Welcome to the NPO Bousai Italia page!! We welcome you.
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Last updated: 29 May 2022
About us
Since 2022 we have been operating as a volunteer organization and we aim to become established in Italy by 2025. We have about 10 members in Japan and 10 in Italy. All of them are linked by contact information such as LINE (Japan) or WhatsApp (Italy).
Our motto
Our motto for our activities is “Everyone has the power to recover”.
Resilience and PTG (post-traumatic growth)
All of us humans have the power of resilience. Resilience is often compared to a spring, and even if a load such as mental difficulty (mental distress) or a hard or painful thing becomes a burden and gives power to the spring, the spring bounces and allows you to live your original life. It can also be reformulated as “resilience” (strength to be reborn), as described in some books as “resilience, vigor, cheerfulness, elasticity to return to its original form”. Whether it is right or inappropriate, we will live with defensive mechanisms, and if we can use them well, we will definitely be able to live better, which will lead to better mental health and well-being.
There are two types of mental strength. These are “strength against stress” and “strength to recover from stress”. The latter is called resilience, and the first and second are “strengths” of different sizes. The first means that if you are stressed (for example, if you drop it from a high place), it will immediately break like glass or be difficult to break like metal, and the second means that you will be able to immediately return to its original shape or not immediately return to its original shape under stress (even if it is dropped from a high place). But no one can return to the exact same form.
Reference: Can Resilience Be Acquired (Author: Mari Hirano)
There is also the concept of PTG (Post-Traumatic Growth). It means “growing up after the emotional scars (= trauma) suffered by traumatic events and living again as a different person. But it’s not easy. Trauma has destroyed your life and it’s hard to accept it.
Below is a quote:
After suffering a trauma, you can no longer walk the path you would have walked if it were not for the trauma. You have to find a different path and walk on it. Since the path is divided by traumatic events, it is a path with many painful things such as PTSD symptoms, such as depression, great fear, nightmares, flashbacks, etc. It’s not the path you’re taking that you want, so if you only look at the road you “should have walked” while thinking “it shouldn’t have been this way,” you’ll be more likely to stumble and fall on the path you’re walking now.
Quote: My Resilience: Living with Trauma (Author: Sachiko Nakajima)
We as Companions
However, whether it is resilience or PTG, it is very difficult to do it yourself. That’s why we need the right stock. For example, when a visually impaired person runs a marathon, there is always someone running next to him. Such roles can be carried out by family and friends, psychiatrists and psychologists, but sometimes it is difficult to get their support. Not everyone in the family is on your side, and it can be difficult to say because of the closeness. Friends can drift apart, and it’s hard to be honest with them. Psychiatrists (psychiatrists) were once affected by the psychiatric hospitals (asylums) that existed in place of the current psychiatric department (SPDC). Sometimes you don’t have a good impression in Italy. It is expensive to rely on a psychologist (psychologists) (a counseling session costs at least 40 euros).
It is our desire to become a companion car. I couldn’t be happier if we could play a role in a place where we can say things that are hard to say to our family, someone we can talk to without worrying about friends leaving, and a bridge that connects us to psychiatrists and psychologists when needed.
Supporting and connecting people who have difficulty living
Do you know the term peer support? Peer is a word that means “someone in the same position”.” Peer support means that the patients themselves support each other. Because I am a patient, I am able to speak frankly without prejudice related to illness or mental difficulties.
Franco Basaglia, an Italian psychiatrist, said that “in the Asylum, where the difference between the positions of a doctor and a patient is highlighted, it is impossible to provide medical care for the benefit of patients”. I believe that for doctors to detain patients (not just physical restrictions) and confine them to a place called Manimio, means depriving them of their autonomy, autonomy and opportunities for resilience. For this reason, hospitalization at SPDC not only minimizes the period of time, but also changes its policy for medical care that does not use restrictions such as physical restraint as much as possible.
