The Manchester Bombing. Pt.2

Yesterday (22/5/17) the Manchester Evening News Arena in the UK city of Manchester was attacked by an Islamist suicide bomber at the end of a concert by US popstar Ariana Grande. Fortunately the death toll remains at 22 with 59 wounded.

In writing about this earlier I said it was possibly inspired by my apparent expertise in the field of mental health. This expertise is now apparently so legendary that HRH Prince William, Duke of Cambridge has decided to muscle in for his share.

Proving that this could all be a horrible coincidence the first victim has been named. She was Georgina Callander an 18 year old studying for a vocational qualification in Health and Social Care.

This is a qualification that I myself hold. Or at least it would be if it wasn't controlled by the same people who control driving licenses and book-keeping qualifications.

It is physically possible that Georgina Callander was targeted by the attack for this specific purpose. However I think that is extremely unlikely.

One area of mental health that Britain is particularly interested in is traumatic stress. Or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Having watched the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) for nearly three years now I can see why ex-soldiers such HRH Prince Harry are so interested in this topic.

Throughout the day I have watched various media commentators and politicians declare the Manchester bombing to be the most horrific thing they've ever seen.

I do not dispute that it was horrific but just on Friday (19/5/17) ISIL set fire to several houses burning eight families alive as they were being forced to flee Mosul's 17 Tammuz district. So sadly the Manchester bombing is only the most horrific thing I've seen in the last four days.

As the chaos from Manchester unfolded last night the former leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) Nigel Farage appeared on Fox News in the US. He said that this attack on children marked a new low.

Today (23/5/17) Vian Dakhil spoke at the at the Oslo Freedom Forum in Oslo, Norway. Vian Dakhil is a Yezidi Iraqi politician who was born in Mosul. She has worked tirelessly to help free the 7,000+ Yezidi women and girls who were kidnapped for sexual slavery when ISIL overran northern Iraq back in the summer of 2014.

So the brutal fact is that I have seen ISIL do far worse to girls far younger than the girls in Manchester. And be allowed to do it time and time again.

Amid all this horror I would very much like to share whatever expertise I have on psychological trauma and stress.

However there are still many people in this fight against ISIL. Although psychological matters are something you must take care of in battle your only option is to keep moving forward. After all the last thing anyone needs is a sentry going all wobbly.

Also I am acutely aware of how short of resources people caring for soldiers and civilians currently are.

In Iraq it's a battle to keep roofs over people's head and food in their bellys. In Syria the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF/QSD) have even less. For me to talk to these people about luxuries like trauma counselling  feels like I'm mocking them for doing the best they can.

To make matters worse there is no simple treatment or magic pill I can hand out. If there was I'd be doing a Martin Shkreli, slapping a patent on it and selling it to you all at a 600% mark-up.

The sad fact is though that only you can live your life and you only you can experience your memories. All I can offer is vague management-speak and assorted gobbledygook.

However I think that at the root of every case of PTSD is a failure to process a traumatic experience.

Until you can take ownership of your memories you cannot discard them and leave them behind. So they will continue to haunt you in nightmares, flashbacks and panic attacks.

Therefore if you have experienced the Manchester bombing or any other traumatic experience my advice is to re-live every moment of it.

Every sight, every sound and every smell. Most importantly re-live every second of every emotion.

That moment you were terrified.

That moment you felt ashamed because you clambered over someone to save your own life.

That moment you felt powerless because you leaned over to help someone only to realise they were beyond help.

In terms of the best way to do this it really depends on each individual.

However I think the most common way that humans communicate is by talking. So simply talking about your experience can help. If you have trouble with that talking therapy with trained counsellor should subtly help guide you through the process.

I personally find it much easier to write than to talk. So for me it is much easier to write things down like in diary, witness statement or blog post. Sadly though I seem to have got so used to this now I've developed the skill to go off in a quiet room and just take care of it myself.

Very young children of course tend to express themselves through play and drawing. So it's probably best to leave them alone with some Lego or Crayons and be prepared to answer any questions they may have.

Talking about the Manchester bombing specifically I know that Britain is a first world nation.

So unless David Cameron has destroyed us all the schools the children attend along with the hospitals that treated them and police forces that helped identify them should be able to provide a package of coordinated after care.

I would take my lead from them.

20:50 on 23/5/17 (UK date).