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Published on: 7/10/2005
Last Visited: 7/10/2005
They feel okay but they realise the other person did not survive and they did," said John Potter, a psychologist working at Exeter University.
"When something like this happens, they are in shock, they are in denial, but then reality hits and that is when it can occur," he said Saturday.
...
Such situations were psychologically grave, Potter said.
"If you were with your buddy or your partner, that is when it becomes very, very serious," he said.
In the early stages after such trauma, however, counselling was not necessarily the best method.Families, focused on the fact that their loved one survived, could provide little consolation.
"The best solution is talking it through with some one.I would suggest getting survivors together.There is a comradery that is quite therapeutic," said Potter.
He said people should avoid talking to a priest or a doctor about it.