4 | DECEMBER 22 • 2022 

guest column
Minimizing the 
Risk of Trauma
W

e all experience 
crisis in our 
lifetimes, whether 
that is something expected, 
such as death of a loved one 
who is much older than we 
are or something unexpected 
and tragic. In the 
midst of it, we 
feel overwhelmed 
and temporarily 
unable to cope. 
But, for many 
people, with time 
and support, the 
crisis resolves. 
For some though, that 
chaotic time of crisis is 
processed inside our brains 
and bodies as trauma, and that 
can disrupt our lives for much 
longer. While every trauma has 
a reaction to a very stressful 
crisis at its root, not every 
crisis has to be processed as a 
trauma. Why does this matter? 
And why is it so important 
now?
The dramatic increase in 
open antisemitism across 
the country and in our local 
community has many people 
on edge. The event that took 
place at Temple Beth El during 
its Early Childhood Education 
drop-off a few weeks ago sent 
shockwaves rippling through 
the community as it hit a little 
too close to home. While this 
is very disturbing on a societal 
level, for some, the impact 
is also concerning on an 
individual level.

WHEN AN EVENT IS 
PROCESSED AS TRAUMA
When we see, hear or learn 
about an event such as the 

incident at Temple Beth El that 
is deeply disturbing, shocking 
and totally outside our normal 
experience, we feel unsafe. And 
the danger can be reinforced 
each time we read about it 
on social media, causing us 
to feel overwhelmed and 
helpless, triggering our built-in 
physiologic response to stress. 
 This can impact us in a 
variety of ways ranging from 
disrupted sleep, anxiety, 
agitation, rapid, shallow 
breathing and a pounding 
heart to difficulty processing 
or remembering information, 
confusion, irritation, increased 
sadness or uncontrollable 
crying, to name just a few 
possible symptoms. 
While people’s reactions can 
vary tremendously, be assured 
that the stress response is a 
normal reaction to an abnormal 
event. We are biologically 
hardwired to respond to 
stressful events in this way in 
order to act swiftly to keep 
ourselves safe and out of harm’s 
way. In short, stress isn’t just 
an emotion we feel, but it’s 
something that lives in our 
bodies. 
The good news, though, is 
that for many people, these 
symptoms resolve on their 
own. But for some, symptoms 
can persist. These lingering 
signs of acute stress are not a 
sign of mental illness, but, if 
unaddressed, they can leave us 
more vulnerable to developing 
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder 
(PTSD). 
However, a single 
conversation with a trained 
crisis intervention first 

responder can help people 
return to their normal baseline 
functioning much sooner 
and reduce the likelihood of 
developing PTSD. Luckily, 
expert help is readily available 
in the community. 
Last year, the Jewish 
Federation of Metropolitan 
Detroit brought members of 
the Israeli Trauma Coalition 
(ITC) to train a group of Jewish 
Family Service staff to become 
crisis responders. 
The Israeli Trauma 
Coalition, created in 2002, is 
a collaboration between the 
Israeli government and several 
nongovernmental agencies 
sharing expertise in the field 
of trauma, trauma prevention 
and recovery. With over 20 
years of boots-on-the-ground 
practice in the region, the 
ITC, unfortunately, has a 
wealth of experience in crisis 
management and trauma 
intervention. Who better to 
prepare us to know how to 
help in the immediacy of an 
incident? The ITC returned 
again earlier this year to 
help JFS learn how to train 
others, both professionals and 
community members. 
The JFS Crisis Response 
Team has been intervening 
when requested for months 
and plans to begin rolling 
out the training to others in 
early 2023 in hopes that there 
will be enough trained crisis 
responders in the community at 

some point that no community 
member will experience a crisis 
without assistance available 
within 48 hours. 

HOW DOES IT WORK? 
For example, someone in the 
parking lot at Beth El at the 
time of the incident may have 
felt triggered and experienced 
a physiological stress response. 
This can happen to any person 
after such an experience, even 
with no history of mental 
health issues or prior trauma. 
 To help prevent any long-
term impact, a call could be 
made to JFS to request support 
from the Crisis Response Team. 
Ideally, this takes place in the 
first 48 hours following a crisis, 
although there is no limit 
to when a person can reach 
out for help. Interventions 
typically happen as a one-time 
appointment, last no more than 
an hour and often take place in 
a community setting. The crisis 
responder guides each person 
through a specific model 
designed to help them return 
to baseline functioning and 
provides resources for ongoing 
support if needed.

If you need support in the 
immediate aftermath of a crisis, 
please reach out to the JFS 
Crisis Response team at (248) 
592-2313. 

Lynn Breuer, LMSW, CDP, is Senior 

Director of Community Outreach and 

Wellness at Jewish Family Service. 

Temple Beth El
PURELY COMMENTARY

Lynn Breuer

