The global trauma of the recent terrorist attacks in Paris

The global trauma of the recent terrorist attacks in Paris

After Friday 13^th November, we are all traumatised. It is a global trauma, because the world has suddenly changed and it won’t be the same again.

Surviving a terrorist attack is traumatic. Knowing someone who has died in a terrorist attack is traumatic. Witnessing it is also traumatic. The Paris attacks have been so significant that the world is a witness to this traumatic event. The news is reporting traumatic stories and showing pictures of the attacks on the loop. Now it is all about the next terror, which city is going to be hit next. London is one of the targets, we are told. We see pictures of victims. We see pictures of perpetrators. We are on high alert. We are traumatised.

What do we typically do when we are traumatised as a witness of trauma? We become sad, sometimes depressed. We become angry. We want to fight. We blame. We become jumpy and suspicious. Unfortunately, some people stay in this state for a long time.

It is important that we take our own responsibility to look after ourselves. This may mean to limit the amount of time we spend watching the news or our Facebook newsfeed. It may mean that it is an opportunity to turn to our loved ones and express our gratitude to have them in our life. It may mean to open our arms rather than clutching our fists.

It reminds me of one of Peter Levine’s theories on war:

‘Even when competing with their most basic resources- food and territory – animals typically do not kill members of their own species. Why do we? (…) Trauma is among the most important root causes for the form modern warfare has taken. The perpetuation, escalation, and violence of war can be attributed in part to post-traumatic stress. Our past encounters with another have generated a legacy of war, separation, prejudice and hostility. This legacy is a legacy of trauma fundamentally no different from that experienced by individuals – except in its scale. Traumatic re-enactment is one of the strongest and most enduring reactions that occurs in the wake of trauma. (…) When we are traumatised by war, the implications are staggering. (…) There is no avoiding the traumatic aftermath of war; it reaches into every segment of a society.’ (1997, page 225-227).

What Peter Levine is saying is that the terrorist attacks in Paris, an act of War, violence and hatred, traumatised the individuals involved, and traumatised all of us around the globe. As a result, we are more prone to re-enact this and continue to fight. When I think of what happened in Paris, my first reaction is to clutch my fists and not open my arms. But, after a while, I decided to open. I made a Facebook statement that I will offer free trauma therapy to anyone who has been affected by the recent events in Paris. This was one of my ways to open my arms. I invite each and every one of you to do one thing to open your arms. You do not have to forgive terrorists. You do not have to stop being angry or sad or disgusted by what happened. But you can turn to a loved one - your partner, your child, your friend, your neighbour, your mother, your parents-in-law, your community - and give them a hug, and tell them you love them. It is a small gesture that goes a long way in healing the global trauma that we have all suffered after the Paris attacks.

Those that have survived the terrorist attacks can experience symptoms of PTS (Post-Traumatic Stress) or PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder).

The symptoms for PTS are:

1-      Re-experiencing the traumatic event in a range of sensory forms. This phenomenon is called a flashback.

2-      Avoiding reminders of the trauma by avoiding or numbing emotions. In some cases, we call it dissociation.

3-      Chronic hyperarousal of the nervous system. This is called disregulated arousal.

It is important to note that these symptoms are normal to experience immediately after traumatic event. If some of these symptoms persist one month after the traumatic event, a diagnosis of PTS can be formulated.
It is also important to remember that not everybody who has survived a traumatic event will develop PTS. Some people never do. 

When the symptoms of PTS are chronic, they can lead to psychological disturbances such as:

1-      Acute anxiety and panic attacks.

2-      Sleep disturbances.

3-      Loss of appetite.

4-      Sexual dysfunctions.

5-      Difficulties with concentration.

6-      Difficulties with relationships.

PTSD is a specific psychological condition. It manifests with the same symptoms as PTS but it is more severe causing a high level of daily dysfunction.

If you or someone you know suffer from the above symptoms, it is important to know that there is help available. Both PTS and PTSD can be treated with specific psychological trauma therapy.

I wish you all well.