People In Traumatic Situations

When a situation occurs that is traumatic to a person(s), it helps to be aware of the types of people you may encounter.  Awareness can also help you deal with your own reactions in the face of trauma.  It’s often thought that trauma will trigger either fight or flight responses.  This is true to an extent, but there is also the freeze response and the lesser fawn response.  The fight response is the response to take action, not particularly to fight.  The flight response is the response to flee, to get away from the situation.  The freeze response is the response to hunker down, to hide, to become immobile.  The fawn response is the response to engage with the threat and attempt altering the situation, an attempt to control.  Traumatic situations affect people deeper than these four responses.

'Dog Day Afternoon' Sonny taking a call from the police

While in a traumatic situation (i.g. Natural disaster, burglary, mugging, etc) it helps to understand basic reactions, which tend to be related to the four basic responses.  Be aware that some of these types experience reduced cognitive function such as: unable to read, becoming very unaware and observational, reduced communication skills, reduced logical thinking, acting upon reactions and emotions, nausea, shaking or tremors, and slower movements.

	Aggressive (fight) - Those who default to an aggressive reaction are working within the fight response.  This type can easily over-react, take risks not normally considered, and clings to anger.  It is possible to talk these people down, but it takes a great deal of de-escalation skill.  This person can, however, be useful if you need assistance in moving people to a safer location, sending someone for help, or in some other way along these lines.  They respond positively because they want to be helpful, but you have to prove that you have the situation under control.
	Smart-Ass/Jokester (fight) - This reaction is a type of aggressive reaction, but with less anger.  This type can easily over-react, take risks not normally considered, and self-comfort with humor and constant chatter.  You can acknowledge their humor and chatter, which can help them feel comfortable with you.  Once you gain that confidence, they can be useful in assisting moving people to a safer location, going for help, etc.
'Midsommar' crying	Crying Mess (flight or freeze) - The crying mess reaction is nearly as it sounds.  These people breakdown into a crying breakdown.  They almost always freeze, but they may take flight if the option is available.  They will barely be able to talk or function and they are likely to become shaky.  They can be talked down to a functional state, but it may take a little time and they have to believe that the person talking them down can protect them.  It's all about making them feel safe.
Barbara from 'Night of The Living Dead'	Faint (freeze) - The faint reaction is a form of freezing.  The person literally can’t process and they faint or go catatonic.  Get this type to a safe location and consider them unreliable - since they have fainted.
Edward Norton's character from 'Fight Club'	Flag (flight or freeze) - The flag response is kind of a dissociative response with experiencers often claiming that they felt as if they were watching the situation from outside their body.  There is an emotional distancing, some cognitive dysfunction (like slower reaction time or foggy headed), lower reaction energy (like a drop in arousal), and the act of surrender.  This is due to a feeling of helplessness and despair.  They may just move with the crowd.  A positive way to deal with this is to assure them that things are under control and give them a job to help with.  That job will help them regain some feeling of situational control.  It also helps them to hear some form of acknowledgement for their efforts.
Wendy from 'The Shining'	Fright (flight or freeze) - Those who experience the fright reaction may seem way out of proportion to the trauma at hand.  This type may experience trauma-induced hallucinations, paranoia, lack of volume control (either very loud or very soft), or aggression based on any and all perceived threats.  People experiencing this are full of adrenaline and will usually lash out until they can get away; sometimes they do end up attempting to hide until the problem is over.  They are hard to talk down because they are not sure who to believe and what is real.  It does help to give them a small job and to acknowledge any effort they provide.  That can help bring them around, but they are also untrustworthy due to their ease into being provoked.
	Over-Sexualized (fawn) - The over-sexualized response can happen when the brain misinterprets the chemicals released in the body for dopamine.  It can lead to sexualized talk, the seeking of sex or physical contact, or unstable flirting.  The person is attempting to gain control of the situation.  Do not engage in their over-sexualized actions.  They are looking for control and are fairly level-headed, so give them something they can control like calling 911 or helping with first aid.
Ellis from 'Die Hard'	Deal Maker (fawn) - The deal maker has the one goal to control the situation through a deal.  They often believe they know what is best, have a bit of an ego, and don’t always see the bigger picture.  It can lead to a worse situation, disrupting plans already put in place, and an increase of injuries.  The deal makers, though, can be fairly level-headed, ultimately seek control, and are helpful in situations.
	Level Head (fawn) - The level headed person is not always as common as the other types, but there is often one in a group setting.  These people meet trauma with a level head and rational thinking, turning them into a leader or a primary assistant.  They can handle more difficult tasks.  This type often won’t deal with the trauma effects until they become safe.  They remain level headed in the face of danger because it gives them control.

Aftermath

Once the situation is over, those who were in the situation need to know what resources are available to help them deal with the trauma.  It can help them process what occurred and hopefully avoid PTSD.  One of the best ways for people to deal with this is communication.  This can be one-on-one with a therapist or group therapy sessions, all which can now be done in person or online.  There are also alternative therapeutic options like hypnotherapy, meditation techniques, help lines, etc.  People who do not process their trauma are more likely to become depressed, fall into drug or alcohol use, experience a reduced immune system, etc.

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