A disaster affects every person differently, but more often than not, it will impact the lives of its survivors, sometimes temporarily and at others more permanently. Because its occurrence is so vastly outside of a victim’s normal range of experience, a traumatic event often gives no warning or very little time for someone to prepare. This results in an individual’s usual coping mechanisms to be insufficient, which can lead to psychological destabilization or even intense physical and psychological suffering. Common psychological reactions to trauma or a critical event include denial, time distortion, auditory or visual distortions, panic, helplessness, and difficulty returning to daily routines. Trauma has also been known to cause psychological responses such as hyperventilation, nausea, insomnia, nightmares, or outbursts of anger.
