
sometimes aggressive behavior towards others.
As many as 10 to 20 percent of soldiers that have been exposed to combat
were suffering from mental illness that resulted from the 9/11 attacks as they
were called to defend the country against terrorism (Lancet Journal, 2011).
What has the country learned from the
attacks of 9/11?
The greatest
significance to 9/11 is that the entire country woke up to something it had
little knowledge of because of our vulnerabilities of our constructed safe
haven. Our minds turned away from the
simple things, and made us examine other parts of the global world, and the
ugly faces of terrorism, no matter who was responsible there have been huge
debates on what actually happened on the date of 9/11. In the wake of the incident the country rose
above it differences and united for a time period with people that simply
dropped everything they were doing at the time to reach out to a disaster they
felt so helpless to. It was a clear
example of the human spirit and empathy towards each other in the period of
shock and despair. Many people had a
growing concern for their families at home, and viewed what happened to those
that passed on could have been their own family members. It was a call of the American people to act
quickly, and there was a huge response during a time that the complete Nation
mourned over the aggression on civilian suffering and loss.
In the response of war I think there has
been discovery that has been seen that terrorism brought a new type of crisis
in which we were not fully prepared, even those that had been trained for such
events ever expected something so tragic.
Terrorist knew that playing upon the fears of the American people would
create an unbearable wound. In the
progress to move forward we have ventured out to learn more about global
cultures in trying to grasp an understanding of how something like this could
have occurred. Looking back to what
happened from the beginning until now, we definitely need to be more
psychologically prepared for terrorist attacks and there will be years of
studying new crisis interventions to meet that calling in the future.
What we failed to understand was the
impact of who was affected by these senseless attacks. According to Roxane Irvine (2011), she stated
that “most of the research has considered the burden of posttraumatic stress
disorder on individuals who were proximal to the attacks, lost a loved one, or
engaged in cleanup or recovery, but the psychological impact spilled over
beyond those directly exposed, affecting those who merely witnessed the attacks
indirectly. Indeed, this spillover went
far beyond posttraumatic stress responses” (p 427). Although many questions have remained
unanswered, psychological research is making impressive contributions towards
bringing these topics that are of great consequence to our survival past an
attack such as 9/11.
The aftermath of 9/11 also opened up new
doors that included faith based groups that have proven to have valid
consideration to helping those with these types of disorders. Before 9/11 there were no answers in a way to
intervene outside of secular means, but many felt the need of spiritual interventions
as well as other resources to help them cope.
There has been a huge increase of lay counselors that have increased
since the incident of 9/11. There has
never been a greater need of spiritual strength in the face of complete
darkness and despair. Many of the
survivors and first responders felt a strong desire to help, and most drew
incredible strength from God to help them digest what they were up against.
I
hope in the field of crisis interventions there will be more spiritual counseling
on a wider scale so that we can prepare Americans on an individual basis of the
realities of what can happen in the wake of such a man-made disaster. Not only as a crisis counselor intervening,
but also educating people to be aware of the dangers and stay diligent in the
days ahead. Many believe that 9/11 was a
huge call for Americans to get there houses in order, and to also prepare
themselves for the evil that dwells among us.
9/11 was a clear call to awake from every individual perspective.
Taking a look closer at the Interventions
that were used after the 9/11 attacks.
There are several aspects of crisis
intervention that should be clarified through the attacks of 9/11. According to Irwin Mansdorf (2008), first
there needs to be an understanding that terror attacks are far different from
other disasters. There is no warning or
familiar scope of nature. Second, the
stress was not only associated to those that were victims, but were felt across
the country, showing 44 % of adults and 35% of children showing what is called
as substantial symptoms that related to upsetting reminders, disturbing
memories, unable to concentrate, sleep deprivation and irritabilities. This crisis is one that is known as crisis by
observation. The third and most important
of all is how terror can create an ongoing personal threat in different
societies. This creates an ongoing need
for vigilance that is not at all common in other types of crisis or natural disasters
(Mansdorf, 2008). He further suggests
that this type of exposure to terrorism increases the vulnerability on a wider
scale, and there have been suggestions made that pre attack intervention or
preparation would be helpful in dealing with these sorts of symptoms.
