When Safety Shatters Close to Home: Nervous System Responses After the Tumbler Ridge Shooting
When Tragedy in Tumbler Ridge Hits Your Whole System
The recent mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge has shaken a small community in northern British Columbia and rippled across the province and country. Nine people have died, including children and a family member at home, and many more have been injured or deeply impacted. For a town of about 2,400 residents, almost everyone knows someone who has been touched by this.
Even if you live far from Tumbler Ridge, you might feel different this week. Maybe your body tenses every time you see a school. Maybe you keep refreshing the news, or you cannot bring yourself to read a single article. You might feel tearful, irritable, numb, wired, shaky, or like you are moving through fog. It can be tempting to judge these states as overreactions or as signs that something is wrong with you. From a nervous system perspective, they are understandable responses to something that is not supposed to happen in schools, homes or communities.
Why People React So Differently to the Same Event
In the days after a tragedy like the Tumbler Ridge shooting, it is common to notice that people around you seem to be on very different emotional channels. One person is in tears. Another is numb and practical. Someone else is angry at systems or policy. Others seem oddly unaffected.
Our nervous systems have different ways of trying to keep us safe. These patterns are shaped by past experiences, current stress levels, proximity to the event and the meaning it holds. Some common responses include:
Hypervigilance: scanning for danger, checking exits, reacting strongly to noises.
Fight: anger, blame, a surge of energy to do something or find someone responsible.
Flight: a strong impulse to leave situations, distract, stay busy or outrun the feelings.
Freeze: feeling numb, foggy, disconnected, unable to think clearly.
Fawn or appease: focusing on taking care of others, minimising your own distress.
None of these states are signs of personal failure. They are patterns that emerge when your system is trying to navigate threat and uncertainty. Two people can live through the same event or hear the same news and have very different nervous system pathways activated. Both make sense once you understand what those systems have already been through.
If you have a history of trauma, grief or sudden loss, your body might be reacting not only to this event, but to previous times when safety shattered without warning. That does not mean you are “back there,” but it does mean your system may need more care and support right now.
Shock, Numbness, Fear and Anger: Normal Responses to the Unthinkable
When something as extreme as a school shooting happens, people often ask themselves “Why am I reacting like this?” or “Shouldn’t I be coping better?” It can help to understand what your nervous system is designed to do.
Shock and numbness often show up in the first days. They can look like:
Feeling unreal, like you are watching a movie.
Moving through tasks on autopilot.
Having trouble taking in facts, names or numbers.
Shock can function as a buffer, giving you time to process a reality that is too big to absorb all at once. Numbness is not indifference. It is a temporary way your system protects you from being flooded.
Fear and anxiety can also increase, especially for parents, caregivers and young people. You might notice:
Worry about sending children to school.
Startle responses to noises or sirens.
Restless sleep or nightmares.
Anger is another common and appropriate response. Anger can be directed at the shooter, at systems that failed to protect, at the world or at a sense that things like this keep happening. From a nervous system perspective, anger is a mobilizing force. It says “this is not okay” and prepares the body for action.
These states can feel intense or frightening, especially if you are not used to seeing them as normal responses to abnormal events. In counselling, we often start by naming these reactions for what they are: your body’s survival system trying to make sense of and respond to something unbearable.
How the Nervous System Tries to Find Safety Again
Your autonomic nervous system is constantly asking “Am I safe?” and “Can I rest?” After a mass casualty event like the Tumbler Ridge shooting, that sense of safety is shaken, not only for those directly involved, but also for people who share similar environments, roles or identities.
Some patterns you might notice include:
Staying in a heightened state of alert, even when you know logically that the danger has passed.
Difficulty focusing on everyday tasks or conversations.
Physical symptoms such as headaches, stomach issues, muscle tension or fatigue.
These are not random. They are part of how your nervous system recalibrates after shock. Your system is trying to decide whether the world is still dangerous, or whether it can allow you to soften again. That process often takes longer than the news cycle.
Approaches like EMDR can help the brain process distressing images, sounds and sensations so they do not stay stuck as “frozen” experiences. Internal Family Systems offers a way to understand the different parts of you that might be activated such as the part that wants to stay informed, the part that wants to shut everything out and the part that feels like a scared child.
Attachment-based and relational therapies focus on what it is like to go through this in connection with another person. In a secure therapeutic relationship, your nervous system can slowly learn that it does not have to be alone with the fear, images or questions. Emotion-focused approaches support you in staying present with difficult feelings in tolerable amounts, rather than having to push them down or be overwhelmed by them.
If you are curious about the physiology behind all of this, you might find our blog on the physiological impact of trauma helpful as it explains more about how the nervous system responds to overwhelming events.
Supporting Children and Teens After the Tumbler Ridge Shooting
Seeing children and youth at the centre of this tragedy can be particularly activating for parents, educators and young people themselves. Many children in Tumbler Ridge and across British Columbia have now seen images, heard rumours at school or absorbed the distress of the adults around them.cbc+1
Some children may become clingy, fearful or reluctant to go to school. Others may act out, become more irritable, or seem withdrawn. Many teenagers will move between humour, numbness and intense emotion as they try to find their own way of coping.
Supportive responses often include:
Offering simple, truthful information at a level appropriate to their age.
Naming feelings without forcing them: “It makes sense if you feel scared or confused right now.”
Creating predictable routines where possible, so their systems can find small pockets of safety.
Limiting repeated exposure to graphic media, especially videos and images.
If you are an adult who is also activated, it is okay to seek your own support at the same time. Children often feel safer when the adults around them have places to bring their own fear and grief, rather than trying to hold everything inside.
Therapies such as EMDR, attachment-based counselling and play-informed approaches can be adapted for children and teens who were directly or indirectly affected. The focus is on helping their nervous systems find more ground again, while honouring the reality of what has happened.
When It Might Be Time to Reach Out
In the first days and weeks, many reactions are expected and can soften over time, especially with community support. It may be helpful to connect with a counsellor if you notice:
Symptoms that are getting worse or not easing at all over several weeks.
Persistent nightmares, flashbacks or intrusive images.
Strong avoidance of places, people or activities that are important to you.
Significant impact on your ability to work, study, parent or care for yourself.
You do not have to be a direct witness or family member to be affected “enough” to seek counselling. Living in British Columbia, having your own history of violence or loss, or simply being someone who feels events like this deeply are all reasons to reach out. Your nervous system does not need to reach a crisis point for you to deserve support.
At Tidal Trauma Centre, we work with people across Surrey, Langley and the rest of BC through secure online sessions. Together, we can explore how this event is landing in your system, what it is stirring up, and what might help you feel a bit more resourced and less alone with it.
Support for When Safety Feels Shaken
If the Tumbler Ridge shooting has left you feeling shaken, on edge or strangely numb, you do not have to go through this alone. Counsellors at Tidal Trauma Centre offer EMDR, attachment-based and other trauma-informed approaches for individuals and families in Surrey, Langley and across British Columbia through secure online sessions.
Contact us or fill out a New Client Form to be matched with one or more of our therapists. If you are ready, book a free consult or appointment.
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Nervous systems are relational and imaginative. You might be picturing your own children or school, remembering other losses, or simply feeling the weight of knowing that this happened in your province. Your body responds not just to physical proximity, but to meaning, identification and past experiences. Counselling can help you sort through what this particular event is touching in your story.
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Numbness is often a protective response, especially if you have already carried a lot of stress or trauma. It does not mean you do not care. It may mean your system needs to take things in gradually. In therapy, we do not force feelings to come. Instead, we create enough safety that feelings can emerge at a pace your nervous system can handle.
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Counselling cannot undo the shooting or take away the grief. What it can offer is a space where your reactions make sense, where your nervous system is understood, and where you can find more ways to cope, connect and set boundaries with media and conversations. Over time, people often notice less overwhelm, more capacity to be present in daily life, and a greater sense of support as they navigate the ongoing impact.
Blogs
Hidden Triggers: Everyday Situations That Reactivate Past Trauma
Trauma Echoes: Why Old Feelings Resurface in Unexpected Moments
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Disclaimer: The content on this website is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical, psychological, or mental health advice. It is not a substitute for professional care. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for diagnosis and treatment.