A new year marked by uncertainty
Happy New Year, dear reader, although I express this wish with uncertainty. A customary wish for the New Year still applies in mid-January as I write this, but it may sound tired and irrelevant by early February.
A more serious reason for uncertainty is that right now, again as I write this reflection in advance of publication, an alarming number of fires are raging uncontrolled in Victoria, and the sheer horror and trauma of the destruction wrought presents a reality that is opposite to a happy and prosperous 2026.
Witnessing resilience in the face of devastation
We have seen the vision and heard the words of survivors, fire crews and volunteers, and marvel again at the resilience and strength of ordinary people in life-threatening circumstances. Country Fire Authority volunteers prove over and over again their valiant commitment in the face of personal danger. When I imagine the trauma these trained folk may experience, as well as rural residents whose losses are devastating, I wonder how they will ever recover, physically, psychologically and spiritually. It was announced that trauma counselling is one of the services governments offer through recovery and reconstruction funds after the fires.
Understanding trauma and recovery
How human beings manage to overcome the residual effects of trauma buried for decades, or the immediate grief of a shocking loss, is the challenge for practitioners and their clients working in the field of mental-health counselling touched on above. This discipline involves a deep understanding of mind and body functions in the field of neuroscience, which researches how the brain supports mental processes. The related field of interpersonal neurobiology is the study of how our behaviour influences the emotions, biology and mind-sets of those around us.1 Traumatised people can impact the lives of their loved ones profoundly, often through their involuntary actions.
Counsellors support traumatised individuals by talking with empathy. And by also analysing psychological and physical signs camouflaged ‘behind the mask’ they can offer guidance toward recovery from deep pain, opening a path to equilibrium.
The role of spiritual strength
But spiritual help, it would seem to me, is also crucial. Sourcing one’s spiritual wisdom through contemplation, prayer or meditation enables our beliefs, words and actions to remain consistent and honest. Honesty with ourselves can help transform the sense of hopelessness that besets a fragile human being. Honesty is a spiritual strength through which we can take control of our lives with renewed hope and gratitude for survival.
Community support and shared values
As a TSA Elder, it often seems I am an inadequate counsellor. But then I am grateful for specialist colleagues who freely offer the social support that many members rely upon. I trust the spiritual insights that we Elders offer complement the TSA’s social work and community support.
In this year ahead, I am grateful to renew connections with TSA members and staff, grateful also for our shared values and respect for each other. Sending strength to members and friends affected by extreme weather.
Hope fills the space between what the world is and what it could become, sustaining us with purpose even when the outcome is unknown.
