10/5/2011

David L Romo, Arizona USA
I would like to express my deep heartfelt sympathy for the victims who lost their lives and the families that are now grieving this great loss. This tragic ongoing event continues to test the will of Japan's ability to meet the challenges that face her great people. Clearly, Japan is no stranger to reconstruction after natural or man made disasters. The world watches how Japan restores the massive physical damage caused by this catastrophic earthquake, tsunami and power plant damage. I believe Japan has much to teach the world on how a disaster can be managed. Very few countries can identify with what Japan is now experiencing and I believe the lessons earned will be invaluable in the future to those countries requiring some type of assistance. What makes a country great are it's people and how they respond to any challenge before them.
Japan's best friend is now time....time to grieve.....time to heal....time to rebuild and finally time to restore it's greatest asset, faith in themselves to once again demonstrate the values that make Japan one of the greatest countries in the world. I am available to provide any assistance now or in the future to help Japanese people understand how this type of mass trauma affects the way we feel, think and behave. My experience of working the 1995 great Hanshin Kobe earthquake revealed many human struggles unique to the Japanese people. We as a global community have learned much since the Kobe earthquake about the psychological trauma and the importance of psychological intervention mitigating harmful long lasting psychic trauma. Cleaning up the destructive physical damage does provide some measure of comfort but the long lasting psychological trauma can take generations to heal. Once elemental necessities ( food ,shelter and clothing) are made available to the masses living in shelters psychological interventions are crutial to both adults and children to express themselves and allow their suffering to have meaning.
My best wises from a greatful adopted son of Japan who's life has been dramatically changed as a result of ""remarkable chance"" to meet and befriend for 36 years one of Japan's special and unique citizens Tsukasa Mizusawa founder of the Healing and Recovery Institute of Yokohama City, Japan.