You just survived a critical incident. Now what? The key to surviving and thriving the aftermath of a critical incident is knowing what to expect from your body, your mind, and your emotions, and knowing how to respond. Discussions of critical incident stress management (CISM) have traditionally been limited to law enforcement and the military. Considerable resources have been marshaled in recent years in an effort to assist law enforcement officers and military members who have suffered traumatic events. Such efforts are worthwhile and should be continued and expanded. However, the populace at large has been left to fend for themselves when facing the aftermath of traumatic events. When considering the definition of “critical incident,” clearly no one is immune, and everyone could benefit from even a basic knowledge of what might occur following a critical incident.