On January 12, 1888, an unexpected blizzard swept through Canada and areas now known as Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, claiming the lives of 235 people, most of them children, who died while trying to get home after being trapped at school, as temperatures dropped from above freezing to well below zero within just a few hours, accompanied by heavy snowfall and fierce winds.
اضافة اعلان
The storm was particularly devastating; it struck without warning during a day that began with a bright, warm morning sun, before temperatures plunged to 40 degrees Fahrenheit and continued falling until they reached -40 Fahrenheit, equivalent to -40 Celsius as well, at a time when adults were at work and children were at school.
As the storm intensified, some teachers kept the children in their classrooms until it passed, while others allowed the young ones to head home alone or accompanied, and it was here that tragedy struck: when a teacher tried to walk three of her students to her home just a few hundred feet from the school, unfortunately she and her students could not withstand the sudden storm, and all three children died in front of her, while the teacher lost her feet to frostbite.
The historic storm, later named "The Schoolhouse Blizzard," was one of the deadliest winter storms in the Upper Midwest, causing pain across the entire region, and forming a kind of collective trauma that scientists believe can shape special bonds between survivors.
Trauma and Collective Trauma
Trauma is largely tied to an individual's perception of an experience; what is traumatic for one person may not be so for another, says Shanti Farrington, co-author of "The Psychology of Trauma" and a lead academic at Bournemouth University in England.
Farrington said: "Trauma" is anything or any event that occurs in an unwanted or unexpected way for any individual. It is "a difficult, heavy experience that a person often struggles to cope with, leaving them feeling that what's happening to them has become beyond their control."
Collective trauma, meanwhile, is a psychological crisis that doesn't happen to just one person; it refers to a shared psychological and emotional reaction to a horrifying event that affects a large number of people or an entire community. Collective traumas can stem from natural disasters like the storm mentioned above, the 2011 tsunami in Japan, Hurricane Katrina, the Australian wildfires of 2020, as well as the 2023 Turkey-Syria earthquake.
They can also stem from school shooting incidents, such as the one that occurred early this year in Kahramanmaraş in southern Turkey. Collective traumas also occur after acts of violence (such as mass shootings or terrorist attacks), economic recessions, mechanical disasters (such as plane crashes), and the mass spread of an infectious disease (such as COVID-19).
These experiences, despite their differing causes, share one fundamental outcome: their ability to bring about deep change in individuals and communities. Collective trauma cannot be considered a purely historical event; these traumas often give rise to tragedies that can permanently affect or change people once they subside. After collective trauma, those affected typically begin to process what happened and understand their feelings about it retrospectively, since disasters can strike in the blink of an eye, like a hurricane or earthquake, leaving people without enough time to reflect on their feelings in the moment.
Shared feelings arising from collective trauma can also be beneficial; people may feel freer to express their feelings to others who went through the same ordeal.
Coping with Trauma
Allison Woodward, co-author of "The Psychology of Psychological Trauma," said: "There are many myths surrounding how people respond to trauma."
"People tend to hide their symptoms to avoid feeling vulnerable in front of others, as culture can play a large role, in terms of what is acceptable or unacceptable in the society or culture around us." So failing to work through trauma means that stress can manifest psychologically, through responses such as anxiety attacks, flashbacks, or nightmares.
Woodward said: "Research shows that the longer feelings are hidden, the longer it takes to manage them and recover from them, so it's harmful to encourage people to move past trauma without seeking the support needed to understand how to manage it."
Bonding with Others Through Shared Trauma
When a person doesn't hide their feelings about a painful event, they may find themselves feeling closer to others who went through the same ordeal.
People respond to traumatic events in different ways, and there's no single recommendation for when someone should seek help. However, a person may want to get help if they experience symptoms such as nightmares, flashbacks, or anxiety for more than a month. Specialized help may be necessary to help the brain recognize that the danger has passed, and that life can resume its course again.
Woodward affirms: "Any support is important for normalizing our response and validating it after trauma, and recognizing that the person is okay now, and that they have tools to calm and regulate their nervous system."
Many people believe there's no way to deal with trauma, and that it's enough to simply live with it for the rest of their life. However, there are many ways to approach healing from a painful experience, such as: mindfulness meditation exercises, a practice that helps people become less reactive to their environment, more in control of their emotions, and more able to enjoy their daily life.
Sleep
Most survivors of a tragedy experience sleep problems, so establishing a proper sleep routine is important in the aftermath of a traumatic experience, and it's recommended to follow a proper sleep routine of 7 to 8 hours a night.
Exercise
It has proven to be extremely helpful for post-traumatic stress, as it reduces symptoms of depression in people.
Gratitude
In the aftermath of tragedy, it may seem impossible for a trauma survivor to find things to be grateful for. However, there are always important things in a person's life worth being grateful for, such as family or a relationship.
Ultimately, surviving trauma doesn't mean a person forgets what happened, nor that they return to who they were before the experience. Some events leave a mark that doesn't easily disappear, but the presence of others can make carrying that mark less harsh. When a survivor finds someone who understands their fear and grief without asking them to hide it, healing becomes a more livable thing.
Resource: Al-Ghad.
