Vicarious Trauma: Definition, Causes And Treatment
Do you know the concept of vicarious trauma? It is about the emotional wear and tear that is produced by being in continuous contact with the emotions of others and with their life situations (often complicated). It is typical of people who work in areas where human suffering is most palpable. That is, psychologists, doctors, nurses, security forces, police and firefighters, etc.
Vicar means someone who performs the functions of another person, but it also applies to talk about cases in which, through the observation of others, something “happens” to us (think of vicarious conditioning, for example).
In this case, what happens is that the wear and tear we are talking about can affect us in different spheres, such as work or our social relationships. Do you want to know more about this phenomenon? How can we prevent or combat it? Keep reading!
Vicarious trauma: what is it?
Vicarious trauma is defined as the psychological or emotional exhaustion that people who care for others, that is, caregivers, or also those who are continually exposed to the suffering of other people (or their emotions in general) can suffer. This wear is derived from being in permanent contact with people who are having a bad time, that is, who are suffering.
It is a concept from many years ago, and it was already discussed by Perlman & Saakvitne (1995), who also referred to it as compassion fatigue. On the other hand, according to Figley (1982) vicarious trauma is the phenomenon associated with the “cost of caring” for others. Other authors have called this concept in other ways: secondary traumatic stress (Stemm, 1995, 1997) and secondary victimization (Figley, 1982).
Who is affected?
Who is primarily affected by vicarious trauma? In the professional field we find psychologists, health personnel (doctors, nurses …), social health personnel (caregivers, personal assistants …), civil protection personnel, state security forces and bodies, and the armed forces. In short, people who are in contact with others who suffer or who also suffer some trauma. Each one in his measure and according to his own circumstances, can suffer vicarious trauma.
From vicarious trauma, as we said, a psychological and emotional exhaustion derives (in addition to physical exhaustion, in the case of caregivers or personal assistants, for example). Thus, this problem would affect the personal sphere of the person but also the work one.
The central axis: empathy
These people of whom we speak, those who suffer vicarious trauma, use empathy as a working tool in much of their day to day life. What happen? That being empathic is very good, because it allows us to connect with others, understand them and help them.
However, when that empathy is used on a daily basis and in serious cases of suffering, it can affect us over time, causing us to wear out that we mentioned.
Why does vicarious trauma occur?
In addition, through empathy we put ourselves in the place of the other and in turn we expose ourselves to situations or experiences of suffering or distress, which causes our brain to experience symptoms similar to those of the person we are caring for or caring for.
In this sense, the brain is prepared to protect us from what it perceives as a threat ; What happens then? That when we see others suffer (and connect with them), the brain also prepares for the “threat”, even if we do not actually experience it ourselves.
Caregiver syndrome
Related to the concept of vicarious trauma, we find the caregiver syndrome, which is attributed to those people who take care of others and who are not able to adapt to the circumstances in a positive way, due to the physical and mental exhaustion they suffer from the fact to care for dependent people. This wear and tear could be perfectly explained by vicarious trauma.
According to the Guide for caregivers in the family environment (2009) prepared by the Granada Provincial Council (Welfare and Citizen Rights Area), people who suffer from this syndrome suffer from the following symptoms (or some of them): nervousness, stress, sadness, decreased appetite, pain, sweating, rapid heartbeat, sleep disorders, inattention, skin conditions, reduced work performance, self-medication, decreased self-care, etc. That is, symptoms of physical and mental overload.
How to prevent vicarious trauma?
If you are a professional who is dedicated to some of the aforementioned sectors, it is also likely that you will end up developing vicarious trauma in the future. Whether or not it finally occurs, we leave you a series of ideas that can help you prevent or combat it:
- Perceive and carefully analyze the emotions you feel at all times.
- Apply some emotional distance with the people you work with ; I don’t know about being cold and distant, but about standing in the middle to protect ourselves (this will also allow us to be more objective in our work).
- Reinforce yourself, especially when you get home; you can make it through a moment just for you (a hot shower), for example.
- Disconnect from work when you get home ; You can try music, being with your loved ones, meditation, etc.
- In line with the previous point: avoid bringing your work (and the cases you deal with) home.
- Practice physical exercise (it will allow you to disconnect).
- Take care of your lifestyle and your diet.
Final thoughts
Vicarious trauma can affect many of us and consequently affect the people we work with or care for as well. The Guide for caregivers in the family environment (2009) offers us a series of reasons to start taking care of ourselves in the case of suffering the caregiver syndrome (which we can also apply in the case of vicarious trauma):
- Maintain an adequate state of health
- Feeling emotionally good about yourself and others
- Maintain quality of life in order to offer quality of life to the person being cared for
We can achieve all this by ourselves, with the help of others or by asking for professional help. And, how important is it to take care of ourselves when we have to take care of ourselves!
