The thousands who were in attendance when Travis Scott's Astroworld Festival turned deadly are still coping with their trauma following the event.
The Doctors talked to one couple, Kaia and Zach, who were there that terrible day. They believe they were 25 to 50 feet from the stage at the time that the crowd surged and people began being trampled. The two were separated from each other, which made them both more panicked as they tried to navigate the chaotic scene.
Kaia, in particular, felt like she was going to die when she was crushed by the crowd and pushed around. She suffered fractured and bruised ribs before someone picked her up and carried her to safety. Zach, thankfully, made it out with little physical damage. Emotionally, however, the couple is struggling.
The couple shared that they're experiencing symptoms of acute stress syndrome, which is common in the 30 days following a traumatic event. Sleep is a major factor in allowing emotional healing, but it doesn't always come easily for those who have been traumatized.
"You want to have your mind process this thing at its own pace," says Dr. Ish Major, a board-certified psychiatrist.
"The best thing for you guys right now is sleep. That's where your mind is going to process the thing that happened. That's where your mind is going to process the trauma slowly."
