The state of thinking that one has done something wrong after surviving a traumatic event is known as survival guilt or guilt psychology 1. This is a common reaction to traumatic experiences. It is also one of the symptoms that are effective in the development of post-traumatic stress disorder 2.
The mental state we refer to as surviving guilt can arise from a small event, such as a friend breaking his leg while doing a fun activity with a friend, or it can occur in a big event such as the death of others but you survived. In the second case, the event we are talking about can of course leads to a more intense feeling of guilt. Other events that can lead to survival guilt include; traffic accidents, losses as a result of the covid-19 epidemic, mass weapon attacks, and, of course, natural disasters 2.
How Can We Cope With Survivor Guilt?
If you are experiencing symptoms as we mentioned above, you must get the appropriate treatment in this regard. Feelings of guilt not only negatively affect your psychological health, but also affect your quality of life and can pose serious risks if accompanied by symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Experts state that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy can be particularly effective in combating feelings and thoughts of survival guilt. With Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, you can discover your negative automatic thoughts that contribute to feelings of guilt and work on them with your therapist 2.
REFERENCES
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https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sa%C4%9F_kalma_su%C3%A7lulu%C4%9Fu#:~:text=Sa%C4%9F%20kalma%20su%C3%A7lulu%C4%9Fu%20(veya%20su%C3%A7luluk,genellikle%20ki%C5%9Fi%20kendini%20su%C3%A7lu%20hisseder.
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https://www.uplifers.com/baskalari-aci-cekerken-hayatta-kalmanin-suclulugu-survivors-guilt-nedir/
