Emotionally, we may find ourselves in a state of crisis.
What counselors refer to as a "crisis" is in lay terms an experience which we would normally be able to process with a healthy reaction. Because of the perceptions of the individual--the resulting stress is too great and causes an inability to maintain our sense of balance.
Trying to function in our usual capacity becomes absolutely impossible.
Our perception of the stressful event may be that of a frightening threat or even a dibilitating loss. It is possible the we may perceive it as some insurmountable challenge. Fear and confusion may become constant companions. It is when we feel the most overwhelmed that the state of crisis begins.
When we are in crisis, we are not ill or weak, even though we may feel as if we are. What we are really experiencing is a struggle--a valid struggle with our current life situation.
Our present home environment as well as everything from our upbringing, to our education, to our relationships with others, to our chosen professions--colors the glasses we use to look at the world through. They create a filter, and every time something happens to us, our reaction to it is pre-determined by our past.
We need to be constantly aware of our feelings. We must develop an awareness of them so that we may be able to side step potential problems stemming from the resulting mood swings. This awareness is a step towards regaining control over our lives.
There are three primary stages of crisis. These stages parallels the grief process outlined by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross in On Death and Dying.
STAGE ONE: Crisis/Acute Stage Denial - "This can't be happening, it must be a dream." "I feel like an observer, watching and reliving someone else's experience."
STAGE TWO: Intermediate Stage (24 hours to 6 weeks) A series of different emotions intrude and fade with varying intensity: fear, anger, guilt, frustration, embarrassment. They are often accompanied by disruptions in eating/sleeping patterns and a change in lifestyle. Victims can fluctuate between feeling able to cope to feeling out of control.
STAGE THREE: Reintegration (one week to one year, or longer) Victims resume normal life. The intrusive memories lessen and the victims integrate the crime into their total life experiences.
While these are the primary stages of crisis, victims react differently. Many are amazingly resilient and can cope easily in the aftermath of a crime. In some cases, it takes longer for the bruises to heal than the emotional scars. Much depends on how the crime is perceived by the victim, family, friends and the community. Victims' reactions do not take place in an isolated environment, but are influenced by other circumstances.
