Common Reactions Following A Traumatic Event
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Understanding normal responses to traumatic events can help you recognize when you're healing and when you might need additional support.
Important Recovery Note
For the first week brain chemicals are just trying to get back to normal. So long as you eat and sleep a little more each day, that's a good sign. Drink plenty of water and do not get dehydrated. Take care of yourself. Go to our page with Free Stress Tips, watch our videos. They are basic but a good start.
Immediately Following the Event
- • Fear/terror/panic
- • Shock, disbelief, denial
- • Confusion and disorganization
- • Survivor's guilt
- • Recoil
- • Catatonic responses
- • Hyperactivity
- • Anger
- • Frustration at inability to do more
- • Time expansion (slow motion feeling)
- • Tunnel vision
- • "Honeymoon phase" with excitement/adrenalin
Physical Reactions:
Shaking, chest pains, sweating, nausea, increased heart rate
First Few Days
- • Avoiding the media
- • Mood swings and range of emotions
- • Guilt about role during event
- • Seeking information
- • Anger at the system and victims
- • Sadness and grief
- • Wondering about sanity: "Am I crazy?"
- • Other tragedies triggered
- • Fear: "This could happen to me"
- • Wanting to talk repeatedly
- • Feeling very alone
- • Trouble sleeping and nightmares
Common thoughts: "No one understands," intrusive recollections, recurrent dreams
First Month
- • Increased vigilance and startle response
- • Avoidance of associated events
- • Action directed at preventing event from happening
- • Impatience with family and friends
- • Inability to concentrate
- • Difficulty sleeping
There is Hope For Recovery
- • A new confidence in yourself
- • Feeling "sadder but wiser" about self, others, and life
- • Greater appreciation for family, friends, life
- • Begin taking new action based on traumatic experience: help others, take practical action, make life changes
Factors that can determine the Severity of Reactions
- • Suddenness of event
- • Duration
- • Timing
- • Ability to understand in retrospect
- • Extent of carnage or injury
- • Physical proximity
- • Severity of event
- • Involvement with victim
- • Previous life stressors
When Professional Help Might Be Needed
If the following symptoms occur persistently for at least one month after the event, you may want to call for counseling:
- • The traumatic event is persistently re-experienced (recurrent dreams, feelings that event is recurring, intrusive recollections)
- • Persistent avoidance of events associated with the traumatic event
- • General sense of "numbing" and feeling estranged from others
- • Persistent symptoms of increased arousal: difficulty sleeping, increased vigilance, continuing to be startled easily
We are here to help!
If you need more personalized help, please call us. We are hosting survivor groups and offering counseling services.
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