Psychological assistance after an accident

According to world statistics, the most common type of accidents are transport - about 80% of total number. The main problems and consequences of an accident are questions about the upcoming repairs, fair compensation for damage, legal assistance. However, few people think about the need for the help of a psychologist after the emotional experiences of an emergency. All people are different, for someone even a minor accident can result in serious psychological consequences and troubles, for example, the emergence of fear of being behind the wheel of a car.

In psychiatry, there is such a thing as the "Afghan syndrome", which tells about the state of people who survived and participated in the events of Afghanistan. Veterans afghan war they constantly experience fear, a pronounced feeling of suspicion, obsession, etc. The same thing happens with drivers who have survived an accident. Former members accidents constantly experience fear, sitting behind the wheel, fear that the events of an accident can be repeated. In medicine, this condition is called post-traumatic stress disorder. If you experience the above symptoms, do not try to let everything take its course. not received on time psychological help after an accident can result in serious consequences, up to family problems, irritability, aggressiveness.

How to restore the psychological state after a traffic accident?

So, never and under no circumstances should you blame yourself for what happened. No one is safe from an accident, and you did everything you could to prevent the onset of an unpleasant event. In addition, the state of fear and fright is a completely natural phenomenon, a protective reaction of the body to external pathogens. A person who once got into an accident will subsequently try not to repeat the emergency. For yourself, you need to learn what reasons led to the onset of the accident, what could be done to prevent an accident. The most important thing when there is a danger of a collision of vehicles is not to get confused, because in this state it is extremely difficult to react to the situation.

When criticism is not appropriate.

Very often, relatives, friends of a novice motorist who has been injured in an accident at the wheel begin to inspire him that it is too early for him to drive a car, but if we are talking about a woman, it’s better not to drive at all. This is a big mistake, because, in this way, a new driver, in addition to fear, also has a lot of complexes about his insolvency as a driver. In addition, especially emotional and sensitive natures can fall into a depressive state, especially for female drivers.

A constant reminder of the accident in a judgmental way will help provoke the next emergency on the road. In this regard, you should immediately talk with your loved ones, and ask them not to raise the topic of the events that happened anymore. According to psychologists, the earlier man will be able to drive again after the accident, the sooner he will be able to cope with his fears.

So, along with first aid, the victim should be provided with psychological assistance after an accident. It is not necessary to frantically look for a psychologist for this. It is enough to call our company "Legal Aid" and take advantage of qualified emergency assistance. Our specialist will arrive at the scene, assess the situation, circumstances. In addition, our auto lawyer has the skills of psychology, so he will provide the victim with psychological and moral support.

What is the psychological assistance after an accident? First of all, this is a procedure that includes a complex of effects on emotional condition person through the use of effective psychological methods. As a result of communication with the victim, there is a decrease in the emotional arousal of a person, a decrease in feelings about what happened, there is a clearer assessment of the situation in which he has fallen.

Why is psychological assistance after an accident so important and necessary?

The presence of a participant in an accident in a state of deep psychological stress can lead to the following:

• Expressed emotions, in the form of hysteria, stupor, uncontrollable anger, nervous trembling, aggressive behavior and other manifestations of a psychological disorder that require the immediate intervention of a psychologist;
• Falling into a panic state directly at the scene of the accident;
• Disorders of the general health of the victim in connection with the psychological trauma received at the time of the accident and after it.

The onset of these reactions of a person to the influence of external factors can be avoided if appropriate help and support is received in time. When contacting the company "Legal Aid", you will receive not only a wide range of legal services, but also high-quality and effective moral support!

According to the results of the study World Organization Health (WHO) about 1.3 million people die in road accidents worldwide every year. The organization estimates that by 2030, there will be up to 3.6 million deaths on the roads. The largest number casualties have been reported in Asia and Africa. Generally for developing countries Road traffic deaths are the fifth leading cause of death.

In Russia, about 27,000 people die in road accidents every year, and the total damage from road accidents reaches 2.5 of the country's GNP. At the same time, in Russia, since 2009, it is customary to consider people who died as a result of an accident if they died within 30 days from the moment of an accident (previously it was 7 days).

