GREEN BAY, WI -- The man believed to be responsible for explosions in New York and New Jersey is in custody tonight after a shoot out with police.
Meanwhile, a weekend stabbing attack at a Minnesota mall is also being investigated as a potential act of terror.
Tonight, President Obama is calling on people to not let terror stop them from living their daily lives.
But dealing with the impacts of terror and trauma is only made more difficult when it comes at random.
"You just don't know when it's going to strike," says Dr. Illene Cupit, who is a professor of Human Development at UW Green Bay, "and that, I think, is what makes it so awful."
Experts say repeated exposure to terrorist attacks--whether on the TV, the computer, or airwaves--can make people feel the world isn't as safe as it actually is.
One person behind such research is Dr. Cupit, who has an extensive career researching bereavement and grief. She is also founder and director of Camp Lloyd, a summer day camp for grieving children.
After the 9/11 attacks, she (a native New Yorker) and colleagues researched the impact of terror and trauma on 8th grade students throughout the entire Green Bay public school district.
She says the bottom line is repeated exposure to terrorist attacks can have a detrimental psychological impact on both youth, and adults.
"Basically, we have to understand that the world is still a relatively safe place," says Dr. Cupit, "and people are generally good people, and not to let that color, and distort, our perspective of what the world is all about."
Dr. Cupit says terror can happen anywhere. But here, in Wisconsin, someone is far more likely to be killed by a drunk driver than a terrorist attack.
"If you hide under the bed, you are not living," says Cupit. "So, you have to go and live your life. I think what people need to do is to feel a little bit empowered in order to feel safe."
Dr. Cupit says the best way to do that is to be aware of your surroundings, and to use caution in settings that, for one reason or another, may be targeted.
She says, while you can't protect you, or your loved ones 100 percent, living your life and traveling is a firm response to terrorists.
