Studies detail Secondary Trauma and PTSD in those who witnessed 9/11.

In an article from the Los Angeles Times, Melissa Healy writes about the Trauma and PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) in those who were not directly involved in the violence of that day. Rather 9/11 has shown that secondary trauma can develop in those who witness the after-effects of traumatic events. This type of trauma has also been seen in people who watched it on TV. How many of us were glued to the TV those following days? How many of us held on to the horror that we watched long after the images slipped into the past?

This type of trauma is prevalent amongst first responders, emergency medical personnel, rescuers, paramedics, firemen, and the police. Servicemen who have not been directly involved in combat frequently develop PTSD from what they have seen.

Like all traumas, this too can be resolved and healed. The problem is we rarely recognize that we are suffering from it. Recently on the East Coast, an earthquake had people terrified that another attack had occurred–a sign that they still suffer from the trauma of 9/11. Although this may not be full blown PTSD, it is still Trauma. And as such these effects are still felt in the body and affect us mentally, emotionally, and physically.

If you still suffer from the horrors of something you’ve seen, get help. You block the memories and think you have handled it, but you haven’t. They are still there.

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