Follow Up: Bethany Copes With Emotional Aftermath of Barn Collapse

Nearly two weeks have passed and most of Bethany has breathed a collective sigh of relief; the barn collapse at Sun Gold Stables ended well, all horses are in good shape, and people have settled back into their winter routine. Unless, of course, they were there when it happened or assisted in the rescue. Those people haven’t quite recovered. And according to Peter Stebinger, Rector of Christ Episcopal Church in Bethany, that’s perfectly fine.

On Thursday night (Feb. 10) a group of a dozen collapse “survivors” attended a meeting at Bethany Town Hall in the Community Room presided over by Stebinger whose experience with Post Traumatic Stress was fine-tuned while working as a Chaplin at Ground Zero following the terrorist strikes on the World Trade Centers.

One of the first things Stebinger told his listeners was, “You are not wimps. You have been through something terrible.”

Stebinger explained that trauma creates such a strong memory that it literally reprograms a person’s brain. Many of the reactions that people are having are very normal and can be physical, such as nausea, tremors, diarrhea, dizziness, and sleep disturbances; mental reactions, including slowed thinking, impaired decision making, confusion, memory problems and disturbing dreams; and emotional reactions which can include anxiety, fear, guilt, depression, sadness and feeling isolated.

As Stebinger listed all the possible reactions, members of the group nodded as he recited each the specific issues they’ve have been having.

Stebinger said after a trauma like the barn collapse it is easy for people to become dependent on alcohol or drugs, and that was something to watch out for.

“And if you are not having a reaction at all,” he added, “that’s far worse.”

 “One of the things we assume when we walk into a building is that it will stay up,” Stebinger said, adding that what had happened in this case was so outside the norm it was a rare as “winning the lottery,” which drew a laugh.

“You will have to keep walking into a building over and over again before you finally stop wondering if it’s going to stay up,” he said. “And when you go to a new facility to decide if you want to keep your horse there, it’s okay to inspect it and check every beam.”

The most important message Stebinger had to offer was that this unique group of people was experiencing reactions that were perfectly normal for the unique and terrible situation they had endured, and that time would help heal.

“A month from now, if you are still really affected,” Stebinger said, “and you need help, go get it.”

As the meeting progressed, the attendees began to relax and talk about their experiences.

“This is helping,” one of them remarked.

“You have been through extraordinary events,” Stebinger said, “but you will all be fine.”