Signs of psychic trauma
The core elements are lack of control and a feeling of helplessness. The immediate reaction of the organism to overwhelmingly stressful situations is attempting to maintain control and predictability, and to relieve personal distress. When the stress is too overwhelming, passive strategies may be sought such as surrender and dissociation. Passive strategies represent degrees of giving up in front of too great a danger. Dissociation is a mental strategy that aims at preserving a part of the mind outside danger. A typical example is "out of body experience" where one may see oneself being maltreated for example from above.
Research shows that the more signs of chaotic or disorganised responses such as "freezing", "stupor" or "surrender" are present during the traumatic situation, the higher likelihood for severe post-traumatic reactions. Put in another way, lack of control and insufficient coping in the situation worsens the prognosis.