Deployment Toolkit
Traumatic Events
Exposure to traumatic or extreme events can be extremely demanding. Disasters such as Lockerbie, Potters Bar and Hillsborough and the military's experiences of conflict in WW II, the Falklands war, the Balkans and Northern Ireland have taught us that the body has to psychologically adjust to these tasks and scenes, just as the body has to physically adjust to overwork or injury. Not everybody experiences a noticeable reaction to traumatic events, but for those who do, they must understand that given the circumstances, the reaction is a NORMAL reaction to very abnormal events.
There is no 'hard and fast' rule on what type of events cause a reaction, any event that is perceived to be life threatening or overwhelming can cause a reaction. The most common events are, Road Traffic Accidents, assaults, witnessing severe injury, major fires and combat.
We in the Services have had to work hard to dispel the myths of the past when it comes to these reactions. No matter what your personal feelings or opinions may be on the subject, we as an organisation have to accept the fact that these reactions occur and we have a duty to look after our people.
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