9/11 - Denial
Henry here. I have been talking about the stages of crisis and how that relates to some of what happened in the terrorist attack on 9/11. The first stage is shock, and we might have seen it in the incredibly long time that President Bush took to respond to the news that a terrorist attack was underway.
The second stage is denial. What happens is that we retreat from the pain of the event, defending ourselves by retreating from reality. I watched some of that terrible film about 9/11 the other night and it was clear that some of the advice that people in the towers got was the result of denial. People were told to remain at their desks when they themselves seemed to realize that was suicidal.
I have seen this happen in car accidents. One person in a workshop said that as a student he was going home for Christmas. His car hit an icy spot and ended up in the ditch smashed. People stopped and wanted to help but he would have none of it. He planned to unstrap his motorcycle from the back of the car and continue on his journey. Finally they convinced him to be checked out at a hospital.
During this stage we attempt to maintain the old way, avoid reality. Such avoidance may be so serious as to put us in a euphoric mood. We are resisting change. I was once in a car which struck a train. The car was totaled and one man was killed. I phoned my new wife and told her about the accident and she said that she would fly immediately to my side. My reaction was: “No need. I’m fine. The crisis is over.” Being who she is, she came anyway. I was very grateful for her presence when the next morning I could not get out of bed without lifting myself by pulling on my hair. This is another case of denial.
Many of the survivor of 9/11 say things like they sometimes they still can’t believe that it really happened, even years later. I am sure if you look closely at the events of 9/11 you will see many more, as this is a universal stage of our dealing with crisis.