Reference: Unravel Him Now (Author: Giovanna del Giudice)
And the future we aim for is not to isolate people who have difficulties in life such as mental difficulties and mental illnesses (that is, to free them from unwanted loneliness), but to “support and connect” them and us with each other.
These values are very important to us.
The three pillars of the activities
From now on, we will introduce the activities that we are actually doing or want to do.
There are three main pillars of our activities. These activities are called by the name of the yamabuki project. The previous name was NPO yamabuki, but now it has been changed to N PO Bousai Italia. Thank you for your understanding. These pillars are like three large independent trees, from which there are a number of small businesses and projects divided into branches and leaves.
Our desire to make “disaster prevention” a universal language
The first pillar is disaster prevention. The Japanese word “disaster prevention”, which is also the name of a non-profit organization, means “action to prepare in advance for a disaster”. It is not a response (post-outburst) after a disaster has actually occurred, but rather the prevention of a disaster and minimizing damage even if a disaster occurs (prevention). Our goal is to make the word “disaster prevention” a universal language. If the Japanese concept of “disaster prevention” permeates the world and people around the world prepare for all kinds of disasters, we will surely be able to change the future for the better. If there are people who lose their lives in disasters, there will be people who mourn their death (pain is a word that refers to deep pain as mourning), but also people who will have new mental difficulties, and there will be people who will have even worse the difficulties and mental difficulties they originally had. We want to reduce such a person as much as possible.
However, even if we explain that “let’s prepare in advance for disasters”, it seems very difficult for Italy, which does not have a culture of disaster prevention. For example, if you are told to “create a web application by tomorrow”, it will be difficult without proper guidance. We play the role of guides. Italy is a country where evacuation exercises are not conducted satisfactorily, there is no custom of putting bags containing disaster prevention goods at the bedside, and there is no food supply for disasters.
Why was the damage so small in Norcia but greater in Amatriche?
In addition, there are too many buildings in Italy that are not anti-seismic. First, for Italy, where there are many historic buildings and tourist spots, having highly earthquake-resistant buildings called RC construction will ruin the unique landscape. For this reason, cities like Amatrice have not been adequately reinforced for a long time. On the other hand, in Norcia, we learned the importance of improving the seismic resistance of buildings from the earthquakes of the past. As a result, no one in Norcia lost their lives due to the direct damage caused by the earthquake. In Italy, when a magnitude 6 earthquake occurs, devastating damage to buildings occurs and, as a result, there are people who die due to the collapse of buildings. The example of Amatriche and Norcia is not what happened 100 years ago, but what happened six years ago, in 2016. Our goal, and the aspiration of Italians, is to increase the number of cities like Norcia.
However, suddenly making buildings throughout Italy anti-seismic seems to be an impossible goal to achieve with our small power. First, the culture of disaster prevention did not take root in cities like Hammocks, but more than anything else, it was a tragedy that occurred because they were afraid that tourists would not come because they would damage the landscape due to the construction of seismic resistance. In the background, it can be said that the first was evaluated when weighing “various adverse effects, inconveniences and burdens (for example, financial charges) suffered by tourists and local residents due to anti-seismic constructions” and “creating a safe and protected city by carrying out anti-seismic constructions”. However, if the need and the specific methods of disaster prevention, i.e. the culture of disaster prevention, had taken root, this decision could have been changed.
In order to establish a culture of disaster prevention
The phrase “building a culture of disaster prevention” means relatively easy measures that can be taken individually or collectively. And if a culture of disaster prevention is rooted in Italy and the need to prepare in advance for disasters is widely recognized by citizens, buildings with anti-seismic projects and countermeasures in the event of disasters on a national scale will be implemented.
It is not an exaggeration at all, but when I say to Italians: “I come from Japan”, they often say: “Japan is a country that will not suffer much damage even if there is a disaster”. And they say: “I don’t think Italy can do that, because you’re 100 years ahead of us.” However, it is hard to believe that what is possible in Japan is impossible in Italy. We strongly believe that with the right path and the right assistance, Italy will one day become a country with a deep-rooted culture of disaster risk reduction.
