Episcopal Relief and Development is the compassionate response of The Episcopal Church to human suffering in the world. It is the answer to God’s call to bring together the generosity of Episcopalians and others with the needs of the world. It provides relief in times of disaster and promotes sustainable development by identifying and addressing the root causes of suffering.

It has assisted countries, communities and individuals following disasters around the world. It has done this for years. This gives them a unique perspective on what phases people, families, communities go through in terms of catastrophic events. What they have discovered is that one goes through various phases as one works through a crisis (See chart below)

Recently Dwight Zscheile from Episcopal Relief and Development applied these insights to what we’re experiencing in the midst of the Covid crisis. His article, “Mapping What’s Ahead: The Emotional Journey of a Crisis,” outlines this.

According to Zscheile, the “Disillusionment Phase” is especially important for us to understand now. This is the phase that many people currently find themselves. An article looking deeper into this aspect can be found by reading a related article, “The Pandemic at Six Months: Welcome to the Disillusionment Phase.”