Coping with the Pain of Trauma

Trauma impacts our lives in so many ways. Trauma is the sadness, emptiness, and depletion we feel when we are confronted with unexpected loss and/or violence. The more unexpected the trauma, the more difficult and extreme are the emotions. Each of us has faced the 9/11 tragedy of the twin towers and, more recently, the tragic loss of lives at Virginia Tech. Additionally, many readers may have had additional losses. One of the most interesting realities of trauma and the development of post traumatic stress disorder is that the most frequent cause of PTSD is motor vehicle accidents. Most people experience at least one motor vehicle accident in their lifetime. Clearly, on the national level and on the personal level, trauma events impact each of our lives.

The factors that increase the possibility that the response to the trauma will be the development of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are:

• unexpected event,
• fear of dying,
• uncontrollable situation,
• betrayal,
• prior trauma,
• lack of social support, and
• self-blame and survivor guilt.

The encouraging dynamics of trauma are the person to person expressions of concern and caring. Post any trauma we need to engage in the following behaviors to reduce the possibility of PTSD developing:

• discuss the traumatic event with supportive people,
• acknowledge feelings,
• take action to give comfort,
• develop a personal safety strategy to cope with your fear,
• take the time to express feelings and normalize your fear, and
• initiate extra stress management activities to reduce your stress.
Life contains many tragedies and traumas. The more we bond
together to give each other comfort the less emotional damage will
exist. Also, reaching out for psychological services allows you
maximize the support and strategies you can develop. Our thoughts
are with you, during these diffi cult times.