Common Reactions After Trauma (Part 1)
After going through a trauma, survivors often say that their first feeling is relief to be alive. This may be followed by stress, fear, and anger. Trauma survivors may also find they are unable to stop thinking about what happened. Many survivors will show a high level of arousal, which causes them to react strongly to sounds and sights around them.
Most people have some kind of stress reaction after a trauma. Having such a reaction has nothing to do with personal weakness. Stress reactions may last for several days or even a few weeks. For most people, if symptoms occur, they will slowly decrease over time.
What are common reactions to trauma?
All kinds of trauma survivors commonly experience stress reactions. This is true for veterans, children, and disaster rescue or relief workers. If you understand what is happening when you or someone you know reacts to a traumatic event, you may be less fearful and better able to handle things. Reactions to a trauma may include
- Feeling hopeless about the future
- Feeling detached or unconcerned about others
- Having trouble concentrating or making decisions
- Feeling jumpy and getting startled easily at sudden noises
- Feeling on guard and constantly alert
- Having disturbing dreams, memories, or flashbacks
- Having work or school problems
You may also experience more physical reactions such as
- Upset stomach and trouble eating
- Trouble sleeping and feeling very tired
- Pounding heart, rapid breathing, or feeling edgy
- Sweating
- Severe headache if thinking of the event
- Failure to engage in exercise, diet, safe sex, or regular health care
- Excess smoking, alcohol, drugs, or food consumption
- Having your ongoing medical problems get worse
You may have more emotional troubles such as
- Feeling nervous, helpless, fearful, or sad
- Feeling shocked, numb, and not able to feel love or joy
- Avoiding people, places, and things related to the event
- Being irritable or having outbursts of anger
- Becoming easily upset or agitated
- Blaming yourself or having negative views of yourself or the world
- Distrust of others, getting into conflicts, or being over-controlling
- Being withdrawn or feeling rejected or abandoned
- Loss of intimacy or feeling detached
National Center for PTSD, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. (Updated 2015, August 13). Common reactions after trauma. Retrieved May 18, 2018, from https://www.ptsd.va.gov