What on earth happened - what is going on?
We expect life to be predictable and safe. We all have some sense of what a normal and predictable and safe day is in Australia. We go to work or go home or are about social activities with family and then the totally unpredictable or chaotic or violent happens.
Being involved in a critical episode or traumatic event will disrupt our lives and shake us and those around us. After a traumatic event we can expect to experience any number of feelings or thoughts or physiological responses. If you or workmates or family members have been involved or have witnessed or been in the vicinity of a traumatic event, it will bring about dislocation and disruption to your life in some shape or way.
What is a trauma or critical episode?
It can be any number of incidents that involve the loss of life or a near miss or verbal threats that could have involved death or serious injury. More specifically a critical incident might be a death or suicide or assault in a workplace. Or it might be a serious accident in a workplace which results in serious injuries for one or numerous people. An accident offsite or in its proximity affecting family members or workers. It might include violent or very threatening behaviour on a site such as a robbery. It could be a catastrophic industrial implosion or explosion. All might be considered to have an effect on people psychologically.
The time after a critical episode.
At the time and the time after the trauma, people can experience a spectrum of thoughts and emotions. There can be a sense of survivor relief, guilt, numbness, regret, agitation or fear. The range of thoughts and feelings can be jumbled together or experienced like a rollercoaster ride. Trauma is real in our lives and initially people can experience a sense of being emotionally and psychologically “all over the place” This is not uncommon and does not mean you are losing your mind.
Some of the responses to trauma.
Some strong emotions come to the surface in the hours and days after a critical incident or after witnessing something traumatic.
People react to grief and loss in different ways depending on their personalities and characteristics. People will react to the trauma depending where they were geographically and in relation to the actual trauma event and what they saw or heard.
Again, trauma is similar to grief and loss. It is very similar in that it is the invasion of the unexpected into a predictable world. This sets the thinking and feeling world of individuals on its head. It should be noted there are no set rules of timeframes or rules about what or when people should be feeling or recovering or not crying or feeling OK again.
People who have gone through trauma are on a journey. The brain is making sense and responding to the thoughts and feelings or images of totally out of the normal and life-threatening events.
The severity and the proximity of a trauma and its effect on immediate loved ones or friends or workmates are all factors in dealing with trauma.
Some specific responses to trauma.
· Individuals react to stress and anxiety differently. Some people have friends to talk with others have limited contacts or networks or families to reach out to.
· Confusion and disbelief that the trauma has happened at all. Some people report feeling physically numb or initially being in a dream like state.
· An inability to sleep and not being able to concentrate or focus.
· Disbelief and denial and an ongoing thought, that this awful thing, could not have occurred.
· People will feel overcome with emotion and cry or they can display great resentment or anger and want to blame someone for the episode. Some people are very stoic.
· Guilt at surviving a critical episode or avoiding an accident where others were harmed.
· Self-examination and blaming and questioning one’s own culpability in the episode.
· “I could have, I should have, why didn’t I,”.
· Sadness and feeling isolated or hopeless in the circumstances.
· Feeling the trauma physically by having intrusive thoughts or failing to sleep or being hypersensitive or overly vigilant.
What is important is that like many episodes in life, things will over time return to the safe normal. The critical episode however is still part of memory and bruising for an individual or group. However, the severity and the proximity and psychological and emotional impact of any traumatic event and the make-up of the person experiencing it will be a major factor in people’s response.
Also the dynamics of the trauma and who was involved and its effect on immediate loved ones or friends or workmates are all factors in dealing with trauma and moving into a recovery from the critical incident. Talking about what happened matters.
Individuals react to stress and anxiety differently. Some people have friends to talk with others have limited contacts or networks or families to reach out to. Other times horrific things happen and there is never an easy exit in the short term. Talking with a counsellor confidentially can be useful.
Some practical ways ahead.
· Being around a scene or site where trauma has occurred will be confronting for a while. But not forever. Just brace yourself and steel yourself and look after others who are in the vicinity.
· If you were close to the episode you will have intrusive thoughts and images. These will go with time. Again, there is nothing strange about them but talking about the images with someone you can trust matters.
· You could be emotional about what’s happened. You may even think you're the only person. You're not. It’s important to reach out to other people or workmates.
· Eat regularly and go easy on the alcohol.
· Keep up with your normal routines and if your alone be deliberate and time limited about thinking or exploring the episode in your head. Every reasonable person always beats themselves up with” I should have. I could have. why didn’t I.
· Try not to work or bury yourself in work with no rest or recreation time planned
· If you can’t sleep at least rest. Don’t ruminate or relive the event when you rest.
· With time and space and reassurance things will return to normal.
