ABSTRACT
Natural disasters are devastating and sudden episodes that can trigger a state of alarm that limits the capacities of the entire community. The adults who are supposed to assist the children’s recovery process are also survivors and, as such, may suffer significant psychological, emotional, and material consequences. The authors introduce the innovative concept of the Safest Possible Environment (SaPE) to explain the need to provide children with as much positive stimuli as possible going beyond the playroom and playtime to overcome the devastating effects of a disaster. Fostering the SaPE is a complex and dynamic process that can be guided by applying two foundational bodies of knowledge at various points in the process. The first set of guiding principles is the Therapeutic Powers of Play, and the second is Polyvagal theory.
