What Is Collective Trauma? Understanding Its Impact And Developing Coping Mechanisms

Trauma can be caused by any catastrophic, distressing, or terrible event, and traumatic events can impact an individual, a group, a community, a population, or the world. When a traumatic event affects a group of people, that trauma is referred to as collective trauma.

Definition of historical trauma (collective trauma) 

The term “collective trauma” refers to the psychological distress of a group due to a common traumatic experience or event. This catastrophic event could cause a significant change in how society functions, a change in widespread beliefs, or historical trauma.

In addition to its effects on the individual, collective trauma can have widespread impacts on a community and its neighbors, often resulting in collective memory, which comprises not only a reproduction of the events but ongoing reconstruction of the trauma in an attempt to make sense of it.”

Effects of a shared traumatic event

Collective trauma often has mental health consequences for anyone who is affected, both directly and indirectly. The intense grief, fear, and other emotions that can result from traumatic experiences can affect the way an individual lives the rest of their life or how an entire society functions going forward.

If you or someone you know is experiencing collective trauma, there are ways to process these emotions and move forward. First, exploring common causes of collective trauma, its impacts, and various coping mechanisms may be helpful.

Collective trauma sources: COVID-19 pandemic and other traumas

There may not be a definitive list of causes for collective trauma, as traumatic events can vary in theme. However, the following traumatic events may be most common. 

Pandemics and epidemics

Natural disasters

Natural disasters, such as hurricanes, tornados, tsunamis, earthquakes, and wildfires, can cause collective trauma due to their detrimental effects on a community. Injury and death, in addition to a loss of housing, historical landmarks, and other buildings, can result in widespread fear of another disaster and changes in how a community prepares for and reacts to potential events in the future.

For example, Hurricane Katrina had devastating impacts on the New Orleans community, resulting in homelessness, social isolation, and “seriously damaged or destroyed educational and health facilities in the city, leading to numerous school closures, destruction of medical records, and reductions in the number of hospital beds and health clinics.”

War-related traumas

A person actively involved in war or arriving home from war can experience intense fear and guilt in addition to emotional pain resulting from injury of self, injury of others, or death of others. An example is the collective memory and trauma still present in today’s society due to the Vietnam War. Communities experiencing foreign occupation can also experience trauma associated with fear and loss. War may also indirectly affect those not actively involved in the war.

Mass acts of violence

Terrorist attacks, mass shootings, hate crimes, and other mass acts of violence can lead to the collective trauma of those directly and indirectly involved in these events. These types of events can cause trauma from witnessing an act of violence, survivor’s guilt, or fear of experiencing or being the target of another violent event.

Historical tragedies, such as September 11, 2001, have also resulted in governmental change as well, such as the resulting changes to rules and regulations regarding air travel.

Bereavement trauma: Collective trauma after the death of a prominent figure

When a person has significant meaning to a group of people, their death can cause collective trauma. This person could be a political figure, a religious figure, or an activist, among others. Their death may have been the result of a targeted hate crime or a catastrophic event.

An example of this occurrence was the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., whose death resulted in collective trauma and fear for the African American community and those involved in the Civil Rights Movement.

Recessions and depressions

Collective trauma can also be caused by widespread economic distress, such as a recession or depression. For example, the fear of losing employment and loss of monetary funds during the Great Depression, which led to debt, food insecurity, homelessness, and major impacts on day-to-day life, affected the way communities managed and spent their money for decades.

Impacts of collective traumas on mental health

Although collective trauma can be the result of a tragedy occurring to a group of people, everyone may experience trauma differently. There is no exact timeline by which a person might experience symptoms after living through a traumatic event. Still, each individual may experience one or a combination of the following mental health conditions or experiences: 

• Psychological distress: Psychological trauma or distress can encapsulate stress, grief, and other emotions. 
• Panic attacks: Panic attacks or panic disorder can involve sudden bouts of intense fear and anxiety when there is no immediate danger or other cause.
• Sleep disruptions: Nightmares, insomnia, and restlessness can all occur due to stress and trauma.
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): PTSD is a mental illness that can incite stress and panic after a traumatic event, potentially resulting in nightmares, flashbacks, and intense anxiety.
• Dissociation: Disconnecting from one’s thoughts and feelings can be a defense mechanism to avoid reliving a traumatic event.
• Anxiety: General anxiety, whether they’re part of an anxiety disorder, can occur in the days, months, and years following a traumatic event.
• Depression: Intense sadness, social isolation, loss of interest, and other symptoms of depression can commonly occur after a traumatic experience.

Methods of building resilience following collective trauma

Traumatic experiences and the resulting collective trauma can have severe mental health implications. Still, there are ways to process these intense emotions, heal from the pain, and move forward healthily. If you or someone you know is living with collective trauma, the following coping mechanisms may be helpful in the grieving and healing process.

Take time to process your emotions after a traumatic event

It can be natural to grieve when you’ve experienced trauma. You might be grieving the loss of life, the effects on a community, or the lifelong impacts on your way of living. Giving yourself permission to feel your feelings and process your emotions can be a helpful first step in moving forward.

Foster resilience with self-care activities

Taking care of yourself in times of sadness and stress can positively affect your mental health and overall well-being. Self-care could look like reading a book, taking a warm bath, listening to music, taking a nap, exercising, spending time with friends and family, or practicing your hobbies.

Practice mindfulness

Mindfulness has proven to be an effective technique for reducing the effects of psychological trauma, anxiety, depression, and stress. Mindfulness exercises can include paying attention to your breathing, closely listening to your favorite song and noticing every instrument, or taking a walk and paying attention to the different sounds and smells of the outdoors.

Get involved

Taking action to help impacted communities may benefit your well-being after a traumatic event. For example, volunteering to help clean up the aftermath or financially supporting families who have lost their homes after a natural disaster may decrease your own anxiety and depression associated with the event. 

Seek support for mental health challenges

Talking about your experience with others who also witnessed the traumatic event may help you better understand your own feelings, and being there to support one another can be crucial in collective healing. Discussing your feelings with friends and family who were not impacted by the event can also be beneficial, as having a social support system has been proven crucial in healing from any mental health challenge. 

Addressing collective trauma with online therapy 

For some, therapy can be instrumental in processing and healing from trauma, including collective trauma. However, the mental health impacts of a traumatic event, such as anxiety, depression, panic attacks, and PTSD, can make it challenging for some to seek in-person treatment. In those cases, online therapy through a platform like BetterHelp may be helpful for processing emotions. 

Benefits of mental health care through online therapy

Through an online platform, you can get matched with a therapist with experience in trauma-informed care. In addition, you can choose a session time that fits your schedule and select between phone, video, and live chat sessions weekly, with accessible messaging to your therapist throughout the week. 

Efficacy of online therapy for the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic

Research suggests that online therapy can be an effective treatment method for trauma. A 2021 study looked at how internet-based cognitive-behavioral therapy affected those with psychological distress related to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the results, individually tailored I-CBT helped reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress relating to this collectively traumatic event.