A road traffic accident (RTA) is an event that occurred during the movement of a vehicle and with its participation, which can lead to death or injury to people, damage to the vehicle (V) or other material damage.

The country has a road map in the field of road safety.

The risk factors contributing to the onset of an accident are:

• violation of the speed limit;
• alcohol intoxication;
• departure on a faulty vehicle (TC);
• neglect of seat belts and child seats;
• driver fatigue;
• poor quality road surface;
• difficult weather conditions;
• smoking, eating, talking on a mobile phone, loud music in the cabin, controlling the electronic devices of the vehicle while it is in motion;
• uncomfortable shoes (high heels);
• intentionally creating a situation of increased risk of collision.

In an accident, a person is in a stressful situation. This is due to the fact that an accident is an acute situation that threatens human life and health. The body is mentally traumatized. He usually responds to her with standard behavioral responses.

The first reaction. psychomotor agitation

This reaction is characterized by the appearance a large number quick, often unnecessary movements that are made without a specific goal. Tachycardia appears, blood pressure rises, the person's attention is disturbed, his speech takes on the character of a monologue, the pace of speech is fast.

The person involved in an accident feels thirsty and hungry. He also has a feeling of fear from what he has done or what has happened. A sense of self-preservation is included, which often makes a person leave the dangerous territory as quickly as possible, incl. escape from the scene of an accident.

Second reaction. Apathy

The variant of behavior in the second reaction is directly opposite to the behavior in the first reaction. The reaction is manifested by a sharp motor inhibition of a person; he is in the same position. There is no reaction to others. The person does not answer questions; when he starts talking, it is very slow and quiet. Breathing becomes rare and superficial (shallow), feelings of thirst and hunger are dulled. Inside a person there is a moral devastation.

It is impossible to cope with such reactions on your own, therefore qualified medical assistance is needed.

If a participant in an accident has one of these reactions, you should know a few simple rules that can ensure the safety of the victim and others:

• if possible, give the victim a sedative;
• be sure to call an ambulance at the scene of an accident;
• it is necessary, as far as possible, to distract the victim from concentrating on his own feelings with questions on extraneous topics, for example, questions about his tastes, hobbies, etc .;
• with extremely sharp behavior of the victim and inadequate actions on his part, you can fix him with the help of improvised means;
• after fixing the victim, it is necessary to monitor his heart rate and breathing;
• it is necessary to take away from a person all objects with which he can harm himself or others, or restrict a person's access to such objects;
• try to keep the victim in sight at all times.

Of course, the onset of the reactions described above is not at all necessary. Most people cope with the resulting mental trauma, and here we need to talk about how to behave after an accident.

Despite the fact that the body did not respond extremely to the received mental trauma in the form of defensive reactions described above, the stressful situation still has an impact.

We hope that these simple rules help you in a difficult situation.

1. Provide first aid to the injured, if necessary, take the injured to the nearest medical facility (if transportation is possible).
2. Call Services rapid response(Ministry of Emergency Situations) and "Ambulance" to the scene of an accident, if the consequences of an accident are serious.
3. Call the traffic police or emergency commissioners to draw up a protocol and diagram of an accident.
4. Never be indifferent to what is happening, do not trust other people, even if these people are traffic police officers.
5. Take an active part in all activities at the scene of the accident. If possible, make a photo-video fixation of the place of the accident, the consequences of the accident, the nature of the damage.
6. Carefully read the traffic accident protocol, make sure that important details are indicated there: time of day, lighting (if the accident occurred in dark time days), stopping distance, type of brake track, condition of the roadway at the accident site, weather conditions, visibility at the accident site.
7. Never sign blank sheets.
8. Do not go into conflict with an aggressive driver, do not argue with him. When such a driver tries to move objects related to an accident or move vehicle(even under a plausible pretext), conduct video recording, attract the attention of passers-by. Be prepared for the fact that such a driver will make a presentation during the preparation of the protocol, where he will distort the facts. Remain calm and remember that lies always come to the surface. Only specially trained people can competently lie and not be convicted of a lie.

