Trauma - help for your reaction and recovery

Where to get help

• Your GP (doctor)
• Your mental health specialist, such as a psychiatrist, psychologist, counsellor or social worker
• Your local community health centre
• Australian Psychological Society Referral Service Tel. 1800 333 497
• Phoenix Australia Centre for Post-traumatic Mental Health Tel. (03) 9035 5599
• Centre for Grief and Bereavement Tel. 1800 642 066

Free specialist trauma help:

• If you have been a victim of a crime, call the Victims of Crime Helpline on 1800 819 817. Interpreters are available.
• If you have been in a car accident, contact Amber Community– road incident support and education on (03) 8877 6900 or 1300 367 797.

You can get advice from:

• Lifeline Tel. 13 11 14
• GriefLine Tel. 1300 845 745
• beyondblue Tel. 1300 22 4636
• Nurse-on-Call Tel. 1300 60 60 24 – for expert health information and advice (24 hours, 7 days)
• Australian Parenting Website– raisingchildren.net.au

You can also listen to this trauma and recovery podcast.

How you may react to trauma

The way you react to trauma can depend on:

• the type and severity of the traumatic event
• whether you have any previous experience or training
• if you were directly involved or a bystander
• the amount of help available to you after the event
• other stressful things going on in your life
• how you normally cope with stressful events
• any previous traumatic experiences.

When a distressing event is over, you may find yourself trying to make sense of the event. This can include thinking about:

• how and why it happened
• how and why you were involved
• why you feel the way you do
• whether feelings you are having indicate what kind of person you are
• whether the experience has changed your view on life, and how.

You may also experience emotional, mental, physical and behavioural reactions.

Emotional reactions to trauma

You might feel:

• very stressed, anxious or afraid
• panicked, like something else is going to happen
• like you are in danger
• numb or shocked
• confused
• emotional more often and upset
• extremely fatigued and tired
• depressed
• protective of others including family and friends
• like you don’t want to leave your home
• like you want to withdraw from or avoid people and places..

These reactions are normal, and you might feel many of these reactions at once.

It is part of your body’s natural healing and recovery process, and in most cases you will feel better.

Mental reactions to trauma

You might:

• have trouble with your concentration or remembering things
• think about the event when you don’t want to
• keep replaying the event over and over in your mind
• be confused or disoriented.

Physical reactions to trauma

Your body might:

• be fatigued or exhausted
• find it hard to sleep
• experience nausea, vomiting, dizziness and headaches
• experience excessive sweating
• have a high heart rate.

Behavioural reactions to trauma

You might want to:

• avoid being reminded of the event
• keep thinking and talking about what happened
• change or withdraw from the things you normally do day to day
• eat a lot more or a lot less
• drink more alcohol and/or coffee
• smoke cigarettes
• avoid sleeping.

How to heal and recover after trauma

Anything that puts your safety or life at risk, or of others, is going to make you feel stressed. This is called ‘emergency mode’ and is when your body is trying to respond to a threat. Our bodies are trying to give us a lot of energy in a short period of time to help our survival.

Most people will stay in ‘emergency mode’ for a short period of time. But you can return to ‘emergency mode’ when unexpected things happen or you are under stress again. This is why you might feel tired after a traumatic event.

To help your body heal and recover, you need to help yourself get out of ‘emergency mode’. It helps your body to reset and return to normal energy levels. This usually happens within about one month or so of the event.

There are many strategies that can help you to heal and recover. You can:

• recognise that you have been through a distressing or scary experience. Your reactions are normal
• accept that you will not feel like yourself, but this will pass
• try not to get angry or frustrated with yourself if you are not able to do things as normal
• avoid using alcohol or drugs to help you cope
• avoid making major decisions or big life changes until you feel better
• take your time to go back to your normal life
• talk to someone who can support and understand you
• try to keep to your normal routine and stay busy
• try not to go out of your way to avoid certain places or activities
• set aside time to rest
• make time for regular exercise
• tell your family and friends what help you need , such as time out or someone to talk to
• use relaxation techniques such as yoga, breathing or meditation. You can also do things you enjoy, such as listening to music or gardening
• express your feelings as you feel them. You could talk to someone about your feelings or write them down
• confront your memories and experiences as you feel them. Think about them, then put them aside. If it brings up other memories, try to keep them separate from the current problem.

If you are still struggling, you can get professional help

Stress caused by a traumatic event can become ongoing. You should seek professional help if you:

• are feeling very emotionally distressed more than one month or so after the event
• continue to feel numb and empty
• continue to show physical signs of stress
• continue to have disturbed sleep or nightmares
• try to avoid anything that reminds you of your experiences
• have no one you can share your feelings with
• find that relationships with family and friends are suffering
• are distracted
• using more alcohol or drugs
• cannot return to work or manage day to day responsibilities
• keep replaying the traumatic experience
• feel nervous all the time and can be easily startled.

About post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

After a distressing event, some people find that they do not get better after about one month or so.

This kind of reaction can impact your life in a lot of ways. It might change your relationships with family and friends or make it harder for you to work.

This could be post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.

If you think you might be experiencing PTSD, you should seek help from a health professional.

If at any time you are worried about your mental health or the mental health of a loved one, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.