Symptoms

The Emotional and Psychological Impact

For every person affected by crime, there is a very individual set of emotional and psychological impacts that they will experience. All of those experiences are valid. In any given situation, we will all react differently.

For some they may find it comforting to plan ahead the steps that they feel they need to do to get to a better place to rebuild their lives and work through them one by one. For others, there may be moments of confidence and moving forward followed by random times of intense sadness and irrational fears. For others there may be stretches of denial followed by intense anger. For most it will be a mix of a wide variety of emotions and thoughts, many of which will surprise the individual.

Common Responses to Trauma

After trauma, people may go through a wide range of responses that are normal given what has happened to them..

Such reactions may be experienced not only by people who experience the trauma first-hand, but by those who have witnessed or heard about the incident, or been involved with those immediately affected. Many reactions can be triggered by persons, places, or things associated with the trauma. Some reactions may seem totally unrelated. Previous experiences or memories of trauma may also be re-triggered as a result of a recent event.

For a list of common physical and emotional reactions to trauma. You may find you have some or all of these symptoms, but the important thing to remember is that whatever your reaction it is a NORMAL response to an ABNORMAL event.

For a list of these symptoms please refer to the Common Responses to Trauma information sheet.

Coping with Anxiety

Anxiety is the body's natural reaction to feeling threatened and can lead to symptoms of panic. These symptoms are natural and not harmful and may include: increases in heart rate, difficulty breathing, and feeling profoundly unsafe. Following a traumatic event you may find that these symptoms appear in unsuitable circumstances or have a negative impact on your day-to-day living or functioning. For example, you may find it difficult to do everyday things due to feelings of panic, for what seems like no apparent reason.

For more details on coping with anxiety refer to the Coping with Anxiety information sheet.

Coping with Sleep Difficulty

Sleep difficulty is common for people under stress. Not being able to sleep, waking up in the middle of the night, having disturbing dreams or nightmares or sleeping for long periods of time can all be associated with stress and trauma. 

For more details on coping with sleep difficulty refer to the Coping with Sleep Difficulty information sheet.

Last Updated: 19 May 2006