Terror attacks cause trauma

A few Sundays ago, one student was killed and 140 injured at the University of Nairobi’s Kikuyu Campus. They thought they were under a terrorist attack when a power transformer exploded, and they jumped out through the windows from upper floors.

This is a very sad story and reveals the psyche of a society living in fear coming as it were just after the April 2 attack on students of Garissa University College.

The reaction of student’s reaction at Kikuyu campus shows just how taut and tense our nerves are in the face of this continuing threat.

All those who were in Nairobi in 1998 remember exactly where they were when the bombs went off at the US Embassy.

A terror assault or a natural disaster, are some of the traumatic experiences which can distress and upset us.

They arouse powerful and disturbing feelings in us which many cases settle in time, but sometimes they do not.

Traumatic events like this are usually very frightening and cause immense stress because they are usually drawn out over a period of time and the mind gets overloaded with the terrible possibilities awaiting the victim.

After a trauma, people go through a wide range of normal responses.

Such reactions are experienced not only by people who experienced the trauma first-hand, but also by those who witnessed or heard about them, or are actively involved with those immediately affected.

Many reactions can be triggered by persons, images, places, things or sounds associated with the trauma.

Some reactions or behaviour may manifest themselves in totally unrelated forms and circumstances.

What happens immediately after a trauma?

Shock

Immediately after a traumatic event, it is common for people to feel numb, or stunned and lack the capacity to process what has happened.

When in shock, one may feel dazed or without sensation and cut off from their feelings, or from what is transpiring around them.

Denial

In this situation, you cannot come to terms with what has happened, so you behave as though it has not.

Other people may think that you are being strong or that they do not care about what has happened.

After several hours or days, the feelings of shock and denial gradually fade, and are replaced by other thoughts and feelings.

What happens in the period after the event?

Different people react differently and come to terms with what happened after different periods of time.

It is normal to experience mixed feelings.

Some may feel:

• Angry, at what has happened and those responsible.

• Frightened, that the same thing can happen again, or that they might lose control and break down.

• Helpless, that something terrible happened and they could do nothing about it. This leaves them feeling vulnerable and overwhelmed.

• Loss of a sense of justice or order in the world and an impending feeling of doom and fear of the future.

• Guilty, that they have survived where others suffered or died. They may feel that they could have done something to prevent it. “Why didn’t we fight back.”

• Sad, particularly if they knew the people who were injured or killed.

• Embarrassed, that they have strong emotions they cannot control, especially if they need the support of others? This can manifest in something as simple as a person not wanting to sleep with the light of.

• Relieved that the danger is now over and they survived.

Personally, I am sad that so many young lives came to a sudden and cruel end. It may take weeks, months and in some cases, many years to fully regain stability.

Sometimes, family and friends may push people to “get over it” before they are ready.

The author is a life coach at Peak Performance International

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