Concerning internal state, then watch your breathing and heart rate (HR). Try to take your mind off the accident. Try to talk to passengers or contact relatives, friends by phone and talk to them about abstract topics. Try to focus your brain on something, such as thinking about what to do next after writing a protocol. Find something good in the current situation, such as the absence of casualties or injuries. Rest assured that everything will be fine. It must be remembered that stress must be overcome and its effect on the body minimized, and in no case should you panic. Be careful and remember the culture on the roads. Uncultured drivers are safer to yield than to try to prove something, much less teach something.

Road transport accounts for the lion's share of accidents - up to 80%, according to world statistics. Among drivers, it is customary to discuss the complexity of repairs, damages and legal aspects (who is to blame, how to behave in court) of an accident. And at the same time they forget about psychological trauma. But in vain. After all, even a minor accident can significantly affect the driver - after an accident, many people are terribly afraid not only to get behind the wheel, but even to drive as a passenger. In addition, such an injury can lead to problems in family life and work.

"Today" with the help of specialists from the Korda Profi counter-emergency training center and the center practical psychology"Imago" figured out how to survive stress with minimal losses.

SYNDROME FRONTIER

In the literature on psychiatry, the phrase "Afghan syndrome" is often used (for the first time it began to appear after a survey of veterans of the war in Afghanistan). It means a constant feeling of threat to life, fear of death, pain, excessive suspicion, obsessions. The medical name is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Despite the fact that the drivers involved in road accidents, in the vast majority of cases, have never been to war, very often they experience the syndromes characteristic of war. “A year has passed since the accident, and when I get behind the wheel, I feel the danger with my back and the back of my head, even when the road is empty. I really feel that I’m about to get into an accident again, ”driver Alexei M. from Kyiv shares his problem.

This kind of disorder, if you do not seek help from a psychologist, can lead to serious problems. So, psychotherapist Tatyana Nazarenko spoke about a patient who had gone so far as to be afraid to get into transport in general. At the same time, he became irritable and aggressive, which led to problems in the family. Another patient became overly superstitious and ruined relationships with loved ones - it seemed to him that he was jinxed by envious people.

“Often they try to treat stress with vodka or pills. Literally in a year of such “therapy”, addiction and health problems will add to PTSD,” the expert says.

Firstly, in no case should you reproach yourself for an accident for a long time - you acted according to the knowledge and skills that you had at that time. Secondly, you need to realize that fear is a natural reaction of the body, caused by the instinct of self-preservation. And if a person has already been in an accident, when the threat to his life and / or health (including mental) was palpable, then the body seems to be trying to prevent its recurrence. And the driver is faced with the task of persuading himself that in the event of a repeat of the emergency, you can get out of it. To do this, you need to scroll through it several times in your head (looking at the situation from the side as if watching a video), and then discuss it with an experienced driver or an instructor from one of the driver training centers. This will allow you to understand what car driving skills were not enough, study them in a closed area (where there is nothing to be afraid of) and work out to automatism - so that when a danger occurs, a conditioned reflex will work.

SHIELD FROM CRITICISM

Rookie drivers (especially women) who got into an accident very often, without realizing it, instill complexes - they say offensive words or demotivate with phrases like “I told you”, “it’s too early for you”, “not yours” and the like (in including using profanity). This kind of information processing, albeit with the best of intentions, can plunge a person into depression. In addition, it is dangerous if the driver still dares to drive, the spoken phrases can set you up for a new accident. Therefore, it is better to immediately agree with relatives and friends not to discuss this topic. And if one of your loved ones has been in an accident, give him maximum psychological support. Indeed, according to the experts we interviewed, the sooner a person starts driving again after an accident, the easier it is for him to get rid of the fear of having an accident again.

HOW TO BECOME AFTER A Crash: 5 Tips

1. Relax. Even if the accident is minor (small scratches), it is better not to plan trips on this day, but to take a break. Even with a minor accident, a person releases adrenaline and you need to give the body time to return to normal.

