The NLP View: Coping With The Sandy Hook School Massacre

Yesterday, at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, a gunman murdered 20 children and 6 adults before taking his own life.  

The aftermath of these losses, also known as complicated mourning, affects millions of people and can have both short and long term impacts upon the individual, family and society.

Sudden loss causes an increase in existing physical, emotional and mental distress. It can also be the catalyst for newfound anxiety, stress, depression, intrinsic images addiction and lead to multiple forms of abuse.

The reactions to sudden, unexpected and/or violent death can include the following reactions: shock, shaking, elevated blood pressure, vomiting, grinding of teeth, numbness, hyper vigilance, obtrusive images, obtrusive thoughts, severe panic, nightmares, intense anger, overwhelming guilt, suspiciousness, anti-social acts, anxiety, depression, cognitive disconnect, disassociation, isolation and post-traumatic stress.

“There is nothing natural about sudden and unpredicted violent death,” said best-selling author and NLP expert, Donna Blinston.

In addition to dealing with the shock and pain of the loss are a myriad of other issues which question and maintain a state of disbelief. Many people will ask, how could this happen? Who or what caused it? Did I do or not do something to make this happen? Was his/her death preventable? Why us? Why did he do it?  Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) can be used to cope with emotional distress and suffering. There are techniques which are easy to learn that can help clear the mind and get some relief from the emotional turmoil experienced after a tragic, sudden event. Tune in to this segment of The NLP View Radio Show, as host, Donna Blinston and special guest co-host, June Stoyer discuss how people can cope with the aftermath of this and other unexpected tragedies.