Witnessed a Tragic Event Today....Now I am having Flash Backs...They won't stop

Dear all,

I have read all your comments and I do thank you for all your support.
I have went to talk to a shrink today.. Pretty much summing up what I was feeling was the emotion I was feeling as a child when one family member and one good friend both took there own life. Its not so much what I witnessed now but what I saw younger that has brought out the worst. To sum it up I didn't really know him, he was older, he arrived about the same time I did and we were both outside smoking and talking bull# about the weather.

Well since the police released his info I will post the link. Not a whole lot of Info, I remember last time someone shot themselves at a gun range it was all over the news. Just shows how desensitized we have all become.

www.news-press.com...

reply to post by JValhalla


Sorry to hear about your Exp. That sounds like something that will stick with you for the rest of your life. However, the best thing I can say to you for the sake of your mind.
Try watching something positive on either TV or youtube, over and over again. Really get it stuck in your mind. And in hopes, that will over ride those connections in your brain.

Find something that makes you smile, and watch it atleast 20-30 times back to back.. and try to get it stuck in your head. Maybe try right before you go to sleep..

All the best..

A local gun range in my area had so many incidents of suicide from patrons who rented their firearms, they made it policy that in order to rent a gun you cannot be alone. You can use the range solo only if you bring your own firearm.


That is a horrible thing to witness. Suicide leaves so many unanswered questions. That can tear apart your insides just trying to figure it out. But i suppose in the end, no matter their reasons, it would never truly make sense to those who would never do such a thing or consider such a thing.

Some people choose things we simply don't understand. One of things in life, we cannot share their pain or burden and thus cannot really understand it.


I hope you can find peace and move on from this tragic event.

reply to post by H1ght3chHippie


I quick reply to your post. Guns do not put me in psychosis. I have been hunting and shooting from when I was six years old. Will I hang off going to the gun range for a while probably. I have respect for my weapon. Simply firing a gun does not make me crazy. As I have been home since 2007 I have shot no less the a few thousands rounds, none have made me crazy. I am pretty sure what put me into a psychosis was witnessing a suicide. It brought back repressed childhood memories of loss and unanswered questions.

I have seen a couple people bite the big one, and it has always left me in a similar state. When I was in high school I was attending a pool party and a kid named Jessie got in his truck floored out of the drive way in reverse and then floored it in drive. His truck flipped into the ditch and he was killed. They revived him a couple of times but he didn't make it. Even though the ambulance was there a hearse took him away. I have always heard his neck was broken, and if this is true then his buddy (name withheld) who drug him out and kept hugging on his lifeless body didnt help!

I also saw a wreck that killed a woman I knew. It was very gory and still seems very fresh in my mind. I forget the drivers name (Something Mitchell), but he was fresh out of the pen and they were out celebrating at the bar. On the way home they hit a parked semi trailer on the side of the road. The woman kissed the bumper of the trailer and was killed. My cousin and I happened upon the scene before the ambulance arrived.

I don't think just witnessing the death of a person whom you do not really know qualifies as PTSD worthy so I would do my best to shrug it off. To live is to die, friend! We are all going in one way or anouther.

A gun shot seems like a horrible way to go. I think I would have to go with the turkey bag and bottle of helium method that they say is painless. You really have to wonder why this guy waited until he was in a public place.

Take some solace in that his suffering is over now. If this guys existence was so bad that he would shoot himself he must have lived a very tortured life! Thank god he didnt take anyone else with him!

reply to post by JValhalla


You're in shock. This is a completely normal reaction to witnessing a traumatic event. You have to give your brain time to process and deal with what you saw. It's not going to happen easily, and it may even require some counseling. Just don't keep it inside, whatever you do. That's a recipe for disaster. So talk it through with someone you trust. If you feel like you're going to lose it, let someone know. But I cannot stress this enough, DO NOT KEEP IT INSIDE.

I went through something similar...and I really don't like to talk about it but, there are times when I have to because I feel it taking control and I know if it does, I will break....and I don't know if there is a way to come back from that. So I have to remind myself that it's okay if I need help. It's okay if I can't deal on my own. It doesn't make me weak, and it doesn't make you weak either. If anything, it takes strength to admit when we need help.

I am very sorry to hear that this has happened. I may be wrong, but I imagine that you are a very dependable and responsible man. You probably like to help others and are a leader. You probably also expect a lot from yourself and thus are comfortable with order and controlling things in your life, and this event has brought you face to face in a very real and deep manner that no matter what you do, there are times you can't help, you can't fix it, and yes, you are not ultimately in control of your life.

It might not be a bad thing to get some help from a trained crisis counselor. When I worked with the police we had several on call for emergencies. Often times, communications officers would need to talk with one of them after a particularly awful call which they were basically there to help, but in fact they were helpless in many respects.

If you are spiritual, I would suggest that you ground and center yourself, appreciate all thing things you have that are tangible and intangible in your life. I personally trust God with everything, and while I may get stressed, I ultimately hand it off because I can't force my will or make everything right. I can only do my best, and it sounds like you do your best. You may be dealing with a trust crisis in a deep level. I really am sorry you experienced this. You were not expecting it as one might in combat. This was out of the blue, and if it were me, I would be thankful nothing worse did happen, and pray for that man and his family.

I wish you well.

reply to post by JValhalla

People will do as people decide and having or not having a firearm would not have changed anything with that man's decision to commit suicide, he would have found other means and in this case, he made sure others were involved and impacted which just shows he had far less regard for you and others than you and others had for him.

Originally posted by JValhalla
I I have been to war, I have not ever had a flashback from this conflict. Never had any symptoms of PTSD. I just don't know.....

Because even in war there is order. You know why you are there, the enemy knows why they are there, and generally, you are both there willingly. And you know what some of the repercussions are and you are a little more prepared for them.

But for a guy to suddenly turn a gun on himself, doesn't make sense. There is no rhyme or reason in it, it seems wasteful.

That kind of unpredictability will do a number on someone. You didn't ask to be involved. You had no control over it.

No wonder you are skeezed out.

But get rid of the survivor's guilt. there was nothing you could do. That man had problems he couldn't handle, and he chose his way out, however grossly. It was also kind of unfair to do it in front of other people.

The equation for suicide is very simple: People commit suicide when their problems exceed their coping mechanisms. There was nothing you ro anyone could do to solve his problems.

Originally posted by XeroOne
Well, if it's any comfort, it sounds like there's no way you could have known what that bloke would do, and therefore there was nothing you could have done to prevent it. It wasn't your fault.

But... It comes with the territory. Don't play with guns if you can't handle getting shot at, or seeing another person shot.

edit on 14-10-2012 by XeroOne because: (no reason given)

edit on 14-10-2012 by XeroOne because: (no reason given)

You're an ass. This has nothing to do with your second paragraph. Seeing another person shot and hunting are two TOTALLY different things. Most people i know at gun ranges are there for sighting in their guns for hunting or just shooting for fun. Neither are in relation to seeing people shot.