How Covid is a Collective Trauma

As we anticipate mask mandates lifting shortly it is a good time to reflect on the last two years. We have, collectively, been through a traumatic experience with long lasting impacts.

The full story of what happened with the virus will take years to unpack. One thing is clear: The past two years has damaged our sense of trust of other people and dealt a blow to our belief that we have all the medical knowledge to deal with any public health crises that occurs.

 For me, it has made me avoid any gatherings beyond a trusted few. I see other people at the grocery store as potential sources of harm. And it has amplified the part of me that likes to be isolated at home.

 I now view people I encounter out in the world as possibly a threat and I give them an even wider berth. This is one of the outcomes of the pandemic for me. Another loss has been a sense that “we are all in this together”. Vaccines have been politicized. I have noticed that a “them and us” mentality has taken hold and I feel a greater animosity toward those on the other side of the vaccination divide.

What started two years ago as just a few cases quickly grew into many thousands of Americans infected. Initially information was lacking on how the virus was transmitted making everyone edgy around touching their mail, hugging others, etc.

The loss of physical contact created an even greater sense of disconnection and loneliness. Especially for those living alone.

I remember greeting a family member at church and him telling me that his wife was near death from cancer. I spontaneously reaching out to place a hand on his shoulder and him pulling back. He needed to avoid any contact, however comforting, out of fear that he would carry the virus back to his beloved.  How sad.

And the limits placed on funerals has dampened our ability to grieve as grief is meant to be shared. That loss of gathering with larger family and friends has added to the disconnect we have all felt.

Another trauma from covid is a sense of powerlessness. Not having a vaccine for the first year made us all feel out of control and unable to change the course of the virus. Also feeling of powerlessness to engage with those opposed to the vaccines and find common ground to defeat the virus.

When we get scared, as with covid, we can often respond with anger as a protection from the vulnerability we are feeling. So, we have lost some of our humanity by being driven by fear that manifests in anger and judgement towards those on the other side of the debate on the value of vaccines.

How do we heal our collective trauma? Is there a way forward to make our society whole again after the events of the last two years? It will take a great deal of time and reflection to help us return to some kind of regulated and structured life. We will receive some healing by gathering with loved ones, being out at restaurants, concerts, etc. The question of how to heal the hurt and anger of the political rift manifested in covid is a much harder one to answer, if there is any answer at all. We will have to start from the now and restore a sense of calm and normalcy to begin to heal from the last two years.