Exploring communal trauma in the wake of a tragedy

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Dec 4, 2015

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Exploring communal trauma in the wake of a tragedy

In the days and weeks to come, many residents of San Bernardino will struggle to come to terms with what happened and accept a new "normal."

Jennifer and husband Roy Trules cry as the names of victims are read aloud during a moment of silence concluding a vigil at San Manuel Stadium in San Bernardino on Thursday night, Dec. 3, 2015. Both were friends with 26-year-old Aurora Godoy of San Jacinto. Roy Trules first met Godoy more than three years ago when they both worked for the San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters.

In the days and weeks to come, many residents of San Bernardino will struggle to come to terms with what happened and accept a new "normal."

The ripple effect of a mass shooting, like the one in San Bernardino, can be felt far and wide.

In the days and weeks to follow, many will struggle to come to terms with what happened and accept a new "normal."

How do you make sense of senseless killing?

Take Two put that question to James Hawdon, director of the Center for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention at Virginia Tech. He began studying communal trauma after a grizzly shooting left 32 dead on the Virginia Tech campus in 2007.

Press the blue play button above to hear the interview.