Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-c47g7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-18T11:23:15.764Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Chapter 11 - Memoirs of the Spitak Earthquake

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 May 2022

Armen Goenjian
Affiliation:
David Geffen School of Medicine; UCLA/Duke University National Center for Child Traumatic Stress
Alan Steinberg
Affiliation:
UCLA/Duke University National Center for Child Traumatic Stress
Robert Pynoos
Affiliation:
UCLA/Duke University National Center for Child Traumatic Stress
Get access

Summary

This chapter comprises three segments. The first includes excerpts from Dr. Ida Karayan’s diaries written during her service tours in the earthquake zone. Her diaries detail the daily challenges and rewards of working with children and teachers during the acute aftermath and over time. She offers, with absolute candor, insight into the emotional impact of her work. The poignant stories of Sahak and Gagik are remarkable examples of how a caring and competent therapist can help deep wounds heal. The second segment includes memories of the lead psychotherapist of the Spitak clinic, Ms. Pavagan Petrosyan. Before the earthquake, Ms. Petrosyan was an elementary school principal, living an idyllic life with her family. The earthquake killed her husband and destroyed their house. After a long, tortuous journey to Moscow and Tiblisi, she returned to Spitak and enrolled in the Psychiatric Outreach Program, and went on to become a prominent, sought-after psychotherapist. This is an inspirational story of a survivor who came out of her dark hole to help others in despair. The third segment provides memories of Liana Grigorian, a housewife from Spitak, who was nine years old during the earthquake. She describes her terrifying experiences of the earthquake when she was trapped by a collapsed wall and gives voice to current psychological scars that remain as vestiges from the earthquake.

Type
Chapter
Information
Lessons Learned in Disaster Mental Health
The Earthquake in Armenia and Beyond
, pp. 179 - 192
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×