He further reported that his father was currently critically ill. In taking a trauma history it became clear that the recent loss and father's illness had provoked contact with a trauma he suffered at 6 years old when his mother suddenly died. Signs of shock beyond the physical ones described above included memory block of his mother, although he could remember other events before he was six, and dissociation from emotions tied to the mother's death. I then went on to help him develop body awareness and some ability to contain his reactions. These were first steps to a longer shock-therapy process.
Dissociation is the first line of human defense in shock.
These splits are major signs of shock. The first step in treating shock is to identify it. Identification can spare the client further trauma. Clients aren't likely to name their most crucial traumas, even if remembered, if not directly asked. And watch how the client responds to the questions and answers them.