The “Thousand Yard Look”: The Facial Expression of Trauma

Trauma expresses itself in many ways; also in the eyes. The “thousand yard look” has the face of that green-eyed Afghan girl who was featured in National Geographic in the 80’s. It also appears in all those soldiers who return from war and who witnessed atrocities that are difficult to narrate and accept.

This term was coined in 1944 by war correspondent Tom Lea, in Life magazine. The striking image of a World War II sailor appeared on the cover. Next to it, it read: “Marines Call It That 2,000 Yard Stare.” His expression was the perfect canvas for the anatomy of psychological pain. From internal wounds that are difficult to heal.

What is the “thousand-yard stare”?

The “Thousand Yard Look”thousand-yard stare) is a popular term to describe a clinical sign of people who experienced a stressful or adverse situation. It is the gestural or expressive manifestation of a deep psychological trauma or distressing event sustained over time. Curiously, the doctor Johannes Hofer reviewed this same characteristic in the 17th century.

When a person has been in the middle of combat for some time – a situation of sustained tension – they may end up in a state of insensitivity and anhedonia. He stops expressing emotions and his gaze becomes lost. The writer Joan Didion talked about this phenomenon in her book The year of magical thinkingwhere she recounted her experience after the sudden death of her husband, John Gregory Dunne.

People dealing with trauma, Didion said, recognize each other by their looks.. It’s like when you go to the ophthalmologist and they dilate your pupil. You walk like lost. It is, therefore, a nuance produced by a series of psychological processes that will be analyzed below.

The lost and expressionless look often hides the shadow of a psychological trauma.

How is the “thousand-meter gaze” manifested?

The “thousand-yard stare” can be the result of both post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and acute stress disorder. The latter is a normal and adaptive response of the body to a stressful situation, but when the symptoms persist for a prolonged period, affecting a person’s quality of life, it loses that adaptive nature and becomes a disorder.

They are conditions that produce an emotional impact that echoes for months or years. In these situations, what we can see in the person is the following:

Inability to express emotions. A disconnection from their environment appears. They respond by automatic mechanism, clinging to routines. There may be insomnia, erratic behavior, panic attacks, etc. The gaze remains suspended at a fixed point, in a formless nothingness. .The facial expression is as if frozen between sadness and fear, between despondency and astonishment.

What explains this phenomenon?

Post-traumatic stress manifests itself in multiple ways. Behind this condition there are complex psychological mechanisms, such as dissociation. So, the “thousand-meter gaze” would be mediated by that mental disconnection or dissociation, that many people carry out when the situation in which they are trapped is quite painful.

Work such as that carried out at Widener University, in the United States, highlights this phenomenon. Sometimes it is neglected how trauma mediates these situations in which the mind fragments to distance itself from pain. The result? The patient shows a certain perplexity, distance from reality, identity problems and memory failures, among other effects.

Who usually suffers from “thousand yard stare”?

Magazine American Journal of Epidemiology published in 2003 what was the most common mental condition among Gulf War veterans. Most of them suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and chronic fatigue syndrome. The “thousand-yard stare” is common among marines or soldiers who were on the front line of battle.

Dramatic and very violent events weaken mental health; especially if you are exposed to them for a long time. Furthermore, they tend to disconnect from their own bodily sensations and the environment; Therefore, it is common to see this type of empty look on the faces of these people, who seem lost in the most absolute nothingness.

In addition, witnesses and/or victims of war scenarios, natural disasters or experiences of great drama and dehumanization, such as attacks, demonstrate this characteristic.

Soldiers with trauma benefit from EMDR therapy.

How long does it last? Can the “thousand-meter stare” be treated?

The “thousand-yard stare” is a clinical feature of psychological trauma, or of an acute stress disorder. So, This manifestation could persist over time if not treated, leading the person to a poor and problematic quality of life. These are cases that require immediate psychological assistance.

Failure to do so would result in poorly functional individuals, incapable of carrying out tasks such as holding down a job, socializing or making decisions, for example. It is necessary for the person to integrate the experience suffered, addressing the dysfunctional emotions and thoughts that are generally experienced in these scenarios.

Treatment for people with post-traumatic stress

Those who express the thousand-yard stare They will always need an adequate psychological evaluation. It is pertinent to know the situation and requirements of each patient. In general terms, the approach is based on psychotropic drugs and psychological therapy.

Specific, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy) It is the one that brings together the most support within the scientific evidence collected in studies on the subject. It was created by psychologist Francine Shapiro in the 80s, in order to serve, precisely, war veterans.

To conclude, the reality of psychological traumas is a multifaceted phenomenon with extensive symptomatology. Having good professionals trained in this field will always make it easier for the person to, little by little, integrate what happened with a lesser burden of suffering and take back the reins of their life.

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