Traumatic stress stems from a threat to an individual's or a group's very existence. The impact of the existential threat may be compounded by an inability to cope, which affects the perception of helplessness and loss of lawfulness. A model is proposed in which the traumatic process is conceptualized to develop through three stages: (1) alert; (2) impact; and (3) post-trauma. In this model, treatment of traumatic stress emphasizes the need to control and expand life, and to achieve lawfulness and meaningfulness. In the proposed model of treatment, there are essential differences at each of the stages of the traumatic process: (1) primary prevention at the stage of alert focuses on planning strategies for coping; (2) secondary prevention at the stage of impact is based on forward treatment and debriefing; and (3) tertiary treatment at the post-trauma stage attends to coping with internal chaos and arbitrariness.
