And that get at it.

Welcome to Horizonte on a weekly series where we take a look at important issues through a Hispanic lens.

I'm your host, Catherine Anaya.

The aggressive immigration enforcement actions that we are seeing in Arizona and across the country can have profound impacts on our mental health.

The psychological toll of Ice raids, detentions and deportations are affecting wide swaths of our communities, not just those who are swept up.

Joining me now to talk more about how we can process these complex emotions is Nicole O'Hare.

She is a licensed professional counselor who specializes in anxiety, depression, and trauma.

Thank you so much for joining us, Nicole.

Thank you.

It is great having you here.

I feel like this conversation is so necessary right now because we are inundated with, as I describe, these images of deportations and violence, family separations.

What kind of a psychological toll is this having on our mental well-being?

I feel like, with everything so heightened right now, there's so much uncertainty and, definitely an increase in anxiety, an increase in depression.

And I'm just seeing a lot of individuals kind of struggling with what to do next and how to remain hopeful.

And it's definitely taking a toll on, on so many people.

So, I've definitely noticed a lot of anxiety recently actually, probably with, like the last six years or so.

Well, and I'm glad you mentioned hopeful, because I do talk to so many people these days who say they're feeling very, hopeless and very helpless.

Not just what they're saying here in Arizona, but, you know, especially in Minnesota, where they're also seeing violence.

So can you talk to me a little bit about because you are a certified trauma therapist?

What exactly, can we do?

What are some practical tools that we can do for ourselves to really manage this trauma and this what feels like chronic stress?

So, I think that's a great question.

I find that, it's really important to stay in the know and to make sure that we, are up to date on everything that's going on.

But with that being said, I think it's also important to I think the kids call it doomscrolling these days to not doom scroll and put too much emphasis on how much time we're spending on social media.

So being able to, see what's going on and then putting the phone down and maybe taking a walk, or taking a cold shower or doing something to try to combat everything that we're seeing.

Because even if we're not there in it, still witnessing has a profound effect.

So being able to, you know, stay in the know, see what's going on and then putting the phone down and try to not doom scroll or turning off the news.

And combating it with something that does bring hope or does bring joy.

I have a dog, so petting my dog is something that I look forward to.

Reading a book, watching a comedy show, something that kind of counterbalances what we're seeing every day.

Well, it is it feels like it's just hard to escape.

So when we are talking about these internal feelings of uncertainty and questioning and even just hurt, what does that do to our nervous system?

So our nervous system isn't just impacted in the things that we experience and embody ourselves.

It's also impacted with what we're seeing happening to other people.

Right?

And especially if we have higher levels of emotional intelligence and empathy, we absorb that as well.

And so what I'm seeing is, a lot of people's nervous system be stuck in this kind of fight or flight or freeze and, and not really know what to do with it.

Right.

And so I'm also seeing a lot of, feeling unmotivated or, not wanting to go on about their daily routine.

And so it's really important when, when the body is looking for those things to, negatively cope, to really balance it with something positive, whether that is doing some gentle yoga, getting outside, getting fresh air, really making sure the nervous system isn't in that constant fight or flight.

Because then we start looking at, not just mental health stuff, but we start looking at physical, physical impacts.

Yes.

You know, digestion.

Sometimes we can get, like IBS or chronic stomach aches or chronic migraines.

So we really want to balance that with something that is good for the nervous system, deep breathing.

I know that so cliche, but diaphragmatic breathing, not just from the chest but from the diaphragm.

Making sure that we have a lot of protein and healthy fats, things that really strengthen the body, and keep it strong and try to get out of that, that chronic stress and that chronic fatigue and the fear that a lot of people are feeling right now that is real.

And it seems like it's only magnified these days with people, you know, not wanting to leave their homes.

We're seeing children afraid to go to school because they don't know if they'll come home to parents who are gone, people who aren't taking steps to take care of themselves with the necessities, like going to see the doctor or getting groceries.

Even so, when we talk about those feelings that are so real for so many people right now, how do we go about managing that fear when it feels so overpowering?

So you know fear it serves a purpose and I think it's can sound kind of funny I think sometimes we're afraid of fear right.

Because it's so big and it's so unknown.

But fear can actually be mobilizing if we allow it to.

I think it's important to like, heed the warning that we're having, acknowledge the fear.

You know, say that this is how I'm feeling.

Don't just kind of suppress it.

Acknowledge it, communicate it, and verbalize it.

You know, I'm feeling fear in this moment and acknowledge that, validate that and then see what we want to do with that.

Do we need to isolate to be able to just kind of, address how we're feeling and create safety for ourselves?

Or is that fear something that we want to, you know, do something with?

Is that mean we want to go out and volunteer?

Is that mean we want to, find community?

So I think that fear, it's a messenger and we have to listen to it.

It's just, I think a lot of times that fear can be so overpowering that it, it creates a, you know, it becomes hard to be motivated to do anything.

But if we do listen to that fear, it is asking us.

It's an invitation to look inside and see what we need in that moment.

We need to be able to create safety for ourselves before we can create safety for someone else.

And if we can get grounded in how we feel and actually acknowledge and validate what's going on, how real it is, and then I think it can serve a purpose.

Personally speaking, I know that you are the daughter of an immigrant and this hits close to home.

