Table of Contents
Vicarious Trauma – Effects and Treatment
Here in this post, we are discussing and learning about “Vicarious Trauma – Effects and Treatment”. You can read more about psychology-related material on our website. Keep visiting Psychology Roots.
We may be affected mentally by violent images displayed on the Internet, in movies, or on social media, as well as by painful stories from friends, coworkers, and family. It’s possible that you’re reading this now because you’ve been haunted by anything you’ve heard or seen in the past. You may be surprised to learn that subsequent exposure to trauma can have consequences that are comparable to, if not worse than, those of the original trauma. The term for this occurrence is “vicarious trauma” (VT), and it’s possible that’s what you’re going through at this moment.
Vicarious Trauma – Effects and Treatment
Trauma is, without a question, a constant presence in our lives. Trauma may be both physical and emotional for many people. According to the American Psychological Association, trauma is our emotional response to life-threatening accidents, violent interactions, or socio-environmental catastrophes. Emotional reactions ranging from self-absorption to flashbacks, mood swings, and other visible bodily symptomology might be triggered by such situations.
A New Kind of Trauma Is Emerging
It was not until the early part of the new millennium that the word “vicarious” began to be used in relation to the long-term effects of therapists hearing their clients’ tragic experiences. During that period, I did one of the first studies to look into whether or not the general population was susceptible to experiencing vicarious trauma (Luster, 2005). For the first time, a pilot research found that vicarious trauma is present in people who are not in the medical field. After 9/11, this was barely a few years old. My interest was piqued by the events of September 11, 2001, when the horrific violence was broadcast in real time through live video feed (Fung, 2021).
Second-hand distressing material may cause both emotional and cognitive alterations known as vicarious trauma (VT). (Jimenez and colleagues