Dr. Drew says after trauma, don't isolate!

Dr. Drew was talking about the mass murder at the movie theater in Aurora Colorado making a very clear case about the dangers of isolating after an event like this.

Drew talked about faith in your higher power, talking to other people and not shutting yourself off.

Dr. Drew: 'Trauma changes our brains'
By Dr. Drew staff
updated 7:04 AM EDT, Tue July 24, 2012
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'If you isolate and sit with your fears … you increase your risk for psychiatric/psychological problems later,' Dr. Drew says

Aurora is bracing for another emotional week as families begin making funeral arrangements for the loves ones they lost in the horrific Colorado theater shooting.

On Monday night, HLN’s Dr. Drew dedicated his entire show to helping people understand how to overcome such distress.

“Trauma changes our brains,” he said. “It changes our brains permanently and that is why we have to have professional intervention. There's healing, but it’s about re-wiring and changing how the brain functions.”
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Isn't it great advice? That's what the civilian world does with traumatic events.

While we see hundreds of reporters show up after something like this, there is also an army of crisis responders rushing out to help. The goal, get people to talk about it so they can begin to heal. Have a conversation with someone that will not judge them so they can talk it out.

Traumatic events are not part of a "normal" life. People are not trained to cope with it especially when it is something like this. Something like this is not personal yet somehow they wonder if it is because of them. Well meaning "friends" will come out with something totally stupid like "God never gives us more than we can handle." as if God not only made them go to that movie, at that time, in that theater and then sent the gunman in to punish them or test them.

God didn't send the murder in. This was not personal. He opened fire on kids, teens, young adults and everyone else he thought may be easy to hit.

Mass murder is not personal. It wasn't personal on 9-11 anymore than it was in Colorado. That may be the hardest thing to overcome. The randomness of the suffering makes people feel very unsafe from that moment on. People will go to the movies and remember what happened just as millions of people around this country went to work in large buildings thinking about the planes that took down other buildings.

With help, the right kind of help, days of normal-ness will take the fear away.

Psychologist say that after trauma there is a 30 day window. If the aftereffects do not get weaker as time passes, then they need to get more help to overcome it. That does not mean that everything inside will "get over it" but just means the trauma won't win. If you need help go for it. Don't listen to anyone saying anything that makes you feel worse afterwards.