V. Defensive Use of Firearms

B. Reviews of Literature and Other Relevant Information

5. Post-Violent Event Trauma - Video Review

Post-Violent Event Trauma, by Massad Ayoob, 67 minutes, 1991, Lethal Force Institute, $49.95

Be that as it may, Ayoob says that PVET was first quantified and systematically studied by Dr. Walter Gorsky, with Police Psychological Services in San Francisco. Per Gorsky, PVET is not post-traumatic stress disorder -- which has been greatly abused by the media -- which stems from prolonged exposure to hellish circumstances. Post-shooting trauma is, on the contrary, a reaction to a single cataclysmic event. In Ayoob's view, post-shooting trauma is not tantamount to feeling guilty for what one has done. Rather, in today's society, one will likely be put through a firestorm of criticism and character assassination in the wake of even the most justifiable of self-defense shootings. He describes PST/PVET as the reaction to society's reaction. He is also of the opinion that the more one knows about PST/PVET, the less one will be hurt by it.

One common response is what he calls "survival euphoria." After the shooting, the beer tastes colder, the bed feels warmer, and the jokes seem funnier. He notes that it causes problems for some; they feel so good after having killed someone, and they start to wonder if they're some kind of monster. Ayoob states that their euphoria comes not from killing, but from surviving.

Ayoob is convinced that guilt is not the operative dynamic in most PST cases (aside from mistaken identity shootings and their like). He states again that it is a reaction to society's reaction. He points out that, if you ever have to kill someone in self-defense, the next day's papers will probably not say "good guys 1, criminals 0" but rather something like "homeowner held in shooting." Lots of people may tell you -- and your spouse, and your children -- that you're a murderer. If society treats you like a criminal, don't be surprised if you start to wonder if you are one.

If one ever has to kill in self-defense, Ayoob says that among the first things one should do are:

• take the children out of school for a few days;
• change your telephone number;
• hire a good criminal attorney (can cost as much as $50,000);
• hire a good civil attorney (can cost another $50,000).

He also states that PST/PVET is common these days, and that the more one knows about it in advance, the less likely one is too suffer from it unduly (inoculation effect). As an aside, Ayoob states that virtually every LFI graduate who later had a shooting tells him that the PVET/PST lecture was one of the most valuable in their LFI classes.

1. Insomnia/Sleep Disturbance -- virtually 100% (physiological: caused by post-adrenaline dump). Nightmares, reliving the event, dreams of "clickers," dreams about revenge being exacted upon one's children.
2. "Mark of Cain" Syndrome -- the perception that people look at you differently; no longer seen as a good father, good whatever, but as a killer. Comes from a society obsessed with violence (average American has seen 18,000+ killings on TV by age 21; "gee, here's someone who really did that."). Ayoob is of the opinion that this aspect of PVET/PST is a confirmation of what we all know: the world is full of lightweights and fair-weather friends. Trouble is when you find out who your friends are. (As an aside, Ayoob points to the work of Helen Kubler-Ross, which shows that, among survivors of lethal threat encounters, roughly 1/3 are shattered by the event -- those who lost a child or spouse in the attack, for example -- while another 1/3 emerge much as they were. For the last 1/3, it becomes a character-building event.)
3. Period of Depression or Malaise -- don't enjoy the things you used to enjoy. Working with other PST cases can be good therapy for this.
4. Appetite Disturbance -- "Somebody just tried to kill me, and you want me to eat a taco???". Excessive eating is sometimes seen as well.
5. If You Drink, You Drink More; If You Don't Drink, You Start -- Same goes for smoking. Net-net: when you're hurt, don't be surprised if you find yourself reaching for a crutch.
6. Social Withdrawal/Social Ostracism -- Can be a reaction to neighbors, lightweight friends, and coworkers saying "our children don't play with the children of murderers." The other side of this can be "Somebody just tried to kill me, and you want me play golf???". Peer group support can be a big help here.
7. Impotence/Sexual Dysfunction -- Effects roughly 30% of righteous shooters; particularly hard on men, and on deeply religious people (seen as divine punishment). Can be as simple as "Somebody just tried to kill me, and you want me to think about sex???" Can come from the "down" that comes on the heels of the adrenaline dump. Ayoob observes that this symptom is more likely to occur with people who perceive that they "lost" the encounter.
8. Promiscuity -- Particularly common with the young cop who married his or her childhood sweetheart, and was a virgin until marriage. "I almost got killed. Have I really lived???" Ayoob observes that this symptom more than most requires outstanding spousal support.
9. Pharmacological Cascade -- this one is new since the 1970s. It can stem from an excess of good will on the part of others. The police department pays for your visits to a counselor, who prescribes mood elevators. Too may friends take you out for too many beers to help you over the rough spots. Your wife/husband gets you a prescription for sleeping pills (see #1, above). Then they all start interoperating...
10. Aggression Syndrome -- As with #7, more apt to occur with people who feel they "lost" the encounter, and feel they have something to prove.
11. Avoidance Syndrome -- Flip side of #10 ... "this was the worst thing that's ever happened to me; I will not let it happen again."
12. Flashbacks -- Extremely common; reliving the event.

• Police: they have a built-in, supportive peer group. Ayoob advises armed citizens to join local shooting clubs and the NRA, so as to develop peer group contacts likely to be supportive in the event of a shooting.
• Women: society is less apt to crucify them than it is a man -- he "should have been able" to handle the situation without resorting to lethal force.
• Religious persons: when things go wrong, persons strong in their religious faith tend to do much better than atheists or agnostics. Maybe it's a question of a supportive peer group, maybe it has to do with one's sense of self, maybe it has to do with other factors that allow a person to be at peace with the ultimate Judge...

Bill Jordan said, "there are no second place winners." Ayoob goes farther: "there are no first place winners, only survivors." No one wins a civilian shootout; if you're lucky, you survive it.

Post shooting trauma cases show many of the same symptoms as persons who go through rapes, carjackings, violent muggings, etc. However, victims suffer more than victors. Talk to a 70-year-old mugging victim about avoidance syndrome. Talk to a rape victim about sexual dysfunction. Pain (such as post shooting trauma) is transitory. Defeat lasts a long time.