Specific activities and what you will need
Our specific activities to instill a culture of disaster prevention will be listed below.
1. Introduce specific activities that can be carried out by individuals and small groups to prepare in advance for disasters.
2. Transmit to Italy the specific advice received from disaster victims in Japan and abroad.
3. Introduce activities such as evacuation exercises and specific methods.
These tasks will require something like this:
1. Media such as web media (servers, domains, images, videos, etc.)
2 A place where the opinions of disaster victims can be published, etc.
3 SNS like Instagram and how it works
psychology
We also attach great importance to those who have been affected by the disaster (earthquake victims). The second pillar of activity is psychology.
More than 15 suicide earthquakes in disaster-stricken areas in Italy
Disaster victims may have difficulty living and have mental difficulties. Sometimes it leads to mental illness due to loneliness and unwanted trauma and the sad result of suicide. As a matter of money, it was reported that more than 15 earthquake suicides occurred in the 2016 Central Italy earthquake.
Source:
One of the reasons for the suicide is that the disaster destroyed the local community and the victim deepened his loneliness in temporary housing (SAE). Of course, suicide is generally the result of a complex interweaving of factors (sometimes unaware of it). Therefore, the phrase “I committed suicide because of the earthquake” is easy to misunderstand. The earthquake disaster is just a trigger or a reason. However, the reality is that there are many cases where the earthquake disaster is definitely having an impact.
The loneliness of disaster victims and the impact of the spread of the new coronavirus
In the city of Visso, disaster victims said christmas 2020, when they had to spend time alone instead of with family members living in or out of the disaster area due to the spread of the new coronavirus, was the saddest in SAE.
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Importance of providing medium-long term support to disaster-stricken areas
These things can occur immediately after an earthquake, but they will continue in the medium to long term. In the last example, it is easy to imagine that the spread of the new coronavirus is putting even more pressure on it. Therefore, we realize that the idea that “the direct impact of the disaster is over and the disaster area will be rebuilt” is too optimistic. Of course, it is important to respond immediately after a disaster, but it is also very important to be close to the affected areas and people in the medium to long term. And we have to say that there are few organizations that do. Interest in the areas affected by the disaster fades over time after the disaster strikes, and the number of supports also decreases. However, this did not mean that the areas affected by the disaster were rebuilt, nor did it solve the problems of the victims’ emotional wounds.
Reconstruction of disaster-stricken areas is not progressing
This is an example of the 2016 Central Italy earthquake, but unfortunately the reconstruction of the affected areas is still in its very early stages. The summer of 2022 marks six years since the disaster, but reconstruction has not progressed as much as we imagined. The downtown area of the disaster-stricken area is still heartbreaking and miserable, and there are many scenes that leave you speechless. There are also many areas that are no-go zones( red zone). There is also an article that says that “reconstruction is still ongoing”, which is probably in line with the real situation in the disaster area.
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And the term Red Zone has also been used in the spread of the new coronavirus. The government described the lockdown’s inability to walk freely around the city under the same term Red Zone.
A citizen of L’Aquila hit by the 2009 L’Aquila earthquake said: “We are experiencing an unprecedented situation symbolized by the two Red Zone, the earthquake and the coronavirus”.
Even the reconstruction of L’Aquila is only halfway there. It’s been13 years since the spring of 2022, but the actual physical reconstruction is said to have progressed only halfway.
Source:
The elderly of Hammocks are not allowed to easily visit hospitals. This is because the earthquake disaster had a major impact on local medical care. There is a victim of a disaster who said, “There is no hospital, and there is nothing for us elderly.”
Source:
Moreover, with regard to the psychological recovery of the population of L’Aquila, even after 13 years from the disaster, the expression remains that “the wounds have begun to heal”.
