Trauma

The Isle of Man Government is committed to ensuring the provision of a safe environment for all its employees and undertakes to support the effective anticipation of trauma and its aftermath. Any occurrence which causes emotional shock to one or more individuals can be classed as being traumatic. It is important that this is recognised at an early stage so that help and support can be given by managers and colleagues and sought by all involved from appropriate sources as required.

The Supporting Staff Through Trauma Policy provides information relating to trauma and guidance to assist all employees. The policy also contains details of support systems that can be accessed.

The following information offers helpful advice to those who are experiencing or know of someone experiencing trauma. Further information can be found in the Response to Trauma leaflet prepared by the Isle of Man Government Staff Welfare team.

Response to Trauma

Some Do's

do take time out for yourself – you may sometimes want to be alone, or be with close family and friends
do try to keep life as normal as possible
do express your needs clearly and honestly to family, friends and officials
do be careful at home or when driving, accidents are more common after severe stress

And Don'ts

don't bottle up your emotions – express your feelings
don't avoid talking about what happened – take opportunities to discuss the experience
don't expect memories to go away – the thoughts and feelings may stay with you for a long time
don't shut out those you love including your children – let them talk to you and share experiences with children through games, drawing and stories
don't neglect sleep, rest and exercise – keeping fit aids recovery
don't isolate yourself – try to remain part of a group
don't take on too much, being active can take your mind off what has happened – you need time to come to terms with it
don't make major life changes – your judgement may not be at its best – take advice from the people you trust

You may find that coming to terms with what has happened is a slow process. It may seem like a dream. Crying can be helpful and therapeutic. People may mistakenly think that you are being 'strong' or that you 'don't care'. Numbness can initially be the body's way of protecting you, allowing the distress of the incident to be processed slowly and gradually.

Some Common Reactions

The impact of an event can leave people feeling confused, distressed, disbelieving and fearful. Although some reactions may be alarming they are entirely normal responses to severe stress and shock.

It is not unusual to experience one or more of the following in the first few weeks following trauma:

hypervigilance - feeling agitated and constantly on the lookout for danger
sleep disturbance, bad dreams, tiredness
intrusive memories - feeling as if the trauma is happening again
feeling frightened, tearful, angry or anxious
feeling guilt, sadness, disappointment or regret
feeling numb or detached
avoiding thoughts and memories associated with the event
avoiding activities or situations associated with the event

Physical reactions may also include:

shaking, trembling, sweating
having difficulties in breathing, heart pounding, dizziness
disturbance of menstrual cycle or loss of interest in sex
tension and muscle aches and pains, stomach problems such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea

Relationships

You may tend to distance yourself from those you are close with. You may feel that they cannot understand what you have been through and not want to talk. By sharing your thoughts and feelings you allow your family and friends to support and comfort you.

What can help

Reactions are likely to decrease over the first few weeks for most people.

talk to someone you trust. It will help to make you feel less isolated and more understood – it may lead to help being offered
set realistic goals – allowing time to come to terms with what has happened is important
in addition to deliberately thinking about the event, the natural tendency to dream about it may help to deal with it
confronting reality – going over what has happened, talking about the event, Possibly returning to the scene if this is possible – attending funerals may help you to come to terms with it
the emotional and physical support of those around you and the sharing with others who have experienced the same or similar event can be beneficial
try not to increase your use of alcohol or recreational drugs
maintain a balanced diet and cut down on caffeine
do something to help you relax and unwind – listen to music, go for long walks, whatever works best for you

When to seek Professional help

Experience shows that reactions to traumatic events usually fade as time passes. However, if you are finding it difficult to cope, or if your symptoms persist for longer than 6-8 weeks help is available. It is important to remember that if you have suffered a personal loss as a result of the incident, your recovery may take considerably longer than months.

For UK residents contact: Your local healthcare NHS Trust or your General Practitioner (GP)
For Residents of the Isle of Man contact: Your own GP
All Government employees including Home Affairs and Emergency services staff Telephone Staff Welfare Service on +44 1624 687027

All calls to Staff Welfare are confidential.