Storytelling

This post from the Daily Yomiuri Shimbun details the harrowing stories of several survivors of the Great East Japan Earthquake. The amalgamation of several short anecdotes detail the survival of Yuko Ono, a 39-year-old mother;  Junnosuke Oikawa, a 56-year-old firefighter; a 62-year-old fisherman, Yoshinori Yamazaki; 86-year-old wheelchair-bound Norie Kanno; and 41-year-old Norikichi Ichikawa.

Mother Yuko Ono was driving her son and a classmate home when the earthquake hit. However, her quick thinking saved them all: she backed her van into a narrow side street so that when the waters hit, the van floated straight upwards and did not tip over. While her son and his friend have Ono-san to thank for their lives, they may find it traumatic to drive in a car again. However, they should work to regain some sense of normalcy by taking short rides in the car before working up to longer trips. It is important not to avoid triggers altogether so that they do not grow up with severe mental handicaps if put in certain situations.

Firefighter Junnosuke Oikawa survived by pulling two wooden planks under his chest and using them as a makeshift surfboard. He actually used to play in a similar way as a child. Oikawa-san can deal with the possible trauma he would face if confronted with surfing again by reflecting on the positive experiences he had as a child playing those games where no danger was involved.

Norikichi Ichikawa survived by allowing his body to float up to the ceiling of a submerged room and breathing in air when gaps became available. However, Ichikawa-san faces particularly traumatizing side effects as his mother, whose hand he was clutching for the majority of the tsunami, did not make it. Ichikawa-san can rely on the support of his surviving family, friends, and community to work together to move forward and build a stronger future. Ichikawa-san said, "I will live the rest of my life thinking of my mother, whose life was extinguished without mercy." Ichikawa-san can actually draw on this touching sentiment in order to deal with his trauma--he can work to have a very fulfilling life in honor of his mother.

Fisherman Yoshinori Yamazaki was submerged several times but each time found the surface again by swimming towards sunlight. Since Yamazaki-san is a fisherman he will probably return to the sea to continue his trade, and consequently he may face traumatic flashbacks when dealing with his boat. However, like Ichikawa-san Yamazaki-san should also rely on the support of those around him and make sure he finds outlets to express his feelings if he finds it necessary.

Wheelchair-bound Norie Kanno was one of the lucky ones to survive from her nursing home. Her chair floated up to the top of the room where she was unable to breathe for several minutes before the waters began to recede just in time. Kanno-san afterwards expressed "I'd like to live a healthy life for my friends." It is feelings exactly like these that will help all of these survivors find positives in their daily lives going forward and work to deal with their traumatic experiences.