Stats Concerning Trauma

• 75% of the population has been exposed to post-traumatic stress.
• 25% of the population actually experience post-traumatic stress.

Worst Kinds of Trauma - There are many kinds of trauma, but here are some of the traumas experts consider the hardest to deal with.

• Violence involving multiple murders. This would include Columbine, Wedgewood, and terrorists attacks.
• Any catastrophe involving children. This is why Oklahoma City affected the country in such a powerful way.
• A plane crash where there is no recovery of bodies. When there is no closure through the recovery of those who have died, it is increasingly difficult for the bereaved to close that chapter.
• During times of war, MIA’s (Missing in Action). When people are missing and never recovered, there is no sense of closure for the loved ones.

Trauma Defined

• Greek word meaning, “wound” – in a wound such as trauma, scarring occurs, but one never heals from the tragedy.
• Hole in your heart – It will get smaller, but the experience will never go away.
• One feels a “separation from safety” – Once trauma hits, one hardly feels safe.
• A traumatized person has suffered an extreme blow or blows from life.
• PTSD – Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: When a person has a delayed recovery to a crisis, and over-responds to a sight, a sound or a smell that reminds him of the original event, he is experiencing the trauma all over again.
• Aftershock- Any significant delayed response to the original trauma.

Underlying Beliefs – The reason why people experience trauma is because tragedy destroys some underlying beliefs and assumptions about how the world should operate.

Beliefs before Trauma	After Trauma
The world makes sense	Some events don’t make sense
Trauma can’t happen to me	You’re wounded and scared
Life is fair	Trauma destroys fairness

How To Recognize Post-Traumatic Stress

• Difficulty sleeping
• Hyper-vigilance
• Exaggerated startle response
• Hard time concentrating
• Mood swings
• Distressing thoughts, nightmares
• Survivor guilt – feeling guilt over being the one alive
• Avoid the emotions – stuff the feelings of remorse
• Anniversaries of the event trigger flashbacks and cause turmoil

Something To Think About Trauma is more difficult when the tragedy is caused by people rather than natural disasters. Traumas such as rape, sexual abuse, or threat to personal life are identified with people. The victim is left with a severely reduced ability to trust. When you find someone who is experiencing post-traumatic stress, make sure they see a professional counselor. Take time to listen and encourage, but people who have undergone such tragedy need experts to help them through the process of healing.

Trauma Coming Home

• 25 out of 100 girls will be sexually abused by the age of 18
• 16 out of 100 boys will be sexually abused by the age of 18

What can we do?

• Help people who have experienced trauma to talk about the their tragedy
  • Let them know you are there to listen
  • Do not probe about the explicit details
• Acknowledge the seriousness of what they experienced, Call it trauma, do not diminish their plight.
• Let them know if they feel out of control, that is normal.
• Compliment the person for being distressed. They should not be the silent screamers. These are people who stuff their emotions. Those who experience the grief will find it helps them in the recovery process.
• Help them to cry.
• Be careful what you share with them from the Bible. Verses about comfort may not make them feel comfort. It is important that they see someone who is specialized in dealing with trauma.

Six Characteristics of a Traumatic Event Unexpected news. When an event is known in advance, you can handle it better than an unexpected tragedy. A sudden shock. A sudden shock may not be a negative event, it could also be a positive such as inheriting a million dollars. Either way your life is disrupted. Personal history. Any unresolved issues from the past will come alive and intensify the present situation. Unfairness. This permeates every aspect of our life and is a part of an event being traumatic. Powerlessness. Just as you cannot stop a hurricane or a tornado that destroys your house, so you are powerless to stop rape or a tragedy like Columbine. Loss of Control. Because you are powerless to stop the tragedy, you fell like you cannot gain control of emotions or physical responses while going through the tragedy.