Although there is some evidence of
research that indicates that immediate calls for psychological first aid rather
than those of clinical interventions, there are questions that have been raised
about conducting any intervention at all, because research has also shown that
some people may if fact do better the less emotion they express at the
particular time of the trauma. CISM has
a lengthy history and there have been questions that have been raised about the
efficacy. The most controversial aspect
of CISM is the debriefing phase where it takes place within 24 hours of the
crisis. It is where emotional expression
is encouraged, and a review of the experience in group settings to cognitively
process the experience. At Oxford
University there was a study that was conducted known as the Cochrane group
study. The conclusion regarding the one
session was viewed as direct and blunt.
Psychological debriefing can contribute to making the severity of
post-traumatic stress disorder worse. It
is also not recommended for depression, anxiety or psychological
morbidity. The study indicated that it
may further the risk of PTSD as well as depression (Mansdorf, 2008). After reviewing the evidence of the use of
CISM with the first responders of 9/11 there is also research that would
strongly disagree, and the arguments were defended by an accurate debriefing
rather than one with lack of proper training.
A high base line of hyper arousal has a tendency to show worse results
than other types of de briefing. After
the attacks of 9/11 the APA published fact sheets that encouraged the usage of
resilience in dealing with psychological symptoms. The fact sheet identified with the belief
that most individuals were able to deal with high levels of stress and
challenges. Resilience is defined as the
process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma and tragedies. Consistent with the ability of resilience,
there were a large number of people that suffered from PTSD, it was apparent
that the largest majority of those that were exposed to terrorism showed a
positive display of resilience. On a
reasonable basis it should be stressed on the importance of realistically
providing an assessment of the damage from any attack, and the focus would be
well on resilience, and using several specific interventions such as cognitive
behavior therapy, medications as needed for high risk individuals that suffer a
serious stress reaction (Mansdorf, 2008).
Terror victims are unique and should not
be treated the same as those from other disasters or trauma. Regarding the events of 9/11 there would be a
great deal of relevance and meaning to this particular group in the act of
supported adjustment and reducing fears of a further attack or future
terrorism. The main objective is not
whether psychological help should be given, but rather to know the limits, or
if intervention should be needed at all.
Providing intrusive intervention could intensify the trauma by not
allowing natural coping skills to be engaged would not be productive in the
events of terror attacks. There should
never be an intention to expose individuals to emotional levels that are not
productive. There was a review of crisis
intervention that included several approaches including CISM and debriefing and
the reports came back effective, and it was focused on guidance on handling
emotional and behavioral symptoms. There
is no definite treatment for terror related attacks. This is the reason it is vitally important to
take a conservative outlook while being extremely careful to not worsen the
crisis or cause harm by intrusively conducting interventions. It is critical that one does not attempt to
overtreatment. There are disasters with
crisis intervention workers and their thoughts are well and meaningful, but sometimes
poorly prepared volunteers that are seeking to help providing psychological
assistance can be over intrusive which could possibly cause the crisis to
worsen for the individual if they are suffering from PTSD. There will be a continuation of broad
scientific based interventions that will continue to be developed as past
events continues to occur. In the mind
of a crisis intervention team, the main focus should be to do no harm
intrusively, and to be empathetic to those that suffer from such incidences
(Mansdorf, 2008).
Conclusion
There are still many
unanswered questions that surround the attack of 9/11, and with truthful
answers there is a closure that can take place in the minds of those that
witnessed these things personally, as well as indirectly. There are wide spread debates that have
surfaced about whether we were told the truth of what occurred on the day of
the attacks. It is in the spirit of men
and women to search out the truth, and then the bondage of freedom can be
released. There are many families that
are still wondering about what happened to their loved ones, and question why
the investigations of 9/11 are still incomplete. Many of these problems have caused divisions
even among our very government and where there is truth, there is closure. Many people wonder if the wars have helped
the situation of safety for those of our country. Many people still live in a dark place
concerning 9/11. It was a dreaded scar
that struck deep in the heart of every American that morning. While sometimes it is not apparent for us to be
able to understand something as horrible as 9/11, it is encouraging to think we
can go back to that day where the country met in a united spiritual place that
impacted our nation. Learning to
overcome and perhaps less of knowing why is what we long to seek in the days
ahead as God guides us to move forward as a divine people who will lean on one
another through our attempts to rise through the ashes. Resilience is what has made this country the
greatest of all nations. May we live by
that, and learn tolerance towards one another as we move forward in a dangerous
world. Perhaps in spite of the tragedies
surrounding what happened on 9/11, it was a time like no other that we needed
to awaken from the sleeping giant known as evil.