A year ago, the flood in western Germany traumatized thousands of people. The doctor Katharina Scharping gives psychological help to those affected in the Ahr Valley. A talk about the brain in emergency mode, panic – and how to get out of it.
Interviewed by
Gianna Niewel, Frankfurt
Katharina Scharping’s trauma care center is located just above the Ahr valley. Here, the doctor for psychiatry and psychotherapy, together with some colleagues, offers psychological help for people affected by the flood. Each person affected is entitled to five sessions, but the center does not have the money for more. The emotional wounds are deep – and many are only now realizing how much they are still suffering from what they have experienced.