I Survived a Mass Shooting... What Now? 🧠

Here’s How I’m Preventing PTSD w/ Neuroscience. (8min Read)

I Was 50ft From the Initial Shots

An hour before, I was at my brother's office downtown listening to a tear-jerking version of the National Anthem being sung off the rooftop of one of the buildings along the parade route on Grand.

As the lady started to sing, millions of us paused all at once, it was total silence, we all turned, hands over hearts; pedestrians, cops, players, everyone unified.

Little did we know what was about to happen just an hour or so later…

Today’s blog will cover my story, and more importantly, what I am doing based on my research and training in the trauma and neuroscience space to give myself the best shot at not developing PTSD from this event.

While these tools are based on this event, they can be applied to all kinds of potentially traumatic events, so I hope you find them useful!

Let’s dive in.

The Rally from Hell

By the time Miles and I got to the Rally, the Union Station lawn was already packed.

We took the back route to get there, so we arrived at the very back of the crowd and maneuvered our way up the hill overlooking the stage.

Here’s a video I shot 20 minutes before the first shots to give you an idea of where we were.

It wasn’t long after Travis Kelce’s speech that the first shots rang out.

If you pause the video above at about the 1sec mark, between the yellow truck and the orange and white divider you can see in the crowd, that’s about where it happened.

At first, we thought that it was firecrackers because that’s exactly what it sounded like.

POP. POP. POP. POP. Super loud.

There was the slightest pause in the crowd and it was completely silent.

Then everyone started to run, and people started to scream.

It was the wildest crowd behavior I’d ever seen.

We were up on the hill, so we could see everyone disperse all at once.

It was like a pebble had been dropped into a puddle at the point of the initial shots, and the crowd scattered in huge rings away from the center.

Since we were on the hill, we didn’t have a ton of options.

Going further up the hill would have left us more exposed.

Running down would have been right toward a stampeding crowd.

So, we started cautiously making our way to the right as best we could.

After a couple of minutes, everything seemed to calm down, making us think that maybe it was just fireworks.

Then my buddy Miles told me to look down at where the shots came from.

I won’t go into the gruesome details of what we saw, but we knew it wasn’t fireworks, to say the least.

At this point, Miles and I had to split up because his car was in a different direction, at this point, things seemed to be chilling out a little so we weren’t too worried.

No less than a minute after we said bye, TONS of police started running through the crowd, most with their guns out.

This caused everyone to start running and panicking again.

At this point, I was trying to get back to Grand, all the way across the crowd from where I was, and as far away from the first shots as possible.

As I made my way through the crowd, I saw some parents lying on top of their kids, some running around screaming to find their kids, other people still thought it was fireworks, and there were still tons of police running around.

After maybe 5 minutes of working through the crowd, there were what sounded like another couple of shots to the right, and towards where most of the crowd was walking towards.

That’s when we saw TONS of cops, FBI agents, and even military people running to the right of the stage toward Union Station.

At the same time, some helicopters kept sweeping over the crowd really low to the ground seemingly trying to figure out what was going on as well.

This, of course, freaked everyone out even more, but we all felt stuck because the crowd was so thick, the initial shots had come from where we were running from, but now there were shots in the direction we were headed, and behind us was a nearly vertical hill…

I finally was able to get to Main St, right behind the Westin and one of the workers was letting people sneak through the back of the Westin to get away from what was going on towards Union Station.

I don’t know who that guy was, but he was calm, cool, and collected, so shoutout to the Westin Manager, he was helping a ton of people!

After sneaking through the back of the Westin, I got to Grand Blvd, which is where the police were funneling everyone, and there were hundreds of police along Grand making sure everyone walking was safe.

I’ve never seen so many police and military people with so many guns in my whole life, but it honestly felt reassuring at that point because they were the “good guys” at least.

This whole time no one’s phone was working either, so none of us knew what was going on until some of the nicer police officers gave us some information and confirmed there was a shooting.

After walking up Grand for 5mins in this huge crowd my phone service started to work again, and tons of messages from my parents and brother started coming through, so I called my mom to figure out what was happening.

She was telling me what the news was saying, and I was telling her what was happening on the ground.

She mentioned that they thought one of the shooters was still on the loose running around so I wanted to get back to my apartment as fast as I could.

It was the only place that felt safe and the only place I felt like I had some sense of control.

By the time I got back, the lobby was packed with other people in my apartment who were at the parade and rally too and we were all coming to terms with what happened and updating each other on our different experiences.

When I finally got into my own apartment, locked the door, and sat down, I was still in disbelief, it didn’t seem like it was real.

