Coping with a major personal crisis

Events which threaten our lives or our physical or psychological well-being include;

Major disasters which impact broadly on many people
More personal incidents such as major injury or illness, loss of a close relationship through death or separation, or any other significant life events.

If you have experienced a traumatic event we hope this leaflet will help you to understand what you may experience immediately afterwards as well as later on.
It will also show you how to help the healing process and avoid pitfalls.

Normal feelings and emotions often experienced:

Numbness…your mind may only allow you to feel the impact of the event slowly; you or others may interpret this as “being strong” or “not caring”
Fear…of damage to oneself and loved ones; of being left alone; of losing control and of a similar thing happening again
Guilt…for being alive or uninjured; for things not done
Helplessness and Confusion…at being powerless in a situation; at losing any previously held sense of security
Anger…at what has happened; at the injustice and senselessness of it; with those who may have been culpable or incompetent; why should it happen to me?
Sadness…for losses of every kind
Shame…for being helpless, for being emotional and needing others; for not having reacted as one would have liked

Common physical and mental reactions…

Tiredness, exhaustion, nightmares, palpitations, sleep and eating disturbances and being jumpy and easily startled. Vivid recall of the event, difficulty concentrating and making decisions, persistent thoughts about this event and other incidents.

Effects on relationships

You may find that close relationships become strained, particularly if friends and family do not understand what you are going through and you may withdraw read more