Route 91 Trauma

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October 1, 2017 was the date of a tragedy that left the world and the country music community beyond stunned and confused. To this day thousands of people are still affected by this tragic event and trying to cope with this experience.

 

One of the things you may be experiencing a sense of raw nerves, a sense of fear when leaving the house (such as going to concerts), and difficulty being in public places. After a tragedy such as a shooting it is not easy to just “get over it” this is something that might stay with you for years.

 

One of the best ways to cope with this type of tragedy is by counseling. A counselor is able to provide EMDR, Brain Spotting, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.

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For those Residing in California who Attended the Concert:

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https://victims.ca.gov/lasvegas/

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This is a link that explains the financial benefits that the State of California is providing for those who attended the Route 91 Harvest Festival Shooting. The California Victim Compensation Board is helping California pay the bills and expenses that result from a violent crime such as the shooting. This can come as a big relief for some who do not think they are able to afford the necessary counseling.

 

What can Result from Trauma?

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PTSD has a set of symptoms and problems that are tied to the exposure of trauma that persists for weeks, months, or years after an event.

Some of the most common symptoms of PTSD are:

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• Reexperiencing the situation

• Avoidance

• Agitation, hostility, self-destructive behavior, social isolation

• Insomnia or nightmares

• Emotional Detachment

• Loss of Interest in activities

 

How can you Cope with this Tragedy?

 

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy:

 

This type of therapy is aimed at looking at the relationship between your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It is helpful for people who think in an “unhelpful manner”. This is a type of therapy that will help look at current and past problems, it usually spans for 12 to 16 sessions with a therapist. This is a great therapy for dealing with tragedy, especially a shooting where many were killed and injured. Many people who have gone through this type of trauma develop associations and reminders from the event. These associations cause nervous thinking and they can lead to unhealthy emotional processing disorders.

 

The goal of using Cognitive Behavioral therapy in this situation is to improve your day to day functions and reevaluate thinking patterns. If you constantly have negative thoughts it will begin to diminish any form of positive thinking. It can leave you prepared for a catastrophic event and pessimistic behavior. When you are able to catch these thoughts as they come it will help you re-construct that particular thought and the situation around that thought. It will help re-conceptualize your thoughts about a traumatic event such as the Route 91 Shooting.

 

Exposure and Education:

 

These are the next two techniques used in this type of therapy. Exposure to the trauma can help you reduce the negative associations you have created around the event. For example, if you are associating a concert arena with violence and injury cognitive behavioral therapy will expose you to the place you have created a negative association with. This is done in an extremely controlled way, and it allows you to take back control of the place or the situation. It reduces behaviors such as, avoidance and escape while promoting self-confidence.

 

What is EDMR Therapy?

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EDMR therapy is short for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy. This is a psychotherapy approach that is specifically aimed at helping trauma victims. It has been extensively studied and researched as a proven method for treating trauma. This type of therapy is led by a therapist trained in EDMR. When someone goes through a significant event the brain does not process information correctly and it can lead you to feel like you are “frozen in time”.

 

It can make your memories hard to re-live and think about because these memories have a long-lasting negative impact on how you view the world and what happens. EDMR directly affects how the brain processes information. When you successfully complete an EDMR session you will not have the same feelings associated with a traumatic event. You will remember what happened, but your brain will process it differently. There are eight phases to this treatment, history & treatment planning, preparation, assessment, desensitization, installation, body scan, closure, and reevaluation.

 

The goal is to take the negative thoughts surrounded by an event and replace them with control. For example, you may feel as though you are powerless. In this process a therapist will reprocess the terror that surrounds the Route 91 Trauma and will train the brain to believe that you have strength and control of what you are going through. It is an extensive therapy that will change how you view a situation and how your brain copes with the trauma of a mass shooting.

 

What is Brain Spotting Trauma Therapy?

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Brain Spotting is a form of diagnosis and treatment. Brain spotting is a relatively new treatment that was created in 2003. A therapist is able to identify points in your visual field that help you access some of your unprocessed trauma in your subcortical brain. The goal of brain spotting is to help you overcome and process the events that happened at the concert.

 

The direction that a person looks can say a lot about how they feel about something. When you are in a brain spotting session a therapist is going to help you position your eyes in a way where you can target the source of a negative emotion. You will be guided to a specific field of vision that will allow the therapist to understand your emotions on a deeper level and target the effects of your trauma. Trauma is something that is eventually stored in the body on a physical level, it is identified both physically and mentally in this therapy.

 

Positive ways of Dealing with Tragedy:

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• Confide in a friend, relative, or counselor that you trust.

• Avoid any extra-curricular drugs or alcohol.

• Spend time with people who are positive and add a sense of enrichment to your life.

• Learn about trauma and PTSD.

• Practice Relaxation techniques.

 

Always Get Help!

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If you are suffering from any of the symptoms listed above, it is critical that you seek treatment and a professional diagnosis as soon as possible. It is okay to feel frightened, anxious, and disconnected after going through a major tragedy. Your therapy will be very specific to you and how you feel about the tragedy you have been through.

 

When you start to work intensively with a therapist you will be more likely to release some of the negativity you are holding on too, creating a happier and more fulfilled life. Therapy will help you feel “normal” again, it teaches you coping skills and gives you a strong support system. The most important thing you should know is that it is okay to seek help and it is never too late to get help! You have the power to gain control of your life again.

 

Regaining control of your life can be one of the most empowering experiences you have after dealing with something as tragic as the Route 91 Shooting.

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Call Dr. Clare Albright, Psy.D. CA Psychologist License PSY11660 at (949) 454-0996 at http://DrCAlbright.com

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