On March 22, 2017, Travis Frain was on a trip to London with his university, visiting the Houses of Parliament, when he was involved in the Westminster Bridge terror attack.
Travis was hit by the car driven by Khalid Masood, whose actions killed four people. More than 50 people were injured that day. Travis sustained multiple fractures and required urgent hospital treatment, he has since made a full recovery.
At the Time to Talk Day on February 3, with the intention of starting a conversation about mental health, Travis shared his experience in hopes of encouraging others to start conversations about mental health and trauma:
“After the Westminster terror attack, it took me a while to fully understand what had happened and understand the full extent of what had been involved.
“I wanted to talk to someone, anyone, about what had happened and at least just vent, but I didn’t want to feel like I was weighing my family and friends down, or upsetting them if I had to share any gritty details.
“Navigating official services was difficult, and I finally found a way out by talking informally with other affected people, including survivors of the attack and others across the UK, but also people affected by other traumatic incidents.
“It was never difficult for me to talk about my experiences, although I recognize that this can differ a lot, but I struggled to find an outlet to do it: to find, I felt, someone who could listen and who had been properly trained to deal with. with the details you were sharing.
“It felt like I was dealing with the attack on my own and no one could sympathize with what I was experiencing, although the reality couldn’t be further from the truth. In the months and years after the attack, I began to meet more people affected by terrorist attacks past and present, and found great benefit in sharing my story.
“No need to overthink it, we would often get together for coffee or beers, and we certainly didn’t have an obligation to share, but it allowed us to build a network to support each other and know that we weren’t dealing with this alone.
“There should be no shame in talking about mental health, in talking about your feelings.
“One of the biggest changes in my own mindset came when I began to accept that my reaction, which deeply reflected what had happened, was a natural response, not something to worry about. It was the way my body responded to something so horrible.
“Not everyone will need a specific event to trigger conversations about mental health, today, sadly, almost everyone will know someone who has been affected by suicide.
“The Mind charity estimates that a quarter of people will experience a mental health problem each year. It is time that we start to act like it and reframe our discussion and understanding of such issues, in line with physical injuries.
“Days like this are so important to raise awareness of these issues, so why not use Time to Speak Day to go the extra mile and see how your friends and family are doing? This is my story, but anyone can be affected by depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress.
“I hope this message reaches police officers and other first responders as well. You have a great responsibility and expectations on your shoulders to stand up against terrorism and other violent crimes, but this is not a reason not to speak up. Your well-being is essential to all of us, because it means you can carry out your duties to the best of your ability.
“We can only take care of each other if we really talk about these issues; lead by example and show strength by acknowledging when things are not right and taking whatever steps are necessary to address it.”
In 2021, Travis launched the Resilience in Unity Project, which gives survivors of terrorism a platform to safely share their stories. Their testimonials are now used to educate and inform others around the world. If you are interested in participating visit resilienceinunity.com