2. Mood. Whatever is done is for the better. Perhaps the guardian angel allowed you to get into a small accident so that you would not get into a major accident on the same day. In addition, experience is always comprehended by trial and error.

3. View from the side. Analyze the accident, but imagine that you are not driving, but someone else.

4. Help from specialists. If the stress does not go away on its own, only a psychologist will help. And additional knowledge and correct driving skills can be fixed only with the help of a professional instructor. An adviser-neighbor can only aggravate the situation.

5. Timing. A few days after the accident, it is advisable to get behind the wheel again. Let it even be an auto instructor. Otherwise, skills will quickly be lost, which will exacerbate fear.

(Traffic psychology, applied practices of psychological self-help after accidents)

Valery Egorov physician, psychologist, Your Doctor of Feelings, general practitioner, combining psychotherapeutic & eso-vision of problems with medical.

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Emergencies (PE): man-made disasters, floods, large and small accidents ... in our difficult time, alas, they have become a real, constant topic of news.

Therefore, interest in psychology extreme situations, accidents… in modern world is steadily growing, both among politicians, sociologists, philosophers, and among practical psychologists.

Road traffic accident (RTA) have long been at the top of the list of causes of death for young people in the world. According to the traffic police in Russia, 200,000 accidents occur annually, in which 27,000 people die and 250,000 are injured.

Interesting facts from Wikipedia:

• “In the US, despite the prevalence of firearms and the very low death rate in road accidents, the likelihood of dying in a car accident is twenty times higher than the chance of being shot.
• R. Nurgaliyev, General of the Army and Minister of the Interior of the Russian Federation, said on September 23, 2009 that “as practice shows, more than 80 percent of all accidents are the fault of the drivers themselves, as a result of which the “human factor” is considered as a key direction”

World Health Organization(WHO) having studied the situation with road accidents in the most different countries of the world, came to a statement of fact: injuries and deaths on the roads have already has become a global epidemic.

Accidents are frightening not only for their immediate destructive consequences, but also for the long-term effect that they have on the psychophysical state of the injured, his friends, both close and distant, his relatives ... and on the entire human society.

Traumatic psychological infection experiences is like special kind psychological flu, which is transmitted from person to person even without direct personal contact. The means of electronic, paper communication, all mass media are a favorable environment for this infection and the development of this psycho-epidemic.

Many car crash victims find it difficult to deal with their thoughts, feelings, moods and behaviors after a collision. And today, more than ever, the development of such a direction of psychological assistance as traffic psychology, or as it is called in the West " Trafficpsychology"

"Traffic psychology" aims to shed light on some of our natural tendencies of behavior during and after an accident. Affects the relationship of behavior in case of accidents, helps in getting rid of negative symptoms and scenarios after suffering psychological trauma during accidents, and this is diagnostics mental states a person experiencing or survived a psychotrauma in an accident, this is practical psychological correction, counseling and psychotherapy.

A little about the physiology of stress:

All living beings experience some form of physical and psychological stress. Stress is vital to our development and evolution. Stressful experiences for the body in the process of physical exercise give our body strength. By stressing consciousness in the process of training the mind, our brain becomes sharper in perception and intuitive constructive response ... And we become wiser, become psychologically and physically more stable. Normally, when we finish sports or mental exercise, the “normal stress” ends and we relax.

Then why is stress considered “harmful”?Not certainly in that way. Stress is harmful in those situations when the natural desire to curl up, close, run away, resist the aggressive action of the environment, causes transcendent states excitation or inhibition, it is these states that give rise to anxiety, fears, phobias, panic attacks.

For most, these symptoms are short-term. They may last for several days or even weeks, but their intensity gradually decreases and finally disappears completely. — This can be fully labeled as: "a normal reaction to abnormal events."

But if you have a post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) condition, then the painful symptoms do not decrease. Day by day…they build up: You may start to feel worse and worse every day.

