Another mother said she has watched her child regress. It was like she was trying to return to the womb, her mother said. She would not baby-sit and did not want to go back to school. 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.