The boxing world is in shock. Victim of a very violent road accident this Monday in Nigeria, Anthony Joshua lost two loved ones: his trainers and friends Sina Ghami and Kevin “Latz” Ayodele. While the champion emerges physically unscathed, the invisible scars of such trauma could be the most difficult to heal.
The accident occurred on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, near Makun. Anthony Joshua, a passenger in the left rear of the vehicle, miraculously avoided the worst when his car collided with a truck. His two friends, installed on the right side, died instantly. According to the press release from his promoter Matchroom Boxing, “AJ”’s condition is stable, but he remains under observation in hospital.
Beyond the physical injuries, it is now a mental earthquake that the boxer must face. Because surviving where his mentors perished imposes a colossal psychological challenge.
From astonishment to omnipresent fear
What happens from a psychological point of view after such an accident? If his body is unharmed, the athlete’s brain will not fail to react. In the immediate future, he often puts in place defense mechanisms to cope with the unbearable.
As Amélie Boukhobza, clinical psychologist, explains: “An initial moment of shock and astonishment is felt. The latter can manifest itself in feelings of unreality, as if the event had not really happened or as if one were detached from it.
However, this emotional “anesthesia” is temporary. Once the shock has passed, the nervous system can remain stuck in alert mode. The brutal confrontation with finitude transforms the relationship with the world. “Proximity to death can generate intense fear of death itself. This can result in panic attacks, generalized anxiety, fear that the event will happen again,” continues the specialist. For an athlete used to controlling everything in a ring, this loss of total control in the face of destiny is a major shock.
The weight of survivor’s guilt
Anthony Joshua occupied the seat behind the driver, the same one that saved his life when his friends on the right had no chance. This simple geographical coincidence is often the starting point of devastating suffering. Why him? Why not me?
“Surviving such a disaster, where others have died, can generate intense guilt about having survived and questions such as ‘why me?'”adds Amélie Boukhobza. This feeling, although irrational, can haunt the survivor for years, making the grief of their friends even more complex to bear.
The risk is then to see persistent symptoms set in. “It is not uncommon to develop post-traumatic stress syndrome after a few weeks to a few months. The picture is quite typical with flashbacks, nightmares, sleep disorders, hypervigilance…”.
EMDR: the key to “reprocessing” trauma
For Anthony Joshua, the path to resilience will necessarily involve specialized support. To prevent the memory of the accident from becoming a mental prison, brief therapy techniques are now recommended, notably EMDR.
This method of desensitization through eye movements allows you to “digest” the traumatic event. According to the psychologist, “This is a particularly effective technique in this case. Going through the event in session to reprocess it will not only reduce the negative emotional impact, but also remove the negative and irrational beliefs associated with the event, such as guilt.”
While tributes from around the world are pouring in, including those from Jake Paul and Chris Eubank Jr, the boxer will have to take the necessary time away from the spotlight to heal his mind, before considering, one day, returning to the ring.