LOOKING NOW AT THE AFTERMATH OF
THE WAUKESHA TRAGEDY, WHAT IS
KNOWN AS "COLLECTIVE TRAUMA"
DESCRIBES A SITUATION THAT
BREAKS NORMS AND EXPECTATIONS
THAT WE HAVE ABOUT AN INDIVIDUAL
OR SOCIETY.
A DRIVER PLOWING THROUGH CROWDS
IN A HOLIDAY PARADE CERTAINLY
FITS.
THERE IS TRAUMA BORN OF
CONFUSION AND UNCERTAINTY ABOUT
WHAT HAPPENED AND WHY.
OF COURSE, IT IS ACUTE FOR
PEOPLE WHO WERE INJURED THERE OR
LOST LOVED ONES, BUT ALSO FOR
WITNESSES AND THE IMMEDIATE
COMMUNITY.
WHAT ABOUT THE BROADER
COMMUNITY?
WE TURN TO SCOTT WEBB, THE
TRAUMA INFORMED CARE COORDINATOR
AT THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
SERVICES AND THE UW-MADISON
SCHOOL OF MEDICINE IS AND PUBLIC
HEALTH.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
>> I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY
TO TALK.
>> HOW DO WE MAKE SENSE OF WHAT
HAPPENED?
>> I DON'T REALLY THINK YOU CAN
MAKE SENSE.
THAT'S ONE OF THE HALLMARKS OF
COLLECTIVE TRAUMA IS THAT IT
HAPPENS TO A WIDE GROUPS OF
PEOPLE, COULD BE ENTIRE
SOCIETIES, ENTIRE COMMUNITY, AND
ONE OF THE BIGGEST FEATURES OF
IT IS THAT IT IS HARD TO MAKE
SENSE OF IT, AND SO I THINK THAT
IT IS NATURAL FOR US TO FEEL
LIKE, YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T WRAP
OUR BRAINS AROUND WHAT HAPPENED,
AND IT IS CONFUSING, AND IT
THROWS US INTO THIS EXTREME
STATE OF CONFUSION AND
UNCERTAINTY.
THAT'S PART OF THE REALITY OF
COLLECTIVE TRAUMA.
>> SO FOR PEOPLE WHO WERE AT THE
PARADE, EVEN AS WITNESSES, HOW
LIKELY IS IT THAT THEY ARE
TRAUMATIZED AND WILL EXPERIENCE
SYMPTOMS OF THAT?
>> I THINK IT IS VERY LIKELY
THAT MOST OF THE PEOPLE THAT
WERE THERE HAVE BEEN
TRAUMATIZED.
NOW, THE WAY THEY RESPOND TO IT
IS GOING TO BE VERY DIFFERENT,
DEPENDING ON A PERSON'S MAKEUP,
THEIR OWN EXPERIENCES, MAYBE
PAST TRAUMAS THAT GO BACK TO
THEIR CHILDHOOD, AND SO THERE'S
GOING TO BE A WIDE VARIETY OF
RESPONSES TO THE TRAUMATIC EVENT
AS HORRIFIC AS IT WAS.
I THINK THAT WE NEED TO
UNDERSTAND THAT THE HEALING FROM
TRAUMA TAKES PLACE WITH
RELATIONSHIP, AND THAT'S ONE OF
THE THINGS THAT WE HOPEFULLY CAN
GET TO TALKING ABOUT, THE
HEALING PART OF TRAUMA, HAPPENS
IN THE CONTEXT OF HEALTHY,
LOVING RELATIONSHIPS THAT WE
COME TOGETHER IN THIS PAIN.
>> I WAS JUST ABOUT TO ASK, FOR
THOSE WHO WERE INJURED,
THEMSELVES, OR LOST LOVED ONES,
HOW DO THEY HEAL?
>> I THINK A LOT OF THIS IS
GRIEF.
I THINK THAT WE'RE DEALING WITH
A GRIEF WHICH IS A VERY POWERFUL
EMOTIONAL REACTION TO LOSS.
THROUGH THE PANDEMIC, THERE'S
BEEN A LOT OF GRIEVING.
WE LOST LOVED ONES.
WE LOST WHAT USED TO BE BEFORE
THE PANDEMIC HAPPENED, AND THEN
NOW WITH THIS, PEOPLE WERE
COMING OUT OF THE PANDEMIC,
GATHERING FOR THIS FESTIVE
OCCASION, ENTERING INTO THE
HOLIDAY SEASON, THERE'S A LOT OF
HOPE AND EXPECTATION AND
EXCITEMENT AND THEN THIS
HORRIFIC THING HAPPENED, AND SO
THAT ADDS TO THE LAYERS OF
TRAUMA WE'VE EXPERIENCED WITH
THE PANDEMIC, AND SO THE WAY
PEOPLE HEAL FROM IT?
THEY HAVE TO GRIEVE.
WHAT I OFTEN TELL MY CLIENTS
WHEN I WAS A PSYCHOTHERAPIST
YEARS AGO WAS YOU HAVE TO FEEL
IT TO HEAL IT.
YOU HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THERE IS
A LOSS, A GRIEVING PROCESS THAT
WE HAVE TO GO THROUGH.
YOU DO THAT, HOPEFULLY, WITHIN
THE CONTEXT OF LOVING
RELATIONSHIPS BECAUSE, AGAIN,
THAT'S HOW YOU HEAL MOST FROM
MOST TYPES OF TRAUMA, ALL TYPES
OF TRAUMA, IS THROUGH HEALTHY,
LOVING RELATIONSHIPS.
I THINK THAT YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE
TO FIND PEOPLE THAT WILL CARE
FOR YOU AND LET YOU TALK ABOUT
WHAT YOU FEEL, WHAT YOU'RE GOING
THROUGH, AND THAT THEY ARE ABLE
TO KIND OF BEAR WITNESS TO THAT
AND BE THERE FOR YOU AND SUPPORT
EACH OTHER THAT WAY.
SO IT IS JUST ACKNOWLEDGING THAT
THE GRIEF IS REAL.
WE CAN'T -- WE OFTEN TRY TO
AVOID GRIEF AND TRY TO STAY AWAY
FROM IT, AND I THINK IT IS
IMPORTANT TO REALLY WALK THROUGH
THAT DOOR OF GRIEF AND REALLY
EXPERIENCE WHAT IT IS FEELING
LIKE, AND SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO
TAKE TIME OUT OF YOUR DAY, LIKE,
BETWEEN THIS TIME RIGHT HERE,
THIS PERIOD OF TIME, I'M GOING
HAVE THAT BE GRIEF TIME WHERE
I'M GOING TO FEEL THIS AND
EXPERIENCE ALL THE EMOTIONS OF
WHAT HAPPENED.
WHEN YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT AND
YOU ALLOW YOURSELF TO GRIEVE,
YOU MOVE THROUGH THE PROCESS A
LITTLE BIT QUICKER, BUT IT IS
DIFFERENT FOR EVERYBODY.
THE GRIEVING PROCESS, THERE'S NO
SET RECIPE.
FOR SOME PEOPLE, IT'S MONTHS.
FOR SOME PEOPLE, IT COULD BE
YEARS.
>> PRESUMABLY, WE ONLY HAVE A
HALF MINUTE LEFT, BUT PEOPLE ARE
STILL IN SHOCK, THOSE MOST
ACUTELY AFFECTED BY THE TRAUMA
OF THIS, AND THEN THEY WOULD BE
EXPECTED TO THEN MOVE THROUGH
THAT GRIEVING AND SO WHAT CAN
YOU SAY TO PEOPLE WHO ARE KIND
OF STILL IN THAT PLACE OF
IMMEDIATE SHOCK?
>> WELL, I THINK THE FIRST THING
IS IT'S OKAY NOT TO BE OKAY
RIGHT NOW.
WE'VE BEEN THROUGH A LOT IN THE
PAST TWO YEARS WITH THE
PANDEMIC, THE VIOLENCE IN
KENOSHA, WHAT HAPPENED IN
WAUKESHA SO GIVE YOURSELF GRACE
AND REACH OUT TO THOSE WHO LOVE
YOU AND BE THERE FOR SOMEBODY
ELSE AND JUST KNOW THAT HEALING
HAPPENS WITHIN THAT LOVING
RELATIONSHIP.
>> SCOTT WEBB, THANK YOU, THANK
YOU FOR JOINING US ON THIS.