What is the difference between Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and normal reaction for injury:

After a traumatic event, almost all of us experience some of the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. When a person’s feelings of security and trust are in a state of discord, it is, in general, even normal to feel a little crazy, disconnected, numb ... And we see nightmares, there is a seemingly unmotivated feeling of fear about familiar events and action. It is very difficult or even impossible for us to stop thinking about what happened. There is a fear of getting behind the wheel or even in a vehicle.

The normal reaction to trauma becomes PTSD, when you are in this above, "hung"

After any traumatic experience, our mind and body are in shock. How is PTSD different from a normal trauma experience? - Days go by, but the intensity of experiences does not decrease, experiences "hung" or increase.

Signs and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Although each person is an individual, we all have a lot in common in experiences: There are three main types of symptoms PTSD:

1. Re-experiencing a traumatic event
2. Obsessive thoughts about how to get rid of these experiences, how to forget everything that reminds you of the trauma
3. A state of increased anxiety, emotional arousal, or insensibility, in the style of Varvara-Krasa - a long braid: “what will, what is bondage ... it doesn’t matter”

What are the symptoms of PTSD after a car accident?

After any traumatic experience, a person may periodically experience nightmares, intrusive memories, a desire not to talk about the traumatic event, as well as a desire to avoid situations, places, people ... that remind of this traumatic event. In the event that the event that happened was directly life-threatening in a traffic accident, a person can avoid driving and any trips, even if he was just a passenger in a car, or was at the place where the accident occurred and he was shocked.

My name is Andrey, I am 20 years old, I got into a car accident with my friend. We were hit by a car driven by a woman, we were at a crosswalk, and it was not our fault. A friend was almost not injured, and I had a concussion, I was in neurosurgery for three weeks, but after the woman knocked us down, her car hit a pole and she died. I feel very bad, I can not drive, tell me, is this normal? My parents don’t understand why I can’t get behind the wheel, I can’t drive, although I’ve been able to do it since I was 16, they try to help me somehow, and this upsets me even more. How can I overcome my stupid fear and improve my life?

Good hour, Andrey! It may sound paradoxical, but your state of reaction to an accident is “normal”. And your fear is not stupid, today you have learned from your bitter living experience that life is rather fragile, and if before this case the danger of driving and walking on the road was some kind of abstraction for you, now you feel from your own experience how we, people are dependent on each other. This means that compliance with the rules of the road and the rules of residence is a guarantee of our common safety, both for those who drive and those who walk.

You have temporarily lost your natural ability to turn off the awareness of danger that a person must do whenever he travels in a car, train, plane ... because this is movement, and many other things we can't always control we just trust ourselves, our lives to a car, our ability to drive or a driver, a pilot, a train driver…

One more aspect: it is likely that you are also experiencing an irrational sense of guilt as a survivor in front of the relatives of that woman. Yes, she was to blame for the accident, but still you may feel some injustice from the fact that you and your friend survived, but she did not.

How to be, how to live, how to arrange? Step by step algorithm:

To access this important material- press the button and a block with an effective algorithm will open:

1. The first thing you need to do for yourself is give yourself time. If the incident happened a couple of weeks ago, then it’s worth giving yourself a temporary respite to recover and just tritely excommunicate yourself for two weeks from driving in general.

2. The next step is to start accustoming yourself to the driver's seat. Is your car parked or in a garage? And you just get behind the wheel and stay there for a while. Don't start the engine! At the same time, do not hold back your breath, but try to breathe in a meditative rhythm: inhale-exhale, feeling how the air passes into the nostrils and how cool it is ... while exhaling, feel that it is already warm. Stay with these feelings. It may be necessary to do this approach to the driver's seat several times before you feel comfortable.

3 . The third step is to start the engine. If panic appears and you want to run away from all this, then do not rush with the starter, perhaps today is not the day when the time to start the engine has come. But still, sit in the driver's seat and breathe again in a meditative rhythm, it will be nice and quite psychologically therapeutic to turn on your favorite melody and breathe to its sounds. As soon as the panic attacks stop bothering you, start the engine!

