How to identify and deal with emotional “shock”?

Losing a loved one, receiving bad news or suffering an accident, for example, are events with great emotional impact. Knowing how to handle them will prevent the development of possible traumas. Take note of how to do it.

A shock Emotional is a normal psychophysical response to an abnormal and traumatic experience. Many times existential situations occur in which, suddenly, a circumstance is communicated or experienced for which one is not prepared. The pain and confusion is so immense that the person becomes blocked and is unable to react.

Adverse events have a great impact on the brain and body. A high level of neurotransmitters is released, such as cortisol or adrenaline, the emotions are overwhelming and one does not think clearly. What is necessary in those moments is “psychological first aid”, that is, strategies to process the situation in a more accurate way.

Find out below other aspects about this phenomenon that is so recurrent and also difficult to assimilate.

Emotional shock is not a pathological experience, it is a normal reaction when trying to process something difficult to accept.

shock emotional: definition, symptoms and causes

A shock Emotional is a reaction of the body and mind to an unexpected and highly stressful circumstance. It should be noted that we are not facing any pathological experience as such. On the contrary, this response is the normal mechanism that the brain has when accepting something unexpected and that it cannot integrate immediately.

However, The way you handle this emotional shock will or will not guarantee that your mental health is protected in the long term.. In other words, if you do not process this experience adequately, you run the risk of developing a psychological disorder.

In this regard, a study from Pennsylvania State University emphasizes how emotional responses to stressful events would trigger future depression. Continue reading and discover more information about this topic.

Emotional shock manifests itself with a wide variety of physical and emotional symptoms.

How does it manifest?

He shock Emotional is, above all, a psychobiological event regulated by the central nervous system. Consequently, the first thing you feel is a physiological response driven by adrenaline and cortisol. The goal of this mechanism is to prepare for the fight, flight, or freeze response.

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The range of sensations, emotions and processes experienced is very wide. In addition, It is common for each person to express that emotional impact in a particular way.. It is common that, when several individuals are exposed to the same adverse event, each one reacts differently. On average, the following are the recurring responses:

Nausea. Headache. Muscle tension. Panic attacks. Chest pressure. Emotional numbness. Dyspnea or difficulty breathing. Tachycardia, dizziness, loss of consciousness. Brain fog or trouble thinking clearly. Violent or self-harming responses such as, for example, hitting each other.Immediate emotional relief: tears, screams, sobs.Blocking or freezing. Not knowing how to react, remaining paralyzed. Not accepting what happened and suffering from derealization (feeling that what surrounds you is not real). Experiencing a wide range of emotions of negative valence: fear, anger, sadness, despair.The emotional impact can occur with dissociation, that is, disconnecting from immediate reality.

The emotional impact manifests itself with a wide range of characteristics; in fact, two people can be exposed to the same painful and stressful experience and have very different emotional reactions.

What are the causes of shock emotional?

Anyone is vulnerable to going through an emotional shock at some point.. This explains the relevance of having this type of “psychoeducation”, with which to better understand certain reactions and even know how to act to help others. The triggers that generate this psychological reality are usually those listed below:

Losing a job. Suffering from an accident. Death of a loved one. Receiving a medical diagnosis. Witnessing a violent event. Witnessing a natural disaster. Being in a war or violent scenario. Suffering from an assault, robbery or aggression. sexual. Suffer an emotional breakup or infidelity.

Diagnosis and treatment of emotional shock

He shock emotional requires adequate psychological support, but not immediate clinical or therapeutic intervention; because it is an understandable reaction to a circumstance that the person does not know how to process.

Generally, little by little this experience settles after accepting what happened without requiring specialized treatments. But in the event that this experience persists over time and there are clear obstacles to regaining control of one’s life, psychological therapy will be necessary.

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How do you know if an intervention is required?

This kind of shock It is a process organized in a series of very clear stages listed below:

Impact phase. The adverse event has just happened and the person’s body and mind react in a very stressful and intense way.Intermediate phase. At this stage the person is assimilating the experience and goes through a few days in which they are torn between various emotions: fear, despair and sadness, for example.Acceptance phase. The fact continues to cause pain, but there is now clear acceptance and the will to move forward.

Clinical intervention would be necessary if the patient remained stuck in the impact phase or in that intermediate state, in which difficult emotions alter every part of your life.

What type of treatment are the most appropriate?

To accompany the person in the experience of shock in question and avoid the risk of it leading to post-traumatic stress disorder, psychological first aid (PAP) is appropriate. The University of Miami highlights in a work its suitability as early assistance in disaster situations or adverse events. The keys that orchestrate this immediate attention strategy are the following:

Reassure in a realistic way. Observe and listen to the person. Seek support for the person (acquaintances, family members). Offer clear, fair and understandable information. Establish a bond of closeness, empathy and protection. Provide them with what they need to make them feel comfortable and safe.

On the other hand, If psychological intervention is necessary, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and EMDR therapy are helpful.. These models allow the adverse event to be processed, favoring the reformulation of goals, values and new vital projects.

The most important thing for the person who has just suffered an emotional shock is to provide closeness, security and comfort. Little by little you will process the adverse event.

If the symptoms of emotional shock persist, it is advisable to seek psychological therapy.

shock emotional, shock traumatic and shock sentimental

Before finishing, it is pertinent to expand some information. Human beings can experience different types of psychological impacts or shocks. Life is not a scenario of plains and absolute ease where everyone has well-being guaranteed from the day they are born. Fatalities, unforeseen events and twists of fate can happen at any moment and shape various psychological realities.

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In this order of ideas, a shock emotional is not the same as a shock traumatic; The latter appears when the former is not well processed, the pain becomes chronic and a clinical-pathological picture appears. While in emotional shock the PAP is enough, in traumatic shock therapy is essential.

Similarly, in psychology we also often talk about shock sentimental, which defines that painful and complex experience experienced after an emotional breakup. In essence, human suffering has a varied anatomy, but they are still normal responses to facts that we must accept and integrate. That is the real challenge.