State of shock: what is it and why does it occur?

They give us bad news: someone we love has died unexpectedly. We remain pale, paralyzed, not knowing what to do and staring.

They call us by our name, but we don't react. We do all these things because we are in shock, and the impression of the news or event prevents us from processing the facts in a normal way. Our mind has been blocked, it is in a kind of limbo.

We are not talking about something infrequent: whether for this or other reasons we sometimes have reactions or blockages of great intensity due to situations that we cannot manage and that produce a great anxiety. Let's analyze next what it is, when it appears and what it means to go into a state of shock on a psychological level.

What is the state of shock?

The state of nervous shock is a intense emotional and physiological reaction to highly stressful and traumatic events that either just happened or we have known or processed at that time. These reactions can include anxiety, loss of consciousness, tunnel vision, dissociative symptoms, rage, anger, crying, nervous laughter, tremors, rapid heartbeat or even complete indifference and lack of reaction.

The most common is that Either there is affective dullness and loss of cognitive abilities or a hysterical reaction and / or aggressive before the fact.

Reaction to traumatic events: emotional shock

The state of shock It is an emotional shock that can occur for multiple reasons as long as they are very significant, both at the level of personal experience and observation or notification of an event.

Although occasionally it can appear in positive circumstances that cause us great emotion (unexpected hires, great achievements, fulfillment of vital objectives, winning the lottery, etc.), generally the state of shock appears before traumatic and aversive situations and events (For example, a death of a loved one, a death of a loved one, a rape, an accident, the loss of physical or mental faculties, a breakup or rejection of love or a dismissal).

It is important to note that the state of emotional shock it is a normal response, and not something pathological, which occurs transiently over a relatively short period of time (from minutes to several days). It is not something that has to do with an abnormal functioning of the body, since normally the state shock appears in very unusual situations in which involvement is justified emotional.

What makes us enter this state?

We have already said that the trigger for shock is a traumatic or very stressful event for us. But what conditions must this event have in itself for it to appear?

As a general rule, with regard to the event in question, it is considered that for a situation to generate the state of shock, it is must be perceived as extremely harmful and painful for the subject (Or the opposite if the shock is due to something positive). That is, there is a situation in which our entire nervous system is activated to respond to a complex situation in which the stakes are high and in which we should respond in a fast.

It also needs to be unexpected and that we do not have or believe we have decision-making power or control over it. Thus, we can consider that what causes the state of shock is the perception of the event rather than the event itself.

Thus, the perception of the event being what causes the psycho-emotional and physiological reaction of shock and taking into account that not everyone experiences this state in the same way in the same situations, it is undeniable that there must be internal variables of the person who experiences this phenomenon involved in the experience of the state of shock.

The configuration of neurotransmitters and neural structure, personality type and self-esteem, previous experiences lived and the value given to the type of event that is considered traumatic are examples of characteristics that will affect whether or not a state of emotional shock occurs, its intensity and the type of reaction to be trigger.

Shock and stress disorders

It is common to speak of going into shock in situations in which stress disorders appear. In fact, it could be considered that it would be a first step that can place us between experiencing a traumatic event and suffering or not suffering from a stress disorder, be it acute or post-traumatic.

This is because it is considered emotional shock or shock. a first, acute and impact phase, in the process of reacting to the traumatic event. In this situation, the trauma has not yet been processed, being the first reactions of disbelief and a direct reaction to knowing a certain event that we have not yet accepted.

This phase can last from a few minutes to a few days, being at this moment of initial shock the phase in which they usually appear the processes of denial of the event typical of mourning a loss. Subsequently, a second appears in which the continuation of the same previous symptoms appears, but this time the fact begins to be assimilated.

It is at this point that acute stress disorder could appear., in which the avoidance of similar situations or that reminiscent of the trauma would appear and a set of problems such as persistent re-experiencing of part of the event, hyperarousal or dissociative symptoms such as depersonalization. And if symptoms persist for more than three months, the diagnosis could be post-traumatic stress disorder.

Treating shock

Being in a state of shock in a very painful situation is normal. It is a process that is necessary to go through and that will usually end up remitting on its own as the person integrates the event into their reality.

However, depending on the intensity of the reaction (for example, anxiety attacks may appear) or the absence of it support and psychological counseling can help to manage the situation in the first moments. If the reaction is very intense, relaxation and breathing techniques can be applied or a tranquilizer can even be administered. In this sense, the possibility of providing Psychological First Aid is very positive.

Taking into account that sometimes the shock comes from the notification of something unexpected, it is necessary to take into account how you communicate and the type of person to whom you communicate, requiring a different approach depending on the individual. For example, the emotional reaction can be softened if bad news is delivered in a calm or close way, while that delaying or precipitating it excessively can prolong the anguish and cause anticipatory anxiety prior to its own shock. Empathy is crucial in these cases.

Later can be worked to prevent the onset of acute or post-traumatic stress disorders, and in the event that these disorders appear, we would go on to work on them and treat them appropriately (Exposure techniques, cognitive restructuring and relaxation techniques being some of the most effective).

Bibliographic references:

• American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Fifth edition. DSM-V. Masson, Barcelona.