After major life events such as earthquakes, people tend to talk about the moment of the earthquake in order to be able to make sense of what they experienced during and after the earthquake. While adults do this through language; children do it through play. Because the game is the language of the child. Toys are the words… In this process, it is very understandable and normal for the adults to talk about the earthquake all the time and for the child to play games about the earthquake all the time. Children who experienced the earthquake in person or witnessed it through the media often tend to play games where houses are destroyed, ambulances, dozers and construction machines are present. These games are a way for them to reveal their stuck feelings. Although children's playing such games sometimes worries adults, we need to know that this worry is unfounded, on the contrary, these games strengthen the child.
Earthquake and similar disasters are not issues that our brain and nervous system can easily handle. In these situations, our nervous system comes out of its stable state and becomes more alert and agitated. The good news is that; Our brain, which has evolved to continue living and existing no matter what, knows how to handle it. It makes adults talk all the time in order to put this powerful event in its place and make sense of it; It pushes children to play these kinds of games all the time. The important thing here is that adults should listen to a listener; on the other hand, children need another living thing that watches their games and participates in their games if the children want. Interrupting these narratives of children and adults, changing the subject and the game, and diverting attention away from the memory means interrupting the work of the brain. For this reason, instead of stopping these narratives, being a good listener when the subject is brought up is the greatest help we can do to the person in front of us.
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