4. Time passes and today Your time to move. Do not rush to your favorite store or to the country yet. Limit yourself to moving up and down, back and forth ... on the road closest to the parking lot and familiar to you.

5. As soon as you feel that you have ceased to be uncomfortable behind the wheel, drive to a busier track.

Complete each stage slowly, without fuss and violence against yourself, without scolding yourself, your fear, without calling your fear stupid. In time everything will be great, with one IMPORTANT DIFFERENCE: You will be a much more alert and careful driver.

Unable to go through this experience on your own, and panic attacks in the car continue after two weeks of approaches? - Then see a psychologist dealing with psychological trauma and anxiety disorders. You will be provided with the necessary assistance and support in your condition, they will select individual program according to your immediate needs and condition.

The depth, duration, and severity of the experience In most cases, it is connected with the fact that we temporarily lose the opportunity to step into our tomorrow. The longer in time and debilitating intensity this period of experiences, the more difficult it will be to live after ... And, on the contrary, a person who has just experienced even a very strong shock, but who knows exactly what he will do next: tomorrow, the day after tomorrow ... - the easier it is deal with the problem. The reflection of the sunrise of even one ray of the sun of the future means your imminent release from painful experiences.

On the P.S. From my medical-themed lyrics:

intro: The poetic experience of the anesthesiologist-resuscitator, practical psychologist Valery Egorov on the topic of accidents:

Filthy, black Mercedes.

Tonight... night... my punishment...
Evil spirits of black forces broke through,
Fireball flying ... To the slaughter
The boy ... pleased him ...
Only fifteen years old child ...
One with mother ... love ...
But the Mercedes is already turning the gears,
Sitting "gaskets" in it: "We are flying ...
Let's go guys, let's have a beer...
- Catch the girls by the nipples ...
Oh, let's ride ... Beautiful ...
“It’s all….uh… cool, dudes…”

Broken country... Russia...
There are no laws in it, since the loot ...
We pull souls like rubber...
But is there something wrong with us?

Flying, flying ... filthy "Mercer",
But, "Mercedes" - it's just a steering wheel ...
Passed on the chest ... the aggressor,
And escaped into the night... 6...9...zero...
I again darn someone's grief ...
Needle under the heart ... life - you are blood ...
I'm in a quarrel with death for two hours,
But lost today ... again ...

Gloves are thrown under the feet ...
In the eyes of longing ... In the heart of pain ...
And in the corridor ... mom walks ...
- Oh my God…
Again…
fire…

But no ... away from weakness ... We need to get out ...
Help forgive...
Grieve...
She: “It’s still knocking here ...
It is warm… Woe…” the mother groans…

Now it's time to heal my soul...
If the body could not be sewn ...
Yes, it happened ... At night ... in the cold
IN COLD SPRING ... I couldn’t sleep ...
…
What can I say ... I would whine in the morning ...
Fall on the chest of your beloved ... But ...
And here I am cold ... Frozen ... fierce ...
Hail is knocking on my window...
I write ... I string lines,
A hungry wolf sits in the soul ...
Love is my lonely choice...
I'll go...sleep...
fell…
silent ... 2005 Sochi. © Valery Egorov. ____

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School of Feelings Dr. Valery Egorov is the Psychology of COMFORT, "Psychology on the Couch". What do you need for your communication with a psychologist? - a computer, a laptop ... a quiet place to think, and talk about important, exciting, disturbing you ...

Have a question? Ask!

© Your Doctor of Feelings Valery Egorov.

Intimate about the secret ...

Best regards, Doctor of Feelings Valery Egorov - your personal consultant on the most intimate, doctor of the highest category, psychologist, trainer, group leader.

Straightening of curvature of fate, characters, relationships, return of feelings. Help in solving sensory, bodily, emotional problems.
Psychological assistance, support, individual online programs, trainings. Our communication takes place by correspondence (e-mail) and / or Skype-chat.

