Am J Psychiatry 1976; 133:313-316
Copyright © 1976 by American Psychiatric Association
Disaster at Buffalo Creek. Discussion of the Buffalo Creek disaster: the course of psychic trauma
L Rangell
The specific contribution of the psychiatrist to the team study of the
human disaster at Buffalo Creek focuses on the course of psychic trauma.
The initial violent intrusion by the flood waters was followed by a second
phase of the traumatic cycle, the physical dislocation of the survivors,
with disruption of their "ground" and "surround." During this long
subsequent period the level of trauma did not recede but kept rising,
although at a slower pace. Distant effects of the trauma may succeed the
more immediate ones. The finite psychic space of the survivors is
encroached upon by traumatic memories for an indefinite period of time,
leaving fewer resources available for normal effective living. The
absorption and merging of traumatic stimuli into a traumatophilia poses
still another potential problem. The unprecedented legal decision as to the
linear effects of psychic trauma on a succession of connected individuals
will need further interdisciplinary clarification.
