Counselor’s Corner Car Accidents and Nightmares

Question: I recently had a car accident. Since then, I have been afraid about driving and I have nightmares at night about the accident. What is going on?Answer: Car accidents are a traumatic event, but most people really minimize car accidents, especially if a person is not seriously injured. You have been traumatized by this accident, which means that an event happened to you that you were not expecting and your life was threatened. When someone is traumatized by an event, such as an accident, natural disaster, or violent crime, then the body goes into high alert. Within 1/100th of a second, one part of the brain alerts another part and the body begins to produce stress hormones – such as adrenal and cortisol. Your body is prepared for an emergency. Your heart races, you have tremendous energy in your arms and legs, your stomach stops digesting, and you are hyper-vigilant to your surroundings. You are on high alert to have the flight or freeze response that God gave us to respond to danger. Once the danger is over, then the brain alerts the body and the body stops producing the stress hormones and settles down.

Sometimes if the traumatic event is very overwhelming or continues for a long time, like people in New Orleans experienced with Katrina, then the body stays in the stress response. Although the stress response is good for short-term, it is not good for long-term. So, if you are experiencing stress, such as nightmares, fear, avoidance or obsessive thoughts, then that means that your body is still in high alert. You brain is producing stress hormones and your brain is trying to make sense of the event. It’s very normal for this to happen immediately following a traumatic event, but if it continues over a week after the event, then it is something to be concerned about.

Being on high alert may mean that you are having physical symptoms, like fatigue, nausea, headaches, and muscle tremors. You may have cognitive symptoms, such as confusion, difficulty making decisions, nightmares, and/ or flashbacks of the event. You may have emotional symptoms like anxiety, guilt, grief, denial, depression, irritability, and/ or panic. You may have behavioral symptoms, like desire to withdraw from others, change in activity, increase or decrease in appetite, and/or startle response. Finally, you may have spiritual symptoms, like anger at God, questioning if God cares or is in control, a withdrawal from church, and/or a loss of purpose.

Before talking to a professional, first try to do some things that really help you relax. Your body needs to come off of the high intensity response to the trauma. Drink water, avoid caffeine, exercise, and worship. Do things that purposely calm you. Find someone that listens well to share your story, which helps you make sense of everything that has happened. Ask God to show you what good could possibly come from this event, such as greater appreciation for your family and life or improvement in driving skills. If you continue to have these symptoms, consult with a medical doctor or a counselor.

Michele Louviere serves as Clinical Director of Celebration Hope Center, a ministry of Healing Hearts for Community Development (HHCD). You can connect with Michele and learn more about how HHCD is bringing help, hope and healing to New Orleans by visiting www.HealingHeartsNola.org.