If anybody's paying attention, Thellim folded over on herself shortly after Vanyel said 'children starving to death in winter'. She comes from a world where things like that have happened ever but the televisions and radios don't make a habit of exposing a billion people to that mental image every time it happens once. Televisions and radios try to expose people to statistically accurate shadows of reality where things are discussed about as often as the listeners are likely to encounter them.
Thellim has zero defense against words like 'children starving to death in winter'.
...this place...
...wouldn't be able to save their brains either. They're gone. Will be gone. She has until winter to undo those burned fields or children will starve to death.
She tries to wake up. She doesn't like this dream anymore.