The 33: A Postscript

The drama of the 33 Chilean miners who were trapped for weeks hundreds of feet underground has been the source of countless news stories, blog posts, articles and interviews. The world was fascinated by the resilience of the 33. They demonstrated on a daily basis the skills of resilience with their ability to work together, to communicate effectively with each other and their would-be rescuers, to care for themselves and each other, to problem-solve, and to stay focused on their goal to get to the surface alive. It is becoming clear as we follow the individual stories of the 33 that each miner has been affected differently by the trauma. A number appear to have grown from the experience. To be stronger and more able to deal with the world than they were before the mine collapsed. Others appear to have been traumatized with many reporting difficulty in sleeping, problems with anxiety and depression and what might be labeled by many as “paranoia,” e.g., one miner is building a concrete wall around his home. I would assume as we look more closely, each miner’s reaction to the trauma, positive or negative, will be determined by the skills and the attitudes of resilience that they possessed prior to the trauma. In other words, the stronger these skills and attitudes prior to the trauma, the more likely the miner will exhibit post-traumatic growth rather than post-traumatic stress.



Ronald L. Breazeale, Ph.D.
Psychologist and Author of “Duct Tape Isn’t Enough”