A Los Angeles Times Special Report : Coping With The Quake : Recovering From Disaster, Preparing for the Future : Dealing With Aftershocks to the Psyche

Surviving an earthquake involves more than readjusting picture frames or sifting through piles of rubble. Anger, irritability, disbelief, shock, rage, nightmares, sleeplessness, hyperactivity and headaches are just a few of the aftereffects of a quake.

The most common reaction among adults to a large quake is an overwhelming sense of helplessness, said Dr. Mory Framer of the Barrington Psychiatric Center in Los Angeles, which trains mental health workers to counsel disaster victims.

Quakes, Framer said, remind us of our mortality and that we are not in control. “The power of disaster reduces us all to children.”

Anxiety and other reactions may occur regardless of the amount of property or physical damage.

“You don’t have to experience destruction to be afraid of an earthquake,” said Dr. Irwin Rosenfeld, chairman of psychiatry at Saddleback Memorial Medical Center in Laguna Hills. “Just feeling the ground move underneath your feet is a pretty daunting experience.”

Mental health professionals agree that expressing your feelings is the first step to healing the mind after experiencing disaster.

“It’s important for people to talk about what happened with regard to their feelings and fears,” said Marvin Sellers, director of services at Hotline Help Center in Orange. “It is vital that people allow those feelings to surface before they internalize” them.

Call-in opportunities abounded Monday as television and radio stations offered numbers for people to call for information and to discuss their feelings.

Bob Sims, news director at KNX 1070 news radio, aired a special segment early Monday featuring psychologist Kimberly Heart of Los Angeles. Sims said acknowledging the emotional component of a natural disaster is crucial both in terms of news coverage and responsibility to his listening audience.

“Once you get the news out, and you start to examine the emotional harm, you begin to think about how to help people sort through their feelings,” Sims said.

Mental health professionals offer these strategies to help you cope after an earthquake:

* Share your feelings and fears with others. Rosenfeld said that may be as simple as chatting with the supermarket checker. Regardless of the quality or quantity of the venting, any expression is positive.

In helping others, don’t minimize someone’s feelings by telling the person not to worry. Listen even if his talking is incessant.

* If you sustained property damage, sort through remaining belongings. Doing so--however futile it may seem--serves as therapy, Sellers said.

* Don’t immerse yourself in a 24-hour-a-day cleanup campaign. Take breaks whenever possible for leisure or hobbies. Such diversions are crucial to one’s overall coping strategy.

* Keep as close to your routine as possible, in terms of diet, exercise and activity. Not only does this serve as a source of comfort, it also helps one return to normal--both physically and emotionally.

* If your experience is very painful or if your reactions disable you from functioning--that is, if you can’t drive on a freeway overpass or ride an elevator--you may need professional help, Framer said.

* Finally, take what you hear with a grain of salt. “After every disaster, there is a tremendous influx of rumors and statistics that get twisted,” Framer said.