Gil Asakawa
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This article was published by Gaiam.com, an online retailer.

After the Attacks

By Gil Asakawa

No one doubts that life in the United States has been profoundly affected by the September 11 terrorist attacks. The scars on the national consciousness were plainly visible for weeks after the tragedy as the media covered the attacks and ensuing retaliation. The subsequent anthrax scare hasn't helped the country calm down and set aside its fears, both real and imagined.

In a number of areas, lifestyles have changed in the wake of Sept. 11.

Pundits are writing about how both personal and business values have changed. Driven executives are thinking more about spending time with their families (and traveling less by air).

A recent ethnographic study by Context-Based Research Group found that Americans are putting new emphasis on a handful of values:

• The family
• Meaningful work
• Small rituals
• Simplification
• Spirituality
• And Sanctity of life

People are now looking for more meaning from their work. At Naropa Institute, a Boulder, Colorado-based university that has an alternative, Buddhist-based approach in its philosophy, a student working towards a law degree abruptly changed his major and is now getting a Masters in Divinity because of the attacks.

Almost universally, the first reaction of people when they heard about the attacks was to think of their own family. And the most touching stories to come out of the attacks have been ones about families that were affected.

Rituals that had become passé in the past decade or so now seem incredibly important. Mary Lee Chin, a nutritionist and resource spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, says that the social ritual of family dining has made a comeback since the attack. "We had gotten away from eating together as a family, and now we're seeing more of that tendency toward nesting," she says. A bonus of this side effect is that when families eat together, they generally tend to eat healthier than when all the members are eating on the run on their own. People are also planning more "warm and fuzzy parties with friends," she adds.

The general state of the economy was shaky even before Sept. 11, but the attacks have left the country's retail sector reeling, fearing a disaster of a holiday season for shopping. But the numbers reflect Americans' urge to pull back and simplify their lives, despite the urging of the President and government officials to spend money and keep the economy on track.

Interest in spirituality is not surprisingly on the rise. At Naropa Institute, says Director of Marketing and Communications Richard Chamberlain, classes were cancelled just as at schools across the country on Sept. 11, but Naropa's students gathered on the lawn in front of the Allen Ginsberg Library and meditated. One student said it was the sanest response he could think of. "We know that people in a life changing circumstance become more reflective and look at their own lives," Chamberlain says. "Naropa is a place where that kind of re-ordering of one's life can happen."

And, people are more focused on their health and safety because they value life more. Roseanna Frechette, a yoga instructor and director and founder of Inner City Yoga in Denver, Colorado, was in Chicago on Sept. 11. She says she had to muster all her meditational techniques to stay focused and calm down in the wake of the attacks when she was stuck in the airport. "In the few days following I had several phone messages from students saying 'I really need the class.'"

Even now, she says, "Attendance in class is definitely up. People's energy is in an internal space. They want to go inside themselves and take comfort and do things that are nurturing. They're not running around as much."

All citizens of the United States were subjected to a traumatic event on Sept. 11, and the country is experiencing a collective grief reaction," says psychologist Susan Heitler, a media spokesperson for the American Psychological Association and author of "The Power of Two: Secrets to a Strong & Loving Marriage."

Heitland saw an upsurge in the number of clients in her therapy practice in the first few weeks, but says now people are adapting after the attack, returning to a somewhat normal life with adjustments. She says people react differently to trauma, and it can even have a positive impact -- she cites the unified spirit and patriotism as one example. She adds that people who have a tendency towards depression could easily experience a resurgence in the wake of such a trauma, though.

"The saddest part for me is how destabilizing the high-intensity effects of something like this can be on a family," she says. It's true that many families have come closer together, but she says if a family already had problems, "It's one of those situations where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer."

Heitler also says the hardest-hit demographic following the attacks has been single people in their late 20s and early 30s. "When you want to turn to someone and there's no one there, you realize it would be much nicer to have a partner to go through life with." The result? An increase in engagements and a surge in wedding-related sales in recent weeks.

Mary Lee Chin, who was in New York City speaking about prostate cancer with Shari Belafonte in CNN's studios when the attacks began, says "The tend data on eating habits that's coming through found that after Sept. 11, people are saying, 'What's the point?'"

She says that nationally, grocery stores and restaurants both are reporting that sales are way up for "People ordering what would have been guilty pleasures in the past -- comfort food. Desserts, high fat, chocolate, mash potatoes and gravy... it could be bad news, except I eat it too."

She says from a nutritionist's perspective, the message hasn't changed - eat healthy, eat balanced, and if you eat something that's bad for you, do it in moderation and adjust for it. "Enjoy them and savor them, and if you do (have something that's bad for you), don't feel guilty about it - take a walk.

"People are really seeking comfort food," she says, and she can't blame them.

The need for comfort food may extend to comfort culture. Certainly, the explosion in box-office receipts for Hollywood films reflects a need for people to escape their day-to-day reality (having Harry Potter open didn't hurt either), but even the fine arts expects a boost from people seeking solace. "I expect to see an increase in sales for this season's performances of 'Nutcracker Ballet,' because the 'Nutcracker' is like comfort food," says Colorado Ballet Marketing director Bethany Kupferschmidt. "It's a timeless family event," that reflects true family values.

Frechette says she sees the effects of Sept. 11 outside of her yoga classes. "People are feeling so winded by it - they were knocked down. So people have become more mellow, more quiet. I notice it everywhere, and there isn't as much chitchat even in class."

She's noticed with her practice that more and more people want private sessions or small groups, and they're requesting deep relaxation and meditation, not necessarily exercise.

Her advice for dealing with the feelings that still linger from the attacks is simply, "to be peaceful with ourselves."