Unresolved trauma, grief and loss caused by violence and crime are underlying causes of poor mental, physical, emotional, financial and spiritual health.

CVVC offers supportive counseling, survivor support groups, and individual and group therapy to help victims move from the darkness of violence toward the light of healing.

In addition to the most common reactions to trauma, CVVC is knowledgeable and sensitive to other ways trauma can impact individuals, families and communities of special populations. See the links below for more information.



Call CVVC's 24-Hour Helpline if you need help understanding your trauma reactions to an act of violence or crime.

Our staff can answer questions, connect you with CVVC services, respond to your emergency needs and provide referrals.

Your life may be forever changed by an act of crime or violence, but there really is hope that with time you can feel joy again.

Ask for help when you need it. And allow trusted loved ones, friends, and CVVC to help you on your road to healing.


Disclaimer: The material in this section is intended for education only and should not take the place of medical or psychological assistance.

A traumatic experience can affect your
ability to eat, sleep, feel safe and more.


When a traumatic experience occurs, a person's or community's sense of safety and well-being can be so damaged that normal ways of coping with things cannot be maintained, or don't seem to work. After a traumatic experience, victims may have problems that they did not have before the trauma. It is important to remember that unresolved trauma can live on to negatively affect the mental, physical, emotional, financial and spiritual health of individuals and their loved ones-even for years to come.


Someone experiencing trauma may:

  • not be familiar with how trauma can affect their life, and have trouble understanding what is happening to them

  • feel like they are "going crazy"

  • have upsetting memories such as images or thoughts about
    • the event
  • feel as if the trauma is happening again (flashbacks)

  • have bad dreams and nightmares

  • have a strong emotional reaction to something they see, hear, feel, smell, or taste that reminds them of the trauma

  • have anxiety, fear or feeling like they are in danger again

  • have angry or aggressive feelings, and feeling the need to defend oneself

  • have trouble controlling emotions

  • experience difficulty with concentration and memory

People can have physical reactions to a traumatic event such as:

  • difficulty breathing, chest pains, or blood pressure problems (immediately consult a physician if you experience these symptoms)
  • trouble falling or staying asleep
  • feeling nervous and constantly looking out for danger
  • being easily startled by loud noises
  • discomfort with people coming up behind them
  • feeling shaky and sweaty
  • a pounding heart

A traumatic experience is upsetting and can cause uncomfortable thoughts, feelings and sensations. People often cope with these feelings by:

  • avoiding people, places, and activities that remind them of the trauma (isolation)
  • having trouble remembering parts of what happened
  • shutting down emotionally or feeling numb
  • feeling disconnected from the world as they knew it
  • not feeling pain or other sensations
  • losing interest in the things they used to enjoy
  • staying really busy

It is not uncommon for a person who has been traumatized to experience any, or all of the mentioned behaviors. Because these behaviors only offer temporary relief, the person who has experienced a trauma may develop secondary symptoms such as:

  • depression due to losses connected with the trauma
  • despair and hopelessness out of fear that life will never be good again
  • disruption of belief systems including spiritual beliefs and the idea that the world is good and safe
  • difficulty trusting others
  • aggressive behavior towards self or others
  • self-blame, guilt and shame
  • loss of relationships, because others do not understand what they are going through

- Adapted from The National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Effects of Traumatic Experiences, National Center for PTSD Fact Sheet.