Our local community was severely impacted by the terrible train crash last Friday September 12, where a Metrolink commuter train collided with a freight train. Twenty five people died, and at least 135 of the 222 people involved were injured, many severely. As a resident of Simi Valley, and because I know several people impacted by this accident, I want to share some knowledge of how people heal from severe trauma. I hope that it is helpful.
Everyone on the train, as well as the first responders and other rescue personnel, may find themselves experiencing symptoms of trauma in the days to come. This is entirely normal. Our brains need time to process traumatic events, and in doing so people may notice that they feel hypervigilant and anxious, avoidant of things that remind them of the event, somewhat dissociative or “spacey”, and that they have intrusive images or “flashbacks” of the event. All of this is normal, and should lessen over time.
Many survivors and responders will feel that the intrusive images are the most disturbing, and they may be especially so during sleep in the form of nightmares, and right before and after falling asleep. Again, this is how the brain processes traumatic events, and it is entirely normal. However, obviously flashbacks can feel very upsetting.
If you or your loved one feel very disturbed by severe flashbacks that aren’t getting better in the next few days or weeks, you may want to consider contacting a therapist trained in EMDR. This is a technique that can often reduce these symptoms very quickly, especially in situations that are one-time events.
You can find a list of local therapists who are trained in EMDR at the website for the EMDR Institute.
Our thoughts and prayers are with all of the victims, survivors, and their families, as well as with those who helped save so many more lives.