Losing a loved one to murder causes overwhelming emotional reactions for survivors. Often after learning of the murder of a loved one, survivors experience a feeling of shock, numbness and disbelief that their loved one is gone. To be confronted by the sudden violent death of a loved one is so horrible, devastating and absolute that many individuals are unable to comprehend the overwhelming news. Your world has been turned upside down. Nothing in life prepares survivors for the reality that someone they love has died a violent death. The grief and anguish may seem unbearable. Nothing in one's coping mechanisms prepares survivors for this kind of trauma.