With 32 dead and 29 injured, people around the US and throughout the world have been shocked by Monday’s events at Virginia Tech, the scene of the deadliest shooting incident in U.S. history.

A team of Scientology Volunteer Ministers (VMs) are in Blacksburg, VA, to provide grief counseling and trauma relief for students, family members, friends and local residents affected by the incident.

“Our team is here to help,” said the International Volunteer Ministers Consultant, who is coordinating the VM activities in the area. “Anyone needing to reach us should stop by our yellow tent. They can also contact us through the Founding Church of Scientology of Washington D.C. at (202) 797-9826 or call me on the Volunteer Ministers Hot Line at 1-800 HELP 4 YU (1-800 435-7498).”

“So many people are in shock over what occurred,” she went on to say. “That’s why, in addition to the one-on-one counseling we are providing, we are also training other volunteers so they can help as well. We’ve put out a call for any Volunteer Minister who can possibly arrange it, to come join us.”

But with people all over the world affected by this disaster, the VM team at Virginia Tech are concerned that anyone needing help be able to get what they need, no matter where they live.

The techniques the VMs use are described online. Anyone who is upset or distraught should visit the Scientology Handbook web site, learn how to apply the procedures and use them to get relief. The techniques are called “assists.” Developed by L. Ron Hubbard, founder of the Scientology religion, assists address the emotional and spiritual side of trauma, enabling the person to recover fully from injury, stress or shock.”

Anyone needing further assistance should immediately contact the Volunteer Ministers Consultant or their closest Scientology church or mission to speak to someone.

“I can’t emphasize enough the importance of getting help,” said the VM Consultant. “If you need to talk to someone, call or email me at 1-800 HELP 4 YU (1-800 435-7498) or contact me on-line. These techniques may be simple but they are enormously helpful. That’s one reason that our motto is, ‘Something CAN be done about it.’”

One assist that is very simple to learn is called the “Nerve Assist.” When people have come through a traumatic incident like this, they often have trouble sleeping. They can be extremely tense, unable to relax. Some people even shake or experience muscle spasms. Nerve Assists help with this and are a proven way to begin any trauma relief. Instructions on how to do a Nerve Assist can be found online.

When people have come through a traumatic incident like this, they often have trouble sleeping. They can be extremely tense, unable to relax. Some people even shake or experience muscle spasms. Nerve Assists help with this and are a proven way to begin any trauma relief.

Another technique that is recommended is the Locational Assist. Shock tends to rivet an individual’s attention. The Locational Assist helps orient the person in his or her environment. The relief people experience from this process can be really dramatic—even with people who were completely grief-stricken. This is also described in the Scientology Handbook.

For those in need of grief counseling, the assist to use is “Handling a Loss.” This is online in a chapter of the Scientology Handbook called “Solutions for a Dangerous Environment.“