psychological trauma

[Mortblanc]

Psychological trauma, or having the $h!# scared out of you in layman's terms.

Reactions are usually based on past experiences and training.

In fact, training is considered the key to overcoming these meltdowns/lock ups/panic attacks in troops and trauma teams.

My unit once came under fire while I was asleep. I do not remember the initiation of the action because when my mind came on line and caught up with my body there were already two empty magazines on the ground at my firing position. We had done reaction drills until I could actually do them in my sleep in combat.

It is the same with injuries. When you see repeated trauma your discussion of the event afterwards changes. It is not "DID YOU SEE THAT!!!!", it turns into "Sucking chest wound, through and through shot, we got him 'evaced in time, he'll make it".

It is the reason drills go on and on and on in training until you think you will go mad from the repetition. It is that training that will kick in when the mind is numb or desensitized.