And although she has started to work through her feelings, she still wants to transfer to a different school, her mother said. Many of those responses are normal reactions to an abnormal situation, according to Lori Florin, executive director of the Victims Assistance Program. Victims often feel shock at first, including feeling numb or frozen. Some respond with fear or denial. The next phase, Florin said, is a flood of emotions, ups and downs, like a roller coaster.
Physical reactions can run the gamut.
Some people either sleep too little or sleep too much. For some, fatigue or lethargy sets in. For others, hyperactivity becomes the order of the day. Emotionally, victims can feel anger, rage, terror, guilt, confusion, depression and anxiety. And it doesn't matter if it's a child or an adult, the crisis response pattern, according to Florin, is the same.