Self-Guided Psychological First Aid and TILT by Emma Pattee
- Marisa Gelfand
- Apr 10
- 2 min read
Annie was 37 weeks pregnant, shopping alone at IKEA when the earthquake hit. In an instant, the world around her crumbled. Just the day before, her biggest concerns were work deadlines, arguments with her husband, and a quiet frustration about how her life had turned out. Now, all of that faded. Annie’s focus narrowed to a clear, urgent goal: survive this disaster and find her husband.
What followed felt like a superhuman mission. Annie walked miles through a shattered city with barely any water, navigating wreckage, looters, and unending fear. But there were also moments of hope and unexpected kindness from strangers.
The earthquake and its aftermath changed Annie. She learned and grew, but most remarkably, she survived an immense trauma.
Not everyone who goes through a traumatic event develops post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or other serious emotional struggles. That said, experiencing trauma can still shake us up in big ways. Psychological First Aid (PFA) can be incredibly helpful in the aftermath of trauma—it’s designed to ease immediate distress and support healthy coping and resilience.
Here are tools you can use to practice self-guided psychological first aid after experiencing trauma:
Seek Safety: Get to a place where you feel physically and emotionally safe. If you can't do that independently, contact friends, family, or local support services for help.
Prioritize Activities of Daily Life: Stick to a routine that feels as normal as possible. Focus on essentials: sleeping, eating, hygiene, and connecting with others. These seemingly small things can have a big impact on your feelings.
Stay Calm: When stress or anxiety feels overwhelming, try in-the-moment calming techniques like deep breathing, short meditation, stretching, or gentle movement like yoga.
Lean on Your Strengths: Consider the qualities, skills, or characteristics that helped you through tough times before and use them now. Honor what you are doing to move forward.
Seek Help Early: If thoughts or feelings related to the trauma start to interfere with your daily life, don’t wait. Talking to a therapist can help prevent symptoms from getting worse.
