Coping After a Trauma

by Debra Moore

Dr. Debra Moore is a psychologist, columnist and speaker.   You can find more than 150 of her articles and book reviews at psychpages.com.

What exactly is a trauma?

Many types of experiences can be traumatic. Any situation in which you are exposed to actual or threatened death or serious injury is usually very traumatic. Some traumas are a result of nature, such as floods, earthquakes, or fires. Others result from accidents, such as automobile accidents. Still others may involve violence, such as war experiences, rape, molest, assault, or robbery. Trauma can also result from prolonged exposure to serious physical injury or illness.

Can I be traumatized just by witnessing one of these events?

Definitely. "Vicarious traumatization" can be just as serious as being the direct victim. Witnessing pain and suffering, and often being powerless to stop it, can be very traumatizing. Surviving when others didn�t can also cause irrational "survivor guilt". Family members of trauma survivors also suffer and can benefit from getting help along with the victim.

What is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder?

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder is a term used by mental health professionals to refer to a common set of reactions which can occur after a trauma. The traumatized person feels intense fear, helplessness, or horror. In addition, they persistently reexperience the trauma in one or more ways. They will also avoid anything that reminds them of the trauma, may experience general emotional numbing, but general physical arousal.

What do these reactions actually look and feel like? What are some examples?

Any of the following are common examples:

• recurrent and intrusive distressing recollections or images of the trauma
• intense distress when exposed to anything that resembles or symbolizes the trauma
• efforts to avoid conversations, thoughts, feelings, people or places associated with the trauma
• inability to remember parts of the trauma
• a feeling of detachment from people and feeling no one else can understand
• a sense of a foreshortened future, or inability to make plans for the future
• difficulty falling or staying asleep, or nightmares
• irritability or angry outbursts
• feeling like they will never be able to trust again
• difficulty concentrating or focusing
• always being "on alert" and overreacting to noise or people by having a "startle response"

How about children? Don't they "bounce back" from trauma?

Sadly, children are often overlooked after traumas, but they can suffer just as much as adults. In fact, they may feel even more powerless and afraid. They may also draw inaccurate conclusions about the future or the cause of the trauma. They may even think they somehow contributed to the trauma. It is extremely important for the adults in their lives to help them.

 

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