by, Jeweleen Manners-Woodley


Have you ever spoken to the victim of a recent violent event, such as a rape, mugging, or hold-up?  How do these persons appear? Survivors of these events often tend to be visibly upset; sometimes appearing shaky, shocked, agitated, frightened or hysterical immediately after the traumatic experience.  For some, these emotions may disappear within days, but for many others, mental and emotional disturbances, such as anxiety, depression and feelings of hopelessness, may linger on and disrupt their day-to-day lives.  Friends, family members, or co-workers of the survivor may be concerned about these changes and encourage the individual to ‘get over it and move on’ – without realizing that these negative changes may be the result of psychological trauma.

What is psychological trauma? The word ‘trauma’ typically refers to a serious shock or injury to the body. In medical terms, trauma may refer to physical injuries, such as those received in a shooting or car crash.  In psychological terms, however, trauma refers to the emotional shock caused by experiences that are so extraordinarily stressful and upsetting that they seem to overwhelm the person’s ability to cope. Traumatic events tend to be sudden and life-threatening, often causing great fear and panic in those who experience them. They also tend to fall outside the realm of normal day-to-day experience, leaving the victim with little opportunity to prepare for or cope with the tragedy.

Examples of traumatic events might include being raped, kidnapped, assaulted, or held at gunpoint, or being trapped in a burning building or crashing car.  While traumas tend to be sudden, one-time events, persons can also be traumatized over a period of time, for example, in the cases of children who are abused repeatedly over a number of years. 
Natural disasters, especially those that come with little warning, such as earthquakes, floods, and tsunamis, can also be extremely traumatic, since they often cause great fear and destruction and overwhelm a community’s ability to cope. 

Major events can impact different people in different ways, however.  Some persons may feel traumatized after experiencing a large earthquake, for example, while some others may not, depending on how the incident was perceived.  People who witness horrific events, such as a murder, may also report feeling traumatized by witnessing the tragedy.

Signs of post-traumatic stress

Traumas are such overwhelmingly stressful experiences that they often cause disturbances to the way survivors normally feel, think, and behave.  Most persons experience some signs of stress following a traumatic event - effects which may linger on long after the threat has passed.  Common signs of post traumatic stress include:

- Being easily startled or frightened
- Being overly vigilant, tense, anxious, or ‘on edge’
- Increased irritability or anger
- Crying spells
- Flashbacks or unwanted thoughts about the event
- Nightmares; trouble falling asleep or staying asleep
-Avoiding reminders of the experience; or thinking or talking about the event 
- Feeling emotionally numb
- Sadness and hopelessness about the future
- Memory problems and/or difficulty concentrating
- Avoiding normally pleasurable activities
- Social withdrawal, difficulty maintaining relationships
- Self destructive behaviour, such as excessive drinking and/or reckless driving

Symptoms that persist for longer than one month and significantly disrupt daily functioning may be indicative of post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.

Coping with Post Traumatic Stress

Traumatic events can turn our lives ‘upside down’ and undermine our sense of control, trust, and security in the world.  Trauma survivors may have great difficulty trusting others, feeling secure in their environments, or feeling positive and optimistic about life.  The world may go from being a safe, predictable place, to a dangerous one filled with untrustworthy people (who must be watched suspiciously at all times) and frightening events which strike without warning.  Survivors may also feel unable to protect themselves from further horrific events.  These new beliefs can leave the survivor chronically depressed and anxious, with little motivation for life. 

Many survivors of trauma want to forget the memories as soon as possible.  They may avoid talking or thinking about the experience, because doing so may make trigger painful or uncontrollable emotions that may make them feel vulnerable and overwhelmed.  Although this avoidance is understandable (since most people don’t intentionally want to feel pain), continuing to ‘block’ or repress the experience can prevent the survivor from healing and ‘moving on’. ‘Bottled-up’ feelings and memories are likely to seep to the surface over time, continually intruding into and disturbing the person’s functioning.  Although uncomfortable, the healing process requires the survivor to ‘deal’ with the experience by confronting and working through the emotions, thoughts, and memories surrounding the event, and integrating it into his/her life experience.  Counselling/therapy can be beneficial in this regard, as well to help persons gain perspective about the experience and regain control of their daily lives.  In some cases, medication may also be needed to temporarily control symptoms of depression and anxiety that are very disruptive to daily life.

Other coping strategies for traumatic stress include:

- Talking about or writing out feelings
- Keeping social support systems close (e.g family, friends, church or community members)
- Getting adequate rest and nutrition
 -Participating in relaxing activities (e.g exercise, listening to music)
- Keeping up with normal routine and activities (e.g work, club meetings)
- Asking for help/support when needed
- Avoiding drugs, alcohol, and other self-destructive activities

With time, adequate help and support, most survivors are able to move on from the pain of trauma; never forgetting the experience, but at the same time, refusing to allow it to be the dominant force in their daily lives.