“The easiest way to define trauma is anything that disrupts the way you live, laugh, love or learn, thereby affecting your ability to work or go to school.”
ODESSA, Texas — All support counts in situations where a community is experiencing trauma. Sometimes those affected are so young that it is difficult to process the impact of what happened.
NewsWest 9 spoke with Chandra Coleman, coordinator of the Permian Basin Center for Family Resilience. She said it’s important to have open communication so people know they’re not alone.
“The easiest way to define trauma is anything that disrupts the way you live, laugh, love or learn,” Coleman said. “It affects your ability to work like you used to or to go to school and complete tasks. You feel isolated when you interact with people.”
Coleman said that trauma could lead to changes in behavior.
“We often see a loss of interest in things that a person used to enjoy doing,” Coleman said. “You also lose a sense of safety where that traumatic event happened. For example, if it happened in a school, it can be difficult for students to go back into an environment and feel safe where we work so hard to create an environment to create that safety.”
Coleman told NewsWest 9 that trauma can affect anyone, but for some it can be more difficult to speak up.
“Needing help is not a weakness, it’s bravery and courage to help,” Coleman said. “I don’t know anyone happy and healthy who hasn’t had help along the way. We all go through things that we can’t process on our own. That’s why we have people who can help us.”
Coleman emphasizes the importance of getting help when you feel you need it and that no one should feel alone.
“It’s okay to feel angry, it’s okay to feel confused, and all those feelings are okay,” Coleman said. “We just tell people you can’t stay there, you can have a bad day, but you can’t have a bad life as a result of not getting help.”
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