Not everyone who sees or experiences threats, brutality, injury or sexual violence, becomes psychologically traumatised. Psychological trauma is a mental health issue but it’s not an automatic outcome of witnessing or being involved in disasters, be they big or small. Trauma can come from major events like terror attacks or from lesser events like car crashes. It can even come from a series of events over a number of years such as sexual exploitation or ongoing coercive control. In many cases, any post-event fears and worries will fade away in a few weeks once it’s all over. If they don’t, then there is the possibility that the sufferer is developing one of the Psychological Trauma Disorders. That’s when professional help is needed.

If you want to know more about how trauma strikes:

Here are some of the signs:

• Can’t stop thinking about what happened.
• Having flashbacks to the event like it’s happening all over again
• Having disturbing dreams about it
• Can’t concentrate – thoughts drift back to what happened
• Over-reacting to scares
• Avoiding where it happened
• Shortened temper – you easily flare up
• Changes in behaviour
• Feeling that ‘you are not you’ any more

Not sure still? Get in touch, and we can have a chat about your concerns.

The first ‘do’ is simple. Take the drama out of what’s happening. As a trauma sufferer, you need calm. The last thing you need is everybody running around in a panic. Don’t think that you are making a fuss about nothing. If you are upset, then that’s it. You need help. Although the major disasters hit the headlines, the fact remains that most traumatised people are the victims of so-called ‘lesser’ events, (at least in terms of their newsworthiness). Put simply, you are far, far, more likely to be a robbery victim an assault casualty, or a car crash survivor than to be a victim of war, terrorism or a major national or international disaster. However, an important point to remember is, whether the event is classed as major or minor, every traumatic event is a huge shock to the affected individual. Other people might not see your “mini” event as being a ‘big deal’ but you do. That’s what matters!

The second ‘do’ is stand back. Take a beat. Whether or not the traumatic event is affecting large groups, small groups, or individuals, it is all too often the case that so-called “trauma experts”, whether counsellors or psychotherapists, are immediately called in by panicking officials, managers, friends, or families. However, the UK National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence warns us that trauma therapy “should only be offered if it is actually necessary”. They say this because doing nothing in the short term is very often actually the most beneficial in the long run. In fact, many studies tell us that overzealous, untimely, and inappropriate ‘therapising’ can actually make matters far worse. So, don’t rush into therapy.

In fact, sometimes psychotherapists may not necessarily be the best people to help trauma victims, at least in the short term. There is evidence to show that many victims initially prefer the help of friends, family, and colleagues to the services of the so-called ‘expert therapist’. Research shows that for the first few weeks after a traumatic event, people usually respond best to the flexible and informal help offered to them by people they know.

So, how can you best put yourself on the road to recovery? Read on!

How to help yourself

There is an early-days post-incident process known as ‘Psychological First Aid’. It is something that anyone can take part in. This is how you can use it:

• Make sure that you are safe.
• Let people make contact with you. When you are ready, talk about what happened and about how you are feeling.
• Accept lots of tea and sympathy. Let people show they care
• Don’t try to handle this all by yourself. Take and ask for any help you need from family, friends, and colleagues
• Let people give you any practical assistance that they might offer
• Find out what is happening to you and why you might seem to have changed a bit. The NHS website has lots of useful information and helpful tips on how to cope

When to get professional help

It’s OK to get some properly qualified help whenever it seems right to you to do so. Although, as I have said, most traumatic shock dissipates over in a few weeks, some people prefer to start the psychotherapeutic recovery process a lot sooner. That’s OK. A really knowledgeable therapist knows how to manage the early stages of traumatic shock before moving on to longer-term psychotherapeutic treatments.

However, if you are starting to find that your trauma symptoms won’t go away, then it’s certainly time to seek professional help. Recovery from trauma can be a slow process so be patient and accept the help that is out there. Life will get better!

Where to get help

There are all sorts of help available. The NHS can help a lot depending on where you live. Check out the NHS website. Self-help groups can be useful too. Lots of organisations provide day care or residential care. Then of course there are private practitioners too but do make sure that you choose somebody who is properly qualified and experienced. Check out my About Me page and read my guidance about ‘Choosing a Practitioner.’

It can be quite a problem working out what’s best sort of help for you, So, if you want some no-obligation, free, impartial advice before making your choice, then just get in touch.