We want to help people who have experienced a difficult or traumatic event to understand some of the normal feelings and reactions you may have.
- Our minds are pretty good at dealing with traumatic events, but it often takes time to process what has happened.
- Everyone is different in how they experience this.
- Some people have very intense psychological or emotional experiences soon after, which fade with time.
- Others are fine to begin with but then struggle later on.
- Many people have little or no difficulties like these.
- A small number of people need some extra support – and this support can work very well.
- A more severe injury does not always cause psychological or emotional difficulties – sometimes people with smaller injuries find dealing with a traumatic event more difficult.
Common reactions following a traumatic event
Traumatic events can happen quickly with no warning, so we can’t prepare for them.
You might have been directly involved in something like a house fire or you may have seen one happen. Even though you were not in danger yourself, watching this can be just as distressing.
After traumatic events you can have strong physical feelings and emotions or find you behave differently.
You can feel on constant high alert
- Being more sensitive to things around you like noises, lights, and smells.
- Feeling more jumpy or startling easily.
- Having difficulty sleeping.
- Being irritable and snappy with others.
- Not being able to concentrate or remember things.
- Feeling unsafe, helpless, or vulnerable.
You may have powerful feelings which remind you of the event
- Sudden or unwanted memories of the event.
- ‘Flashbacks’ - images or sudden feeling as though it is happening all over again.
- No control over thoughts or images about the event, appearing suddenly out of nowhere, causing strong emotions (fear, panic, helplessness, sadness, horror).
- Distressing dreams or nightmares about the event.
- Experiencing ‘triggers’ such as TV or video pictures, smells or sounds, or things directly associated with the event itself.
- Feeling like it happened yesterday, even if it was a long time ago.
Thinking in particular ways
- Going over and over what happened.
- Thinking ‘what if’ thoughts.
- Difficulty thinking clearly or making decisions.
- Worrying or having racing thoughts.
- Blaming yourself.
Other feelings
- ‘Numbness’ or empty feelings and emotions.
- Distant from reality - feeling ‘unreal.’
- Anger about what happened.
- Guilt or shame.
These experiences can feel very scary and people sometimes fear they are ‘going mad.’ You’re not - it’s just your mind trying to process what has happened or make sense of a very difficult and overwhelming experience.
These thoughts and feelings are part of normal processing. For most people they start to fade and settle down within a few months.
Sometimes they can continue for a longer time or are more severe and get in the way of day-to-day life.
Why do people have these reactions?
When a traumatic event happens it’s normal to react with an adrenaline response (sometimes called ‘’fight, flight, freeze’).
During the early days and weeks, the parts of our brains that have these sudden reactions can stay overactive.
We also have higher than normal stress or threat hormones. This means the adrenaline response keeps going, so we feel frightened and on edge, even for some time after.
The adrenaline response can affect how you process memories. The sense of threat or danger can mean your brain holds firmly on to the memory. It takes time to process what has happened and to feel safe again, which is why people can sometimes feel strong emotions long after a traumatic event.
Processing a traumatic event often involves the brain going over and over things or ‘re-experiencing’ the memory. This is often in images or thoughts about the event or in dreams.
People who have experienced a traumatic event and been in hospital, will also have to deal with other experiences. These could include pain, strong medication, sleep disruption and perhaps having treatments like surgery. This extra stress can make managing these feelings even more difficult.
For most people, as time passes (and this can be days, weeks or sometimes longer) the mind adjusts. The “sense of danger” gets less and people feel more settled again.
What can you do?
- Reassure yourself that this is normal and not a sign you are ‘going mad’. Your mind is only trying to make sense of what has happened.
- Remember it is the traumatic event that is abnormal, not you.
- Find someone you can talk to about what has happened and your feelings.
- Sometimes people find that writing down what happened can help them to make sense of it.
- Distracting yourself or avoiding feelings and thoughts about the event by drinking more alcohol or taking drugs generally doesn’t help.
- Try to get back to your normal routine and usual activities as soon as you can. Particularly doing things that matter to you.
- Take care of yourself - eat proper meals, rest and relax, exercise.
- Spend time with people who can support you.
Getting professional help
If these thoughts and feelings are not starting to improve over a few weeks, you might need some help.
We know that professional support can be very helpful. There are proven techniques we can use including:
- Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)
- Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Talk to your health care team or GP about what is happening to you if you feel you need some professional help.
People never forget a traumatic event, but most people can reach a place - either on their own, or with help from others - where they can live with what has happened and start to move on with their lives.
Date published: 8 July 2026 Review due: 31 July 2029 PI number: BFT002811