MADISON, Wis. (WFRV) — Despite the physical brutality that the severe storms and EF3 tornado brought to the Fox Valley two weeks ago, one thing that’ll stay long after the roads are cleared and the buildings are repaired is the mental trauma that comes with seeing your community and home destroyed.
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Shilagh Mirgain, Ph.D., a UW Health Distinguished Psychologist, had some interesting insights into the psychological impacts of witnessing these tragedies up close, along with coping strategies that could help individuals take their first steps to a new normal.
“In the blink of an eye, what you knew for your life has been upended, and even if your personal home wasn’t impacted, you probably know businesses or friends or neighbors that have been impacted,” Dr. Mirgain explained.
“And I think the word trauma is really important. Often when something devastating like this happens in the blink of an eye, and your life has changed, you can feel a sense of shock and disbelief, and going through, psychologically, some of the signs and symptoms of what can happen when we’re faced with a traumatic event.”…