Public violence and collective trauma: expert insights on the Bondi Beach shooting's far-reaching impact

When news broke of a mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Australia, the shock travelled fast, not because most of us have been there, but because we didn’t need to be.

Bondi is a public beach, open and familiar in the way beaches are everywhere. It represents freedom, leisure and ordinary life. And when violence breaks into a space like that, it plants a quiet fear far beyond national borders.

Public spaces are meant to feel safe by default. You don’t brace yourself when you walk onto a beach. You don’t scan the crowd while children run ahead and families unpack food. That’s why shootings in open, everyday places leave a particular psychological mark.

According to the latest reports, 15 people were killed, and 27 are in hospital after the shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach.

To understand how events like the Bondi Beach attack ripple through communities and affect psychological well-being, we spoke to Melandri Constant, a global narrative researcher and social justice activist with a background in psychology.

Research on mass violence shows that even people who witness these events only through news coverage can experience trauma symptoms, including anxiety, emotional numbness and intrusive thoughts.

“The brain doesn’t always distinguish between ‘there’ and ‘here’ when the setting feels familiar,” Constant explains. She points out that public violence feels especially random.

“While victims in private settings may experience gradual violations of boundaries over time, public violence such as mass shootings are perceived as random, leading to feelings of helplessness and loss of control,” Constant says.

“That unpredictability heightens public anxiety because it disrupts our basic sense of safety.”

One of the most common reactions after such events is heightened anxiety around public spaces. People describe scanning exits, flinching at loud noises or feeling tense in crowds that once felt comforting.

Psychologists see this as the brain’s attempt to protect itself, staying alert because it has learned, very suddenly, that danger can exist anywhere. When violence happens in places associated with leisure and joy, that disruption is sharper than when it occurs behind closed doors.

Constant highlights that such traumatic public events create ripple effects that can transform entire communities into “co‑victims,” eroding beliefs around safety and reshaping a city’s identity.

“Fear of public violence also changes the way people go about daily life, altering routines, potentially avoiding public transportation, parks or community events, which takes away from freedom of movement.”

She explains that public trauma can trigger reactive violence or mob justice, too.

“When a person is overwhelmed by fear, anger or powerlessness, their ability to regulate impulses diminishes, potentially leading to explosive outbursts.”

Importantly, Constant stresses that public violence doesn’t just impact direct victims, it affects bystanders, first responders and even those who only hear about it second‑hand. This “community trauma” can stall social and economic progress across neighbourhoods.

Reclaiming a sense of safety and normalcy isn’t simple, but Constant offers strategies: restoring routines, promoting connection and communication, limiting media exposure to reduce stress, practising self‑care through exercise or hobbies, and seeking professional help when necessary.

For families, she emphasises open, non‑judgmental communication, reassuring children of their safety, maintaining rituals and allowing creative expression to process feelings.

Bondi Beach is a memory‑making territory. When violence touches a place like that, people mourn not only the lives lost but also the version of life where going to the beach didn’t require a mental risk assessment.

Constant explains why anticipatory fear, that intrusive “what if it happens to me next” thought, develops.

“It’s the brain’s drive to prepare for perceived threats.” She notes that limiting media consumption, establishing routines for control and stability, using grounding techniques such as breathing exercises or mindfulness, and leaning on close friends and family can help manage these fears.

If trauma symptoms, intense anxiety, nightmares, flashbacks, sleep problems or difficulty functioning at work or home persist, worsen or disrupt daily life beyond a month, Constant encourages seeking professional help.

And if someone is in severe distress or having suicidal thoughts, reaching out immediately is vital. “It’s never too early to reach out, especially if you are struggling to cope.”

In the face of public violence, acknowledging the emotional impact and taking active steps toward healing matters just as much as the facts of the event itself.