So when you are in these conversations with some of your clients, your patients, how do you broach that when you are experiencing some of the same feelings?

Is that a positive when you're discussing these ways of managing all those similar feelings for your patients?

So I think I think that's really a unique situation.

Right?

So in our field, we have to be very careful of what's called counter transference.

Right?

So acknowledging that, my client's experience is their experience and my experience as mine.

What is unique about it, though, is there is a shared connection there, and there is a deep understanding of that reality.

You know, it's been it's been, difficult to navigate that in this space and also acknowledge, you know, I, I hold those same fears to you and I hold those same beliefs as well.

So validating the client and sharing some, you know, things that have worked for me, right.

Having difficult conversations, creating a plan to have in place in case something happens.

But I think that I think that since there is a shared experience, it helps settle the nerves in that space, because they're not sharing something that I'm unfamiliar with.

And the other thing is just, letting the client not.

I hate to use this word, but I hear it often that they're not crazy, that this is a real.

This is a real situation.

That's happening.

And what they're feeling, what they're embodying in that moment is real.

And that I acknowledge that, and I see that.

And I also, don't have all the answers.

Right.

And so, traditional therapy doesn't necessarily work in this situation because what's needed is the acknowledgment, what's needed is, yes, let's figure out how to come back to our body and create, safety within since the entire environment outside doesn't feel safe.

And that's what I've been doing for myself.

So it feels like, oh, I think this might work for you.

Let's try.

And I think that, it kind of helps settle nerves when they know that I believe what they're saying.

And it's not just in their had this as a reality.

Shared experience is so important.

I want to ask you about the immigrant community in particular.

Do these emotions, become more challenging for immigrants who may be experiencing something similar in their homeland, or they're being triggered by maybe something they've already experienced here in the U.S?

Does it become more challenging for them?

So especially where there are some, you know, kind of preexisting, narratives and preexisting stories and preexisting trauma?

I am noticing that it is, you know, we're we're definitely moving into, that that kind of increased fear again.

Right.

And, increased triggers and almost revisiting some things that might have been healed or so we thought was kind of healed and work through.

I'm noticing that that's that's coming back.

And, a lot of what ifs and a lot of I thought that I already dealt with this and, you know, I would say it's an invitation for us to explore it again, I guess.

And also, you know, that's how trauma works.

It stays dormant for a little bit.

And we, we work through those things.

And then what's going on in the world is it's bringing those things back and it's bringing those fears back.

And we're having to revisit some old conversations that maybe we thought we weren't going to have to revisit.

And, and trauma stored in the body.

So even if we're logically telling ourself that we're okay, everything is okay.

That's the story that's happening here.

But the body is feeling something extremely different.

It's a little disconnection.

It's a it's a big disconnect and even a disassociation from what what is really happening.

And so I always say that's an invitation to maybe turn this part off.

We call it, top down, bottom up, turn this part off and get in touch with what's going on in here.

That trauma is coming back.

Those, those sensations are coming back.

Those feelings, that fear, that's all coming back.

And let's acknowledge where that's at.

And that doesn't mean we're regressing.

It means that there's things that we have to revisit.

You've probably noticed there are people who are not even personally connected to what's happening, but they still have these feelings.

Watching the images of mistrust and that anxiety we've been talking about, how do we work through these feelings as a community to number one, be useful, but to also, you know, be more connected as a community.

So, you know, it's interesting even where this is not impacting, some other clients of mine, I have found the empathy to be, such a beautiful thing to witness, where I'm having clients ask if I know how they can volunteer, if they can, if I have any resources for them to get involved.

You know, any suggestions on things that they can do to help their neighbors or, or conversations that they want to have with their neighbors, where they want to help, but they don't want to scare them into, you know, thinking they're manipulating them or anything like that.

So, so we're having conversations on what does that look like, how what can you do to get involved?

How can you have those conversations with your neighbor in a safe way?

That doesn't maybe feel like it's, alarming to them.

I just I'm noticing this really, intense feeling of of my clients wanting to, support one another.

I need to kind of mention that, you know, grad school didn't really prepare me for Covid.

And it didn't prepare me for this, either.

So I'm having to, also look at how is this how are we seeing hope happen in action right now?

And I'm really seeing people come together, just like we did in Covid, come to community and look for ways to, support one another.

I love that, I want to mention that you have a website.

I do, and we should, let people know that they can reach out to you at your website and your phone number, because if somebody is watching this and feeling like I really need to talk about this, they can reach you where, so we can, my phone number is (602)323-6209, or I have a website which is beautiful soul counseling.com.

And on the website, we have some resources.

It talks about all the specialties that my practice has.

And I always say if if it's not something that I offer or a clinician in my practice offers, please do not hesitate to reach out.

We will guide you in the right direction.

We'll find somebody that that will work for you.

We'll find a place for your insurance.

We'll find a reduced fee.

We'll look at options for for free services.

If we need to.

We work with a psychiatrist, we work with doctors, we work with attorneys.

So we have, an abundant amount of resources.

Well.

Thank you.

This has been a very important conversation, and I appreciate you joining us, Nicole O'Hair.

Thank you so much for having me.

Good to see you.

Thanks.

And that's our show for now.

Thanks so much for watching for Autism and Arizona PBS I'm Kathryn Aniya and that can.