Specialization:
Difficulties in relations between women and men.
Psychological correction of body weight (determination of the etiological factors of body problems (causal and pathogenetic approach) author's method of losing weight.
Self-doubt, self-esteem
The search for the meaning of life, the search for a partner and other searches
Friendship, love, relationship, dark sides love (jealousy, how to get rid of rivals, the experience of parting, help in returning feelings and lovers)
Psychosomatics, burnout syndrome, emotional fatigue.

Get back behind the wheel as soon as possible and replay the accident in your head like on a tape.

Road transport accounts for the lion's share of accidents - up to 80%, according to world statistics. Among drivers, it is customary to discuss the complexity of repairs, damages and legal aspects (who is to blame, how to behave in court). And at the same time they forget about psychological trauma. But in vain. After all, even a minor accident can significantly affect the driver - after that, many are terribly afraid not only to get behind the wheel, but even to drive as a passenger. In addition, such trauma can lead to problems in family life and work.

"Today" with the help of specialists from the "Korda Profi" counter-emergency training center and the "Imago" center for practical psychology, found out how to survive stress with minimal losses.

SYNDROME FRONTIER

In the literature on psychiatry, the phrase "Afghan syndrome" is often used (for the first time it began to appear after a survey of veterans of the war in Afghanistan). It means a constant feeling of threat to life, fear of death, pain, excessive suspicion, obsessions. The medical name is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Despite the fact that the drivers involved in road accidents, in the vast majority of cases, have never been to war, very often they experience the syndromes characteristic of war. “A year has passed since the accident, and when I get behind the wheel, I feel the danger with my back and the back of my head, even when the road is empty. I just feel that I’m about to get into an accident again,” driver Aleksey M. from Kyiv shares his problem .

This kind of disorder, if you do not seek help from a psychologist, can lead to serious problems. So, psychotherapist Tatyana Nazarenko spoke about a patient who had gone so far as to be afraid to get into transport in general. At the same time, he became irritable and aggressive, which led to problems in the family. Another patient became overly superstitious and spoiled relationships with loved ones - it seemed to him that he was jinxed by envious people.

“Often, they try to treat stress with vodka or pills. Literally in a year of such “therapy”, dependence and health problems will be added to PTRS,” the expert says.

Firstly, in no case should you reproach yourself for an accident for a long time - you acted according to the knowledge and skills that you had at that time. Secondly, you need to realize that fear is a natural reaction of the body, caused by the instinct of self-preservation. And if a person has already been in an accident, when the threat to his life and / or health (including mental) was palpable, then the body seems to be trying to prevent its recurrence. And the driver is faced with the task of persuading himself that in the event of a repeat of the emergency, you can get out of it. To do this, you need to scroll through it several times in your head (looking at the situation from the side as if watching a video), and then discuss it with an experienced driver or an instructor from one of the driver training centers. This will allow you to understand what driving skills were not enough, to study them in a closed area (where there is nothing to be afraid of) and work out to automatism - so that when a danger occurs, a conditioned reflex will work.

SHIELD FROM CRITICISM

Rookie drivers (especially women) who got into an accident are very often close, without realizing it, instill complexes - they say offensive words or demotivate with phrases like "I told you", "it's too early for you", "not yours" and the like (in including using profanity). This kind of information processing, albeit with the best of intentions, can plunge a person into depression. In addition, it is dangerous if the driver still dares to drive, the spoken phrases can set you up for a new accident. Therefore, it is better to immediately agree with relatives and friends not to discuss this topic. And if one of your loved ones has been in an accident, give him maximum psychological support. Indeed, according to the experts we interviewed, the sooner a person starts driving again after an accident, the easier it is for him to get rid of the fear of having an accident again.

HOW TO BECOME AFTER A Crash: 5 Tips

1. Relax. Even if the accident is minor (small scratches), it is better not to plan trips on this day, but to take a break. Even with a minor accident, a person releases adrenaline and you need to give the body time to return to normal.

2. Mood. Whatever is done is for the better. Perhaps the guardian angel allowed you to get into a small accident so that you would not get into a major accident on the same day. In addition, experience is always comprehended by trial and error.

3. View from the side. Analyze the accident, but imagine that you are not driving, but someone else.