Trauma

What it is and how to cope with it

This page contains information about what can happen to your mind and body after experiencing a traumatic event. It will help you to understand some of the symptoms you are experiencing, and why they are happening to you.

Everyone’s experience of trauma is different, even if they have experienced the same traumatic event. So not everything on this page will apply to you.

The more you, and people close to you, understand what is happening, the better the chance you have of making some positive changes.

Rowan offers group and individual counselling and debriefing to individuals and organisations that have experienced a traumatic event. This is sometimes called CISD (Critical Incident Stress Debriefing) or CISM (Critical Incident Stress Management)

What is Trauma?

Many of us may have experienced something overwhelming, frightening, and beyond our control. A traumatic event could be a sudden death, a near-miss accident, a threatening event, or witnessing violence. Trauma can also be caused by persisten neglect or abuse, a series of seemingly-small events which have a large cumulative impact.

Trauma is when we experience something frightening, which our mind and body have trouble coping with. Remember: it is normal for a trauma to cause changes in how you feel, think and act. Try not to worry about these changes; this will only make things worse. What is traumatic to one person may not be for someone else.

Causes of trauma include:

abuse or neglect.
dangerous, life-threatening events.
accident, injury or disability.

Trauma is a normal response to an abnormal event. It’s an emotional and physical response to something that feels threatening and out of our control.

Feelings and Emotions

Your experience of any traumatic event will be very personal, but it is usual to feel some of the following feelings and emotions:

Frightened – you may worry that the same thing will happen again, or that you will lose control of your feelings and break down.
Helpless – triggered by something happening to you that you could do nothing about. You may feel vulnerable and overwhelmed.
Sad – especially if people were hurt or killed.
Guilty – for things you didn’t do, or for having survived.
Ashamed or embarrassed – you may feel embarrassed at needing others for support.
Angry – at what happened, the injustice and senselessness.
Hopeful – that your life will return to normal.

Physical and mental reactions

As well as emotional response individuals may experience the following physical and mental sensations:

Tiredness
Sleeplessness and bad dreams
Loss of concentration
Dizziness, palpitations, shakes
Difficulty in breathing
Tension headaches and backaches
Change in sexual interest
Change in appetite
Unwelcome memories of trauma, feeling like the events are happening now, including smells, tastes, sounds and sights. These memories are often fragmented and remain vivid over time, instead of fading

What you can do

Everybody is different, but here are some suggestions that have worked for others:

Give yourself time. It can take a few weeks or even months to accept what has happened and to learn to live with it. You may need to grieve for what (or whom) you have lost.
Find out what happened. It is better to face the reality of what happened rather than wondering about what might have happened.
Be involved with other survivors. If you go to funerals or memorial services, this may help you to come to terms with what has happened. It can help to spend time with others who have been through the same experience as you.
Ask for support. It can be a relief to talk about what happened. You may need to ask your friends and family for the time to do this – at first they will probably not know what to say or do.
Take some time for yourself.
Get into a routine. Even if you don’t feel much like eating, try to have regular meals and to eat a balanced diet. Taking some exercise can help – but start gently.
Do some ‘normal’ things with other people. Sometimes you will want to be with other people, but not to talk about what has happened. This can also be part of the healing process.
Let yourself talk about what has happneed and how you feel, and don’t worry if you cry. Strong feelings are natural; bottling them up can make you feel worse.
Watch your alcohol or drug intake. These can blot out painful memories and feelings for a while, but they can also stop you from processing what has happened, and may cause depression.
Take advice from people you trust, don’t make any hasty, life-changing decisions.

What professional help is available?

Family and friends will probably be able to see you through this difficult time. However, if your feelings are too much for you to cope with or if you feel that you are not returning to normal after six weeks then it is important to seek help.

Your GP might suggest that you talk with someone who specialises in helping people cope with traumas. They will usually use a talking treatment, such as counselling or psychotherapy. You may have access to an employee counselling service through your work.
You may find that there is a support group for people who have been through a similar trauma to yourself. It can be helpful to hear that others have had similar feelings and experiences.
Medication can sometimes be helpful following a trauma, but it is still important to see your doctor regularly to check how you are doing. Drugs such as tranquillisers can help to reduce anxiety and help you sleep. You can become ill with depression following a trauma. Depression can be treated with antidepressants or with counselling and psychotherapy.

How Family, Friends and Colleagues can help

Spend time with the person affected, but also allow them some time alone
Listen carefully, you don’t need to try and fix anything
Help them with routine tasks, it may take time for them to readjust
Don’t take their anger or other feelings personally
Avoid saying things like “You’re lucky it wasn’t worse” , “You’ll get over it“, “You just have to get on with things” or “At least…“
Tell them you want to understand and help them, as and when they would like you to do so.

Remember: most people recover from a traumatic event. It’s important to take things one day or hour at a time, especially at first.