Trauma Responses to the News

According to the National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH), about half of adults in the United States will experience a traumatic event in their lifetime, and 7% will experience post-traumatic stress disorder at some point in their lives (n.d.). In one national survey, 45% of women and 17% of men had experienced a form of contact sexual violence in their lifetimes (Leemis et al., 2025).

Based on the statistics, we all intersect with people who have experienced trauma, whether from sexual violence, domestic violence, trafficking, or other forms of harm.

Today, it is critically important for professionals and community members alike to learn and review how to integrate trauma-informed principles into conversations at work, at home, in our spiritual communities, and at school. Over the next few months, we will discuss multiple ways to do that. First, we will start with what it is like right now for trauma survivors and those who work with them to experience the news.

Impact of Trauma Exposure

Over the past several months, news stories about cases like the Epstein files, the Gisèle Pelicot case, and allegations against César Chávez have dominated the headlines. These and local reports of violence can feel overwhelming—especially for people with their own histories of trauma. Reading, seeing, and hearing how survivors are treated both during and after their abuse can be painful and triggering. To add to the pain from exposure, the news often shows examples of survivors’ photos and information being shared without consent, institutional silence, and victim blaming.

While the media can be well intentioned in its aim to inform the community, information shared can sometimes cause harm for individuals. For some survivors, these stories of abuse and exploitation can trigger flashbacks, obsessive information‑seeking, or a desire to avoid the news entirely. It can also lead to feelings of helplessness or rage. If you are a survivor of sexual violence or other abuse that mirrors any components of these cases, you may experience the trauma in the news as though your own traumatic experiences are occurring again. You may obsess over the details of these cases as a way to make sense of them or to propel you to some sort of specific action. You may actively avoid the news or social media and other places where these topics are abundant and can catch you off guard. These are common responses to information our bodies can interpret as a threat.

These stories can reopen memories of how people or systems failed you or those you care about. It highlights the harm caused by systems meant to help and can make justice feel out of reach. It’s important to notice when the news begins to affect your emotional or physical well‑being. If following these stories interferes with your relationships, daily functioning, work, or causing shutdown or distress, please reach out for support—whether from a therapist, trusted person, or school or workplace resources. There are also steps you can take to manage the impact of the news on your nervous system, like managing your notifications, how often you are online, and what sources you view.

A message to survivors:

If this is you, we want you to know that we see you. This is hard. But you are not alone. Our systems should be designed with survivors in mind and be focused on providing safety and support. We are here to work toward this together.

It is important that survivors are aware of organizations and resources available to support them. Across the United States, there are organizations doing great work to build community, create safety, fight for justice and accountability, prevent circumstances that contribute to harm, and promote survivor wellbeing. Finding and supporting these organizations is vital. So is taking care of our mental and physical health. We deserve to be well, and we need to continually attend to our own needs to make healing and sustained advocacy possible.

What can I do?

For those experiencing feelings of sadness or distress, the following strategies and recommendations may provide support.

Individually

Care for your body. Move, both in response to your body feeling signs of distress and as a preventative measure. Push against a wall. Drink some water or a warm drink. Take a walk outside, do an online yoga video, or punch a punching bag or pillow. Breathe in and out. Cry. Scream into a pillow or yell the words to a favorite song.

Set limits on your news intake: adjust your notifications on electronic devices, decide when you will and won’t look at the news and for how long, decide what sources are truthful and not sensationalistic.

Here are a few great breathing exercises and yoga poses that may be helpful.

Take time to process what you’re feeling. Talk to a therapist, trusted friend, or family member. Write in a journal or write a letter, whether you ever send it. If the things weighing on your heart and mind need to be put into words, give yourself a judgment-free opportunity to do so.
Reach out to others who may understand some of what you’re experiencing. This Psychology Today blog from a psychologist with lived experience of abuse is very helpful, as is this collective letter to survivors from the Survivor Justice Network and allies.

Seek services if you need them. findhelp.org is one option for looking for services based on filters you can set up.

Communally

Check on people you care about who may be impacted by the news in this moment. Ask how they’re doing.

Thank the helpers you interact with. The teacher who notices and reaches out when your child’s behavior seems different. The doctor or nurse who describes a procedure before doing it. The new acquaintance who asks if you’re a hugger before hugging. The therapist who reminds you that you get to decide what information you share. The yoga instructor who says your poses don’t need to be perfect. The partner, friend, or coworker who looks you in the eye and sees you in your entirety. Let them know you see their efforts and that it matters.

Connect with local community organizations doing good work in your area. Maybe you have capacity to volunteer, donate money or supplies, or share resources about them within your network. Maybe you ask about services they offer that may be useful to you.

Consider getting trained on how to identify and respond to human trafficking so that you can report it. Then, go deeper and learn ways you can meaningfully respond in your community with your expertise and connections through one of Justice U’s online training series.

Communicate with your elected representatives and tell them what you want to see. Find out who they are using one of these or other online sources:

Lastly, don’t give up.

You are worthy of love and care. Whether you have personally been impacted by human trafficking, sexual abuse, or other forms of abuse, or people you care about or work with are dealing with traumatic experiences, you deserve support.

Stay tuned for our next blog posts, where we will talk about important things to consider for having more trauma-informed conversations in general and then specifically how to talk with youth as a parent, caregiver, or trusted adult.

References

Leemis, R.W., Zhang Kudon, H., Zhu, S., Smith, S.G., Chen, J., Friar, N.W., & Basile, K.C. (2025). The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS): 2023/2024 Sexual Violence Data Brief. Atlanta, GA: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey: 2016/2017 Report on Stalking–Updated Release

NIMH. (n.d.). Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd