This is the dilemma many humanitarian workers face: after frequent and long times of exposure to their patients’ suffering, they can develop vicarious trauma. Practitioners working with clients with trauma need space to heal and release, so they won’t carry a negative burden with them. I’m Jen Stuart and, in today’s post, we will talk about vicarious trauma and how practitioners (such as psychotherapist, teachers, occupational therapists, etc.) need to heal too.

• What’s vicarious trauma?

credits: Photo by Nik Shuliahin on Unsplash

Vicarious traumatisation is a condition that affects many practitioners who work with traumatised clients. The exposure to the clients’ emotional and/or physical pain can be projected onto the practitioner. Practitioners working with clients with trauma need tools to heal and release themselves and so they do not continue this holding of trauma. It can produce a negative change in the humanitarian workers’ inner self, modifying their set of values, perspectives, etc. Humanitarian workers who suffer from vicarious trauma tend to neglect it and keep silent about what they are going through. 

The concept was coined by McCann and Pearlman in 1990, but the studies about the effects that human workers’ daily job have on them, started in 1970.  

• Vicarious trauma vs Burnout

Burnout can happen to any of us, while vicarious trauma is a term exclusively associated with humanitarian workers as a result of the nature of their job. 

“Burnout” is defined as “prolonged occupational stress”. It affects the mood of the person, their attitude and behaviour towards aspects linked to their work. In most cases, it can be helpful if the worker is separated from their job, temporarily or permanently to give the person the space they need for their own self-care and healing.

• Vicarious traumatisation vs Compassion Fatigue

To understand what compassion fatigue is, we need to understand first the two concepts that form it. Compassion is the ability to understand the emotional state of a person, while fatigue is a state of extreme emotional and/or physical tiredness.

Anyone exposed to the suffering of others can develop compassion fatigue. Also called secondary traumatic stress, it occurs when a person gets too involved with another’s pain. This can be both experienced emotionally and physically. Practitioners can get overly worried, concerned and/or anxious, besides being unable to detach themselves from what their patients are suffering.

• Who can suffer from vicarious trauma?

This condition affects inexperienced human workers and professionals with many years of expertise, who have high chances to suffer from it due to a longer exposition to trauma. All sorts of human workers can present vicarious trauma, from ambulance officers, firefighters, therapists, doctors, physiotherapists, among others. The term can even be extended to family members and friends who witness their loved one(s) going through trauma(s).

• Vicarious trauma symptoms

They can be spotted in three levels, below is a list of examples but please note that these symptoms are not limited to:

• Physical symptoms:
  • Exhaustion, even after resting
  • Tendency towards illness
  • Sleeping disorders
  • Eating disorders
  • Heart palpitations
  • Headache, stomach ache and body pain
• Emotional symptoms:
  • Hypersensitivity
  • Guilt feelings
  • Depression and/or anxiety
  • Depersonalisation
  • Apathy and/on lack of empathy for others
  • Feeling helpless and/or hopeless
  • Low self-image
  • Intrusive imagery and thoughts
• Behavioural symptoms:
  • Skip work, avoid relationships and responsibilities
  • Substance abuse
  • Indecision
  • Troubles separating professional life from the personal one
  • Disruption in self-capacity

• How to deal with vicarious trauma?

credits : @driftwoodphotography_mr

Addressing vicarious trauma despite whatever feeling of shame or guilt might emerge from it, is necessary. 

Human workers need to develop techniques to be prepared to cope with this occupational hazard. Trauma-sensitive yoga is proven to be one of them, the practice enables one to become more mindful of the connection between your mind and your physical body. 

In my website, Journey with Jen, you will find Trauma Sensitive Yoga classes tailored for you, to approach your own balance and retake control over your emotions and body. Private sessions in person and online are available.