Individuals vary in the degree to which their lives are disrupted by victimization, but the experience is stressful for everyone. The severity of the victim's crisis is directly proportional to the degree of violation of self. The crisis reaction developed in three stages, from initial disorganization of the self through a period of struggle to the eventual readjustment of the self. The three phases are called impact, recoil, and reorganization. The crisis reaction is as necessary to the recovery of the victim as is the period of healing after a physical wound. Each progressive step is an essential part of the emotional repair process. Victims who do not receive appropriate support during each phase may be unable to move to the next state of recovery. Victims typically receive helpful reactions from some friends and destructive reactions from others. Case examples and general guidelines on helpful and unhelpful responses to victims.