COVID, the Capitol, and the Psychological Trauma
The country, and the world, has been living in a state of perpetual trauma for the last 12 months. COVID, racial injustice, and political unrest, among other things, have taken a toll on our mental health and created a collective trauma that we’ve all been dealing with — separately and together. Now people are starting to get vaccinated; we’ve had a change in White House administration; but mentally we’re not in the clear yet.
You might be thinking, “isn’t trauma a unique occurence? How can it be trauma if we’re ALL experiencing it at once? Isn’t that just ‘life’?” Well, let’s see: The American Psychological Association defines trauma as “any disturbing experience that results in significant fear, helplessness, dissociation, confusion, or other disruptive feelings intense enough to have a long-lasting negative effect on a person’s attitudes, behavior, and other aspects of functioning.” There’s no reason that this couldn’t happen to a large group of us all at the same time. It’s happening right now.
“After the pandemic ends, the effects of the mass trauma it has inflicted will linger across societies for years,” writes BBC mental health reporter Ed Prideaux. We’ve seen this before with collective traumas like genocide, natural disasters, and experiences of war. The effects of trauma can be devastating to our minds and bodies, which is why it’s more important than ever to take care of your mental health.
Don’t ‘Just Forget About It’
There’s nothing more that many of us would like to do than just fast-forward in time and forget this whole year ever happened, but trying to forget — as nice as it sounds — can actually be detrimental to the present and the future. Think of the 1918 flu pandemic, which happened barely more than 100 years ago and claimed at least 50 million lives worldwide, and yet feels like a distant memory. Many even refer to that pandemic as “the forgotten flu” for how quickly it faded from public memory. There are important things we can learn and carry from our experiences, even negative ones.
Process Your Experience
The act of processing trauma is crucial to healing, but it must be done so in a way that doesn’t risk retraumatizing the person or people who have gone through the trauma. Feeling safe and comfortable talking about your experiences is the first step to quelling the effects of trauma, which includes (but isn’t limited to) ongoing anxiety, hypervigilance, depression, loneliness, numbness, and anger. Find a trained professional who makes you feel heard and understood and who gives you the time and space to explore your feelings around the traumatic experience.
The Talk Suite is a full-service psychotherapy practice in NYC. Our clinicians offer a variety of techniques and therapy models to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Through self-reflection, exploration and the use of the relationship between the client and the therapist, we provide a collaborative process in a safe and compassionate environment where clients can mitigate the impact of trauma. Sessions are held in our Chelsea office, or via Zoom/teletherapy. To learn more, schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation, or contact us directly at explore@thetalksuite.com.