shellshocked
Traumatized by war
Shellshocked originally described soldiers suffering psychological trauma from combat—the term arose from World War I, when artillery bombardment left men dazed, trembling, or mentally broken.
Now it more loosely describes anyone left stunned or disoriented by overwhelming events: I was shellshocked after the accident.
Also spelled shell-shocked.
Chronic reaction to horrific events
- flashbacksInvoluntary vivid memory episodes
- nightmaresTerrifying sleep experiences
- dissociationMental separation from surroundings
- hypervigilanceHeightened threat sensitivity
triggers · numbness · anxiety · therapy · combat fatigue · battle fatigue · survivor · recovery
Shocked into mental fog
- stupefiedOverwhelmed into mental blankness
- bewilderedThoroughly puzzled and confused
- disorientedLacking sense of direction
- numbLacking physical sensation
glazed · vacant · reeling · staggering · frozen · paralyzed · thunderstruck · speechless
Elongated ground excavations
- artilleryLarge-caliber battlefield weapons
- bombardmentSustained projectile assault
- barrageSustained, overwhelming attack
- frontlineCombat's forward position
no-man's-land · dugout · foxhole · mortar · shelling · explosion · blast · combat
Attacked with heavy fire
- batteredDamaged by repeated blows
- pummeledStruck many times
- besiegedSurrounded by attackers
- inundatedOverwhelmed by quantity
overloaded · reeling · shattered · undone · overcome · devastated · crushed · blown away
PTSD
Chronic reaction to horrific events
- flashbacksInvoluntary vivid memory episodes
- nightmaresTerrifying sleep experiences
- dissociationMental separation from surroundings
hypervigilance · triggers · numbness · anxiety · therapy · combat fatigue · battle fatigue · survivor · recovery · healing
dazed
Shocked into mental fog
- stupefiedOverwhelmed into mental blankness
- bewilderedThoroughly puzzled and confused
- disorientedLacking sense of direction
numb · glazed · vacant · reeling · staggering · frozen · paralyzed · thunderstruck · speechless · blank
trenches
Elongated ground excavations
- artilleryLarge-caliber battlefield weapons
- bombardmentSustained projectile assault
- barrageSustained, overwhelming attack
frontline · no-man's-land · dugout · foxhole · mortar · shelling · explosion · blast · combat · battlefield
bombarded
Attacked with heavy fire
inundated · overloaded · reeling · shattered · undone · overcome · devastated · crushed · blown away · floored
shellshockedcomposed
Calm and self-possessed
calm · unflappable · serene · collected · tranquil
shellshockedresilient
Able to recover quickly
recovered · well-adjusted · healed · whole · untraumatized