Source:
In addition to the conventional concept of “reconstruction” that restores buildings such as houses and churches collapsed or damaged by the earthquake, there is a concept called “mental reconstruction”. It is a term that refers to the psychological recovery of disaster victims through resilience and the like.
In this regard, we will also be the companions and we want to achieve this goal together.
Specific activities and what you will need
The specific activities we carry out to provide psychosocial support to disaster victims will be those listed below.
1. Create and manage shared spaces where disaster victims can gather, both offline and online.
2. Disseminate information and self-care that will make it easier for disaster victims to receive psychological assistance.
3. Create and manage self-help groups for disaster victims.
These tasks will require something like this:
1. Media such as web media (servers, domains, images, videos, etc.)
2. Places where disaster victims can gather online and offline (rooms, etc.)
3 SNS like Instagram and how it works
Art has the power to regenerate itself
The third pillar of the activity is the arts. We believe that art has the power to lead to rebirth by organizing and sublimating feelings in the process of creating a work. Here, not only disaster victims, but also people with mental illness are targeted and art-related activities are conducted. And by turning works of art into cash, they also provide financial support.
Concrete works are books (publication of essays, novels, etc.), photographs, paintings, music, etc., and we actually create them. Not only that, but you can also resolve the painful feelings that came to their mind by writing down what they experienced and felt.
By actually moving your hands, you’ll be able to immerse yourself in fun things without thinking too much about disgusting or painful things. In this way, it is also very important to do something fun when you feel uncomfortable. In fact, in psychiatric hospitals in Japan and other countries, there is also an occupational therapy (OT) practice in which works are created. In the case of Japan, occupational therapy has occupational therapists, who are a specialized occupation. In the Italian psychiatric hospital (SPDC) where I was admitted, occupational therapy was not performed. However, if occupational therapy can be followed in the community rather than within the ward (SPDC), it will definitely lead to their recovery and regeneration. As Franco Bazaria mentioned at the beginning, the treatment that can be performed in the limited place of the ward is limited and can deprive the patient of the opportunity for independence and autonomy. We believe it is good for patients to support each other in the community and find a place in the community.
Works to sublimate the experience (especially books)
In the book Il Peso della Neve, a family that survived the 2017 earthquake at the Hotel Rigopiano recounts their experiences. In the book, it is written that the psychologist told me that “summarizing experiences in the form of a book also has the role of therapy,” and you can actually expect that effect. They have very complex memories. I’m aiming to be a minimalist and Threw away a lot of things along the way, but when I organize a room, for example, the easiest and most effective way is to put everything in a certain place once and then divide it into “throw away or need it” to organize and store it. If we do it in the brain, it is equivalent to telling someone the memory or summarizing it in a sentence.
However, if you try to do all this yourself, you will remember painful memories and be able to revive your painful feelings. That’s why it’s important to recruit people to collaborate with you and work with them.
Specific activities and what you will need
The activities we carry out specifically for sublimation in art will be those listed below.
1. Create and sell your work (offline, online).
2. Create a place where you can talk about your experiences.
3 Spread your work around the world.
These tasks will require something like this:
1 Media such as web media (server, domain, image, video, etc.) In this case, since you need to create an online store, you also need to create such a mechanism as payment.
2 Places where works can be exhibited and sold online and offline (halls, etc.)
3 SNS like Instagram and how it works
And to the world
So far I have only written about the limited countries of Italy and Japan, but once I have a base for my activities, I would like to expand my activities around the world. In particular, the experience of being affected by the disaster will be a valuable resource that can be used all over the world.
Conclusion
It takes a lot of things to make these things happen. We sincerely hope and look forward to your cooperation.
I think we can talk about the details via email. We would be pleased if you could contact us at the following e-mail address. We will be happy to answer you.
Follow SNS
SNS is indispensable for our activities. Before becoming a member, I would be happy if there were people who wanted to follow SNS and learn about the real activities.
Twitter: @bousai_italia
Instagram: @hopauradeiterremoti
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