A psychologist explains how to deal with feelings of despair after the assassination attempt on Trump

• America faces deep uncertainty in light of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.
• To feel horror or anxiety watching an act of political violence is normal, a psychologist told BI.
• But stepping away from the phone may not always be realistic advice, the expert said.

The political climate in the US was already tense amid the 2024 presidential election season.

The assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump may have just kicked things into overdrive.

In light of a major act of political violence, Dr. Katherine Porterfield, a clinical psychologist with the Dart Center for Journalism & Trauma at Columbia School of Journalism, told Business Insider that it's normal to feel deeply uncomfortable emotions.

As world leaders and politicians call for peace and unity, a poll found 50% of Americans believe political violence is a "very big problem" following the shooting at a Trump campaign event on Saturday that left two people dead.

An alarming 67% of Americans polled said the current political climate makes such violence "more likely" than normal.

Over 60% of those respondents who indicated that political violence is a "very big problem" were 65 years old and above, meaning they would have lived through the infamous assassinations of people like President John F. Kennedy and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1960s.

"To see any act of violence for a human is going to create a sensory reaction that could be fear, horror, disgust, anxiety, and that's simply the nature of the human being," Porterfield said, adding that the assassination attempt was "very photographed" which can be a jarring experience to witness.

However, she said, simply trying to put down the phone and look away may not always be realistic advice for some people.

So, what are some practical steps the American public can take?

Pause and be aware

Porterfield told BI that the first step is to take a moment to "discern" — pay attention to yourself and acknowledge what your reaction is to distressing news.

Pausing to recognize your emotions is the first step in determining whether you're having a normal reaction to an event or a more severe one.

It'll allow people to be aware of their three domains, Porterfield said: the biological, the psychological, and the social. Otherwise known as the biopsychosocial, she said.

"Once you start paying attention, it really breaks down to three domains, which is your body, the biological; the psychological, which is your feelings and thoughts, 'How are you managing them?'; and then the social. 'Am I turning outward in a way that's health and giving me and other people support?'" Porterfield said.

Taking care of those domains will depend on the individual.

Exercise or simply getting up from the computer desk is a simple way to give the body a "biological break," Porterfield said.

Porterfield said that some people may turn to prayer or meditation to address a psychological need, while others may turn to humor.

For the social domain, people may want to turn to their coworkers or personal relationships to check in on each other.

When emotions become so powerful that they overwhelm coping capabilities — like an inability to work or sleep — seeking help through others, including professional help such as therapy, are great options, Porterfield said.

Control

In the past five years, people have lived through a pandemic, several wars, and now, an assassination attempt on a former president.

Feelings of hopelessness and despair may come as a result, so it's important to take stock in understanding what one can and can't immediately control in their lives, Porterfield said.

"There is some value in looking and saying, 'There are things that I can't do anything about, and there are some things that are more action-focused — I can do something — and that's what I'm going to focus on,'" she said. "And those other things — I'm going to have to recognize are painful."

"That's why therapists all around the world are helping people usually tolerate their feelings," Porterfield added. "Because sometimes that's all you can do."

On doomscrolling

In the digital age of social media and instant live news updates, people can easily be sucked into an endless cycle of doomscrolling on their cellphones.

But devices have become an integral part of human lives, so it may not always be practical to tell someone to stop looking at their phones, Porterfield said.

"I think it's not helpful when we say you shouldn't look at your phone during times of crisis because that's not really realistic," she said.

The psychologist added that staying informed through reliable, trusted news sources can be helpful for some people.

The important distinction, Porterfield said, is to remember the three domains and ensure that you're taking care of your basic needs by simple acts like standing up or getting some air — actions that would help interrupt endless scrolling.

"That's the kind of thing I would encourage people to do to pause and say, 'Wait a minute, do I really need an hour or two of this?' Maybe it's time to stand up."