Complete Idiot's Guide to Conquering Fear and Anxiety

mansion, the sight of injured or dead children carries the same message: children are not safe in the world. His daycare could also be bombed. You could get madenough to dump him in the river. Or someone could sneak into his bed at night and kill him and you would be powerless to protect him. Fortunately, the effects ofthese "vicarious traumas" generally disappear over time.Page 312After the FallFollowing a shock, how do you recognize if your child is at risk for Post­Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), especially if she seems unfazed? First, don't be fooled byher apparent lack of concern. This could be a delayed reaction and later she could develop strong fears. Look for signs of preoccupation with the trauma returning andhyper­vigilance of any sign of impending danger­sudden terror upon hearing a loud noise in the house that could intimate a break­in, for instance. Being continually"prepared" is the traumatized child's way of feeling less helpless and powerless. Also notice if the child has new fears related specifically to the trauma, like panic uponhearing the ambulance siren which might take you back to the hospital. Or if your child becomes more fearful in general of things like the dark, noises, animals, deathand dying, enclosed spaces, people, and separating from you.Don't expect your child to necessarily talk directly or coherently about the trauma­few children under the age of 12 can express uncomfortable or painful feelings.Instead, look for signs of distress in the changes that may occur in your child's behavior.Too Young to UnderstandTraumatized children under the age of two are in some ways the most tragic. Although the child may be unable to tell of, make sense of, or later recall what happened,the memories remain forever stamped into his brain and body at a cellular level. A throat