Authored by Chris E. Stout, PsyD, the Director of the Department of Research at ATI Physical Therapy
Over a decade ago I wrote my first books on terrorism. Doing that actually started from working with trauma victims. Seems the traumas just kept getting bigger, and sadder, but always as horrific.
I had to stop working with children clinically once my first child was born. The transference as it were was too much for me. Similarly, it became harder and harder to “academically” study the psychology of terrorism without feeling it as well. After working with the World Economic Forum post-9/11 and the Club de Madrid by 2005 at the Madrid 11 meetings, I’d really had enough and I left that work behind.
Until Boston.
As a human being and a runner, I find myself so deeply saddened. But I have also seen resilience that gives me pause. Logging into my various social media outlets this morning, I found an outpouring of trending kindness, solace, and prayers. I saw that one thing that I could immediately do was “wear a race-shirt to work” so I did. Perhaps out of solidarity, but mostly out of wanting to show respect and counter the pall cast over something as good as a running event.
I fear that no one henceforth will ever look at a finish line in the same way.
The following are web resources for the public recommended by the American Psychological Association:
Coping with Disaster Resources
FEMA/Ready.gov
American Psychological Association
- Managing traumatic stress: Tips for recovering from disaster and other traumatic events
- Building Your Resilience
American Red Cross
Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration
Editors note: In addition to serving as ATI’s Director of Research, Chris E. Stout, PsyD, is a Clinical Professor at The University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine; and Associate Professor at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Stout is the editor of a series of books on “The Psychology of Terrorism” and an avid runner who has completed two marathons.