may question your own sanity. Because there is no way to prepare for this type of loss, many people find traumatic grief to be uncharted ter- ritory, which can be very unsettling.
Worry About the Violent Nature of the Crash
You may be worried about what happened to your loved one during and after the crash. Your loved one’s death was violent. His or her body may have been seriously injured. You may be concerned your loved one suffered extreme pain or felt alone as they died. This is a common fear loved ones have and can be harder on the loved one than the person killed. It may bring you some solace to know that many people who have recovered from a traumatic event don’t remember the point of impact. In fact, most say that it was some time before they felt pain, even if they drifted in and out of consciousness. Researchers call this response stress-induced analgesia. The body releases hormones which block pain pathways to prevent people from feeling pain.
2
Made with FlippingBook. PDF to flipbook with ease