What kinds of events are considered traumatic?
Traumas are events in which a person has the feeling that he or she may die or be seriously injured or harmed, or events in which he or she witnesses such things happening to others. Traumatic events are of course common in the war zone, but they are common in the civilian world too, so that in addition to war zone experiences, many military personnel will have experienced one or more traumatic events in their civilian lives. When they are happening, traumas often create feelings of intense fear, helplessness, or horror. Often in the days and weeks that follow trauma, there are longer-lasting stress reactions that can be surprising, distressing, and difficult to understand. By understanding their traumatic stress reactions better, Iraq War veterans can become less fearful of them and better able to cope with them.
