LEWISTON, Maine — "We're just scratching the surface," Dr. Marc Kaplan said about the healing process, nearly six months after the Lewiston shootings.
Kaplan is a psychiatrist and medical director for Sweetser, an organization that works in mental health services. He has been watching and supporting the healing in Lewiston ever since a gunman opened fire at a bowling alley and bar in the community, killing 18 and injuring 13 others. He said the focus on the physically injured is important, but we can't forget about those with emotional scars, even far beyond the borders of the city.
"It's gonna be a blur for a while and it should be. For some people it's a protective factor for a period of time. ... You know, acute trauma. It all gets kind of swishy and swirly, and you don't quite remember everything. And that's the nature of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). All of a sudden, you're walking down the street, and you hear something, you smell something, and it crystallizes and you're like, 'Whoa,'" Kaplan said.
"We are seeing it in all of the communities that we are in," Wendy Anders said.
Anders is the senior director of community-based services for Sweetser and works with counselors in public schools and primary care practices. She said there's a level of anxiety that has increased in both adults and children.
"Especially at schools with the younger kids, just the details of talking about a lockdown drill, questioning those details and, 'Is it going to keep me safe?' Those are some of the conversations that were experiencing," Anders said.
Her response to that is to talk with children about what they're feeling, be honest but let them know that in this moment they are safe. Maybe practice some of those lockdown drills with them to help them feel safer.
As for adults, Anders said it is OK to plan your shopping around less busy times if that eases your anxiety about being out or standing in the back of that concert closer to the exits. The important thing is to actually go out.
Meanwhile, at the Brunswick campus of Sweetser, counselors are teaching a free course that anyone can join, to learn how to recognize mental health struggles, and how to help. It's a class that more people and businesses have been signing up for, Sweetser training specialist Steve Nesky, said.
"Oftentimes people are like, 'I don't know what to say. I don't know what to do.' This class gives them the steps of assessing, listening, giving them steps of reassurance, and then encouraging both professional and self-help support," Nesky said.
"The encouraging thing is community connection is what people want," Kaplan said. "There are definitely people who are experiencing that, they're getting back to it. These experiences that have been provided...there was a concert at the Franco Center which raised a lot of money, raised a lot of awareness. There have been church services. There have been other things that bring people together, and if you think about it you're bringing people together in a situation where there's a crowd. To be able to go do that and to have the courage to go do that and then walk away safe, that's a huge win. That's huge healing," he said.
Kaplan admits there is no real training for any of us to prepare for mass trauma like what happened in Lewiston, and in fact, his counselors were learning as they went, but they've learned to listen and hear what people in the Lewiston community needed for support. And that is something we can all do along the healing journey: listen, talk, and continue to grow and support your loved ones and your community, Kaplan added.
"Families out playing games, playing sports with their children or adults gathering and playing cornhole, that's healthy. That's good stuff," Kaplan said. "That was not taken away from them forever. It may take a while. It's going to take a while."
Amid the healing, the bowling alley in Lewiston will soon be reopening. The owners of Just In Time Recreation talked with Samantha York recently about the difficult balance of added security to make visitors feel safe, but also welcome.
If you or someone you know is struggling and could use a little extra help, contact Sweetser so that they can connect you with the right resources.
If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts, there are resources right here in Maine that can help navigate through those thoughts and find a path to hope.
Maine Crisis Hotline: 1-888-568-1112
Maine teen text support
This peer support text line is for Maine youth 13 to 24 years old and is staffed by individuals 18 to 24. Talk about your feelings and get support from another young person. Daily from noon to 10 p.m. EST at 207-515-8398.