It wasn’t until after I showered and relaxed for a little that I called my buddy Miles and it felt like we both were coming to terms with it all at the same time because we both were just like, “We just survived a mass shooting…” at the same time.

We got lucky, lots of other people didn’t.

What Now?

Good question. Kansas City is still trying to figure that out.

As for me, there are a handful of tools and tactics that I’m using to decrease my risk of developing long-term trauma from what I experienced.

These come from the very tools I suggest to my own clients after traumatic events, and neuroscience/psychology research, so I wanted to share some of these things with y’all as well!

So, here are 9 evidence-based tools and practices that are designed to reduce stress symptoms and assist in a healthy recovery following a traumatic event like the shooting at the Chiefs Super Bowl Rally today.

9 Tools to Help Prevent PTSD

1. Safety and Comfort

Ensuring physical and emotional safety is paramount.

This can involve finding a safe space, being with trusted individuals, or engaging in activities that provide comfort and a sense of security.

Getting back to my apartment where I could lock the door, and feel a sense of control helped me a ton with this.

2. Normalize Reactions

Understanding that a wide range of emotional reactions (shock, disbelief, sadness, anger, confusion) is normal can help reduce additional stress about "feeling the wrong way."

These are normal reactions to something traumatic, not pathological.

There’s no right or wrong way to react after something like this.

I know I was in disbelief afterward, even writing this it doesn’t feel real, and I know I dissociated from what I was feeling in my body at the time as well.

3. Limit Exposure to Traumatic Reminders

While it's important to stay informed, overexposure to media reports, discussions, or graphic reminders of the trauma can increase stress.

Limiting exposure can help reduce the risk of further traumatization.

Even as I was watching Avengers that night, the gunshots in the movie freaked me out a little bit, so I had to pause it and remind myself that I am safe, and it’s gonna be alright!

4. Avoid Alcohol and Drugs

Substance use can seem like a temporary way to manage pain, but it can increase the risk of developing PTSD and interfere with the recovery process.

I can’t stress this enough!

5. Focus on Self-Care

Encouraging basic self-care practices such as eating well, sleeping, exercising, and engaging in relaxing activities can support physical and emotional recovery.

These kinds of things are always important, but especially so after experiencing something like this.

In fact, people who maintain these kinds of self-care activities are less likely overall to be traumatized by events like this.

6. Writing or Journaling

Some find it therapeutic to write about their experiences and feelings related to the event.

This can help in processing emotions and gaining insight.

For me, I took some time to create a video journal of everything I saw, felt, heard, etc the day of the event right when I got back to my apartment.

This allowed me to know that I could come back to that time if I needed to, but it felt like it got out of my mind, brain, and body for the time being.

This, again, gave me a sense of agency and control.

7. Encourage Social Support

Connecting with friends, family, and community resources can provide emotional support and reduce feelings of isolation.

Social support is a key factor in resilience and recovery.

Having healthy people around you that can be there for you is so important.

I luckily have tons of people who were checking in on me, and making sure I was alright, but I know not everyone does.

If this is you, I’d suggest joining our Trauma to Transformation Community, it’s free and a great place to talk about these kinds of things with people who get it!

8. Gradual Exposure

In the weeks following a trauma, gradually facing reminders of the event can help some individuals process the trauma.

This should be done cautiously and, ideally, with the guidance of a mental health professional.

There’s no need to rush, I know that I’m not.

I haven’t been watching the news, I’ve been off social media, etc.

If you’re feeling guilty about this, that’s normal as well.

“You survived, what are you complaining about?” Has popped into my head many times, but you’ve gotta remember, you matter too!

Your mental and emotional health matter too.

9. Early Professional Support

While not everyone who experiences a traumatic event will need therapy, early consultation with a mental health professional can be beneficial.

They can assess the need for further intervention and provide coping strategies.

There are tons of therapists and counselors offering free sessions for people who were affected by this tragic event.

There’s no shame in taking them up on their offer, I know that I have.

KC Strong

If you're struggling, please reach out to me, DM me, email me, or whatever is easiest for you, I’m happy to chat!

If you're a fellow trauma therapist or coach who's willing to support people who are struggling, please share your contact information with me and I will promote it on my socials!

My heart goes out to everyone affected by this tragic event. Our city is hurting, and I can feel it.

What happened sucks, and it shouldn't have happened, but it did.

We are strong, we will preserve.

Please share this with anyone you know who might be struggling in Kansas City today.

Thank you, and as always… Live Heroically 🧠