If someone is trying to deal with a serious traumatic experience then we highly recommend that they contact a qualified mental health professional for support and guidance. This is especially so if the person is depressed or suicidal. That said, there are still many things that we can do to help ourselves and others. Here are some examples of things that can help someone cope with a traumatic situation.
Tips
• Whenever possible meet with people that you trust for support. If you don’t have anyone local, then perhaps there is someone that you could phone or email.
• Focus on your resources and support systems.
• Do things that help you feel calmer or more centered.
• Avoid telling your story in a repetitive way. Especially avoid going into a lot of detail and rushing through the story – take breaks and remember things that helped you to get through the situation.
Discharging stress
We can help our nervous system recuperate its balance by understanding how it discharges when it is over-stimulated. Some examples of this are:
• Trembling / Shaking
• Sweating / Warmth in the body
• Stomach gurgling
• Breathing deeply
• Crying
• Laughing
Experiencing any of these symptoms means that we are discharging some of the traumatic energy from our body and coming back into balance. Mostly, we should just observe what’s happening in our body without judgment, just watching and understanding that our body (by Krishna’s mercy) has the innate ability to regain its balance.
For a full version of this posting, please see the “Pages” section on the right hand side of this page.
