Grief and Recovery After an Earthquake: Rebuilding Emotional Safety

An earthquake does not end when the ground stops shaking. For many people, its emotional effects can continue for weeks, months, or even longer. The loss of loved ones, homes, belongings, routines, and places that once felt safe can profoundly transform how a person experiences their surroundings and everyday life.

Following the recent earthquakes in Colombia, Commit and Act Proyecto Colombia has developed various psychological and emotional support initiatives for affected individuals and communities. As part of this response, we hosted a virtual gathering dedicated to understanding grief, sharing coping strategies, and creating a supportive community space. This blog post is best on the webinar faciliated by Dr. Marisol Blanco and Patricia Castellanos, LMHC and and co-hosted by our volunteer therapist, Catalina Fortich, LMHC. Below is a summary of the webinar:

Grief After a Natural Disaster

When we think about grief, we often associate it exclusively with the death of a loved one. However, many different forms of loss can occur after a natural disaster. A person may be grieving the loss of their home, belongings, community, financial stability, daily routines, or even the sense of safety they experienced before the earthquake.

Some individuals may experience sadness, fear, anxiety, guilt, anger, helplessness, confusion, or difficulty imagining the future. Others may feel relatively well at certain moments and experience intense emotions at other times. There is no single "right" way to grieve.

The grieving process may move forward, backward, and change over time. Recognizing this reality can help us respond to our emotions with greater patience and compassion.

Rebuilding Also Means Restoring a Sense of Safety

After experiencing an earthquake, the body may remain in a heightened state of alert even after the immediate danger has passed. Noises, movements, news about aftershocks, or conversations related to the earthquake may reactivate feelings of fear or insecurity. For some individuals, returning to certain homes or familiar places may also be difficult.

For this reason, recovery involves more than rebuilding physical structures. It also means gradually rebuilding an internal sense of safety.

During the webinar, we explored simple breathing, relaxation, and visualization strategies designed to help the body release tension. These moments can offer small pauses within a reality that may continue to be challenging.

The goal is not to eliminate difficult emotions, but to develop resources that allow us to remain present while navigating them.

When We Feel There Is Nothing We Can Do

Helplessness is a common experience following an emergency.

When circumstances are beyond our control, it can be helpful to distinguish between what we cannot control, what we may be able to influence, and what we can choose to do in the present moment.

We may not be able to change what happened, but we can choose to ask for help, support someone else, maintain certain routines, rest, participate in our community, express our emotions, or seek professional support.

Regaining small opportunities to make choices can gradually help restore a sense of autonomy.

Acceptance Does Not Mean Approving of What Happened

One of the most important conversations surrounding grief involves acceptance.

Sometimes, acceptance is interpreted as an obligation to feel at peace with what happened. However, some painful experiences may never feel acceptable to the person who lived through them. We can acknowledge reality without approving of it. We can continue living while still experiencing sadness. We can rebuild without forgetting. And we can discover new moments of meaning even when part of our story continues to hurt.

Emotional recovery does not require us to leave behind what we have lost.

A Repaired Heart Also Tells a Story

There is a Japanese tradition known as kintsugi, in which a broken piece of pottery is repaired by highlighting its fractures, traditionally using materials that include gold powder.

The repaired piece does not attempt to hide the fact that it was once broken. Its scars become part of its story. This image can help us reflect on certain experiences of grief.

After a profound loss, we may never return to exactly who we were before. The experience may transform us. However, our wounds can coexist with new experiences, relationships, lessons, and moments of meaning.

Healing does not necessarily mean returning to the past. Sometimes, it means learning to build a life that can hold both what has been lost and what is still to come.

We Also Have Permission to Experience Joy

After a tragedy, some individuals experience guilt when they begin to laugh again, enjoy a meal, celebrate, travel, or share pleasant moments with others. Thoughts may arise such as:

"How can I feel happy after everything that happened?" Joy does not invalidate pain.

Enjoying a pleasant moment does not mean forgetting those who suffered or minimizing the losses experienced. We can feel sadness and gratitude. We can miss someone and still laugh. We can remember while continuing to live. Two things can be true at the same time.

Making room for moments of well-being can be part of the recovery process.

How to Support Children After an Earthquake

Children may also experience fear, sadness, confusion, and insecurity following a natural disaster. However, they do not always express these emotions directly through words.

Adults can support children by validating their emotions, answering their questions in age-appropriate ways, and reestablishing routines whenever possible. Play, drawing, storytelling, and other forms of creative expression can provide opportunities for children to communicate experiences that may still be difficult to put into words.

It may also be helpful to encourage children to identify what they can control: choosing an activity, helping with a small task, preparing their belongings, talking with someone they trust, or participating in a family routine.

The consistent presence of adults who listen, validate emotions, and provide reassurance can be especially important during these times.

When There Is No Clear Answer: Ambiguous Loss

Some families face an especially complex experience when a loved one is missing.

In these circumstances, what is known as ambiguous loss may occur: there is a loss, but not enough certainty to fully understand what happened or begin the process of saying goodbye.

Hope and fear may coexist.

In these situations, pressuring someone to "accept" what happened or "find closure" may increase their suffering. Companionship, compassionate listening, personal spiritual or faith-based practices—when meaningful to the individual—and psychological support can help them navigate the uncertainty.

We Do Not Have to Navigate Grief Alone

One of the central messages of these community gatherings is simple yet profoundly important: we do not have to face the emotional consequences of a tragedy in isolation.

Talking with others who have experienced similar situations can reduce feelings of loneliness. Listening to different stories can also remind us that there is no single way to respond to a traumatic experience.

At Commit and Act Proyecto Colombia, we remain committed to providing educational opportunities, compassionate guidance, and psychological support for individuals and communities affected by the recent earthquakes.

Our response has included workshops and educational programs, as well as individual psychological support sessions for those who have needed additional assistance.

We will continue developing initiatives designed to strengthen emotional resources at the individual, family, and community levels throughout the recovery process.

Because rebuilding a community means much more than restoring what was physically lost. It also means supporting one another, gradually restoring a sense of safety, making space for grief, and remembering that it is possible to rediscover moments of connection, hope, and meaning.

This content is intended for educational and supportive purposes and does not replace an individualized assessment, diagnosis, or treatment by a mental health professional. Reactions following a traumatic experience can vary considerably from person to person. If emotional distress significantly interferes with daily life or there are concerns about someone's safety, seeking professional support is recommended.

To learn more about commit and act Proyecto Colombia, please contact us at commitandactcolombia@gmail.com.