L’esperienza del Centro d’Ascolto di San Giuliano di Puglia nel terremoto del Molise 2002

In a sort of cross-diary, two emergency psychologists describe the experience at the Centro d’Ascolto della Società Italiana di Psicologia dell’Emergenza. The context is a tent city in San Giuliano di Puglia, severely struck by the earthquake on 31 October 2002. They present their own inner experiences relating to those days, in the belief that “giving voice to one’s emotions” is the necessary precondition to being able to “give voice to the pain of others”. The psychologists witness the need for simple, active and respectful listening, without stretches or impositions, further highlighting how fundamental a listening area is in a context of emergency, so as to reduce or eliminate the psychological consequences of the traumatic event.