LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Graphic video of the final moments of Charlie Kirk’s life and the aftermath of his assassination were on clear display for anyone with a phone. But once someone sees such disturbing images, how do they process it?
These are horrific, gruesome images no one really needs to see. TikTok announced it is removing close-up footage, and Meta is applying warning labels and restricting some images to those 18 and older.
The lasting effects of having seen such images on our psyche can be traumatizing. Kirk connected with millions of people through his videos and appearances. For many, he was a part of their social media fabric.
“What we experience, even through a screen, can be something absolutely profound and impactful, “said Dr. Ricardo Whyte, a psychiatrist with Dignity Health Community Hospital.
Whyte says it’s likely kids who’ve seen these videos aren’t sure how to process them. The language you use with them depends on their age, but it should mostly be about listening to them.
“Hearing where they’re at, what they’re experiencing, because the most therapeutic thing is when we can give language and label to our feelings,” he said.
Once a young person feels meaningfully heard, Whyte says parents can help guide their healing.
“We have the loss of an American here, and as a nation, we should all be able to rally around that. An important component of our healing is taking on the agency to do something positive and productive,” he said.
“Politics is part of the human expression, so it just is what it is, but I think there are times to put politics aside and retreat to our humanity. The bottom line is, Charlie was human,” Whyte added.
As human beings, Whyte says such a horrific event elicits feelings of fear, vulnerability and despair. His advice is to own how you feel.
“Giving yourself time to ponder, ‘How is this impacting me? What does it mean to me?’ Sometimes journaling, sometimes it might even be getting professional help to really get at, ‘What did this mean to me?'” Whyte said.
But Whyte noted the onslaught of senseless violence can have the opposite effect.
On the same day that Kirk was shot, there was another shooting at a Colorado high school. Young people we talked to expressed their shock and dismay.
“It’s come to a point where we’ve normalized learning from one shooting to another shooting. So when do we keep stopping the shootings, you know?” said Leslie, a student at Santa Ana College.
“We can put intention into not being desensitized. That’s the reason we have rituals. Rituals allow us to understand, take a moment to understand the significance of this thing,” Whyte said.
Rituals like vigils and memorials allow us to reflect, examine and remind us not to lose hope.
“Even in the case of tragedy, hopefully that would, if anything else, reinforce how important it is that we make our contribution as effectively as we can,” Whyte said.
He added that an important part of healing is to understand how you’re feeling and to channel it into positive action. Working through trauma takes time, so Whyte advises to be kind to yourself and to each other.
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