The city that never sleeps has begun to lose sleep. Eight days after the most brazen terror attack the country has seen in recent times, counsellors and psychologists are reporting a spurt in the number of calls they receive everyday, not just from policemen who participated in the operation and residents of areas around the sites of the attack, but also from homemakers and schoolchildren who watched it all on television.“The kind of calls we are getting on the helpline is alarming from the psychiatric point of view, and are much more serious than those in the wake of earlier attacks — in number and intensity. People are very apprehensive and say that they are unable to work, eat or even sleep peacefully,” said Dr A M Gabrani, a director at the Matcheswalla Counselling Centre. “The worst affected are the schoolchildren and housewives who mostly sit at home and watch TV.”The Matcheswalla Counselling Centre had set up helplines in the wake of the 1993 serial blasts in Mumbai too. “Even doctors haven’t been unscarred. A surgeon operating on a victim was trying to dislodge a bullet when he was suddenly gripped by a panic attack,” added Gabrani.Some groups like the Art of Living Foundation are reaching out in the affected areas of the city. They have initiated a workshop just outside the Nariman House lane since Wednesday, especially to “remove fear from the mind and heart” of the residents. An Art of Living volunteer, Pravin Elmal, said that since the residents had seen and heard a lot from close proximity they were still scared. “Although people were evacuated from the area, they could hear the firing and bombing. We are trying to remove the fear through yoga, meditation, satsang and counselling techniques in a three-day course,” he said.“A tragedy like this affects many stakeholders throughout the city, one of them being the police. Imagine how they must be feeling. As a gesture of corporate social responsibility, we have provided 15 trained psychiatrists for the Mumbai Police and their families during a three-day camp we organised with Healthcare Solution Service,” said Kumud Rajendra, CEO of PPC Worldwide in India.Meanwhile, the Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre has also decided to set up a trauma counselling cell from Saturday. Dr Maya Kirpalani, consultant psychologist and family therapist, will head the cell which will have a dedicated number. The number will be operational on Mondays and Thursdays from 9 am to 12 noon and Saturdays from 11am to 3pm.Helplines: Matcheswalla Counselling Centre: 022-64507171; Healthcare and PPC: 18001027293; Jaslok: 022- 66573300.
