When Tragedy Hits Close to Home

When Tragedy Hits Close to Home: Healing After the Evergreen High School Shooting

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The recent Evergreen High School shooting has left our community shaken. Whether you were directly impacted or felt the ripple effects through loved ones, students, teachers, or your own memories — this kind of event hits something deep in the nervous system. Tragedies like these break our sense of safety. They disrupt our ability to focus, to relax, to sleep, or to feel grounded. Even if you weren’t physically present, vicarious trauma — the emotional and physiological response to witnessing or hearing about trauma — is very real.

At Elephant in the Room Trauma Counseling, we want you to know:
You don’t have to go through this alone.
We are here for Evergreen. We are here for Colorado.

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Trauma Reactions After a School Shooting

Even if you or your loved ones were not physically harmed, trauma reactions may still arise — especially if you’ve experienced past trauma, school-based stress, or loss. Some common signs include:

• Sudden anxiety or panic

• Difficulty sleeping or nightmares

• Feeling emotionally numb or shut down

• Crying spells or irritability

• Trouble concentrating

• Feeling unsafe in everyday places

• Guilt or helplessness, even if not directly involved

• Re-triggered trauma memories or body sensations

These are normal nervous system responses to something that was overwhelming, violent, and outside your control.

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How to Rebuild Safety After Trauma

Here are a few ways to begin restoring a sense of safety — for yourself, your family, or your children — in the wake of this tragedy:

1. Limit media exposure. Watching or reading too much news can keep your nervous system activated. Step away when needed.

2. Regulate your body before your thoughts. Grounding exercises like deep belly breathing, holding something cold, walking in nature, or naming five things you can see, touch, hear, smell, and taste — these help signal safety to your brain.

3. Normalize talking about it. Give yourself or your children permission to feel — fear, sadness, anger, confusion. Suppressing emotions can increase trauma symptoms over time.

4. Stick to routines. Trauma thrives in chaos. Returning to small, predictable habits (meals, bedtime, movement) helps the body re-establish calm.

5. Seek professional trauma-informed support. This is not the time to “tough it out.” Talking with a trained therapist who understands trauma can make a world of difference.

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We're Here to Help: Evergreen, Golden & Lakewood Offices

We’ve mobilized several of our clinicians to be available for those impacted by the Evergreen school shooting — including students, parents, educators, responders, and community members experiencing vicarious trauma.

🧠 Michael Kraemer, based in Evergreen, CO, specializes in trauma, EMDR, and Mindfulness therapy for adults and young people navigating intense stress, grief, and nervous system dysregulation.

🌼 Katie Bennett, based in Golden, brings warmth, presence, and deep trauma-informed support for survivors, parents, and teens.

🏡 Lakewood Office Locations — We have three separate locations available for scheduling, depending on client needs and therapist availability. Let us help you find the best fit. Whether you’re dealing with direct exposure or are simply overwhelmed by what’s unfolding in your community, our team is here to help you feel safe again.

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Final Thoughts: You’re Not Overreacting

If your body feels shaky, your mind distracted, or your heart heavy — that’s not weakness. That’s your system responding to threat.
We live in a world where trauma is becoming collective. But healing can be collective, too. At Elephant in the Room, we create spaces where trauma can be named, held, and worked through — gently, at your pace, and with the tools your system needs.

📍 We serve Evergreen, Golden, Lakewood, and clients throughout Colorado via telehealth or in person. 🖥️ Schedule a free consultation or learn more about our trauma support services at Elephant In The Room LLC. You deserve to feel safe again. And we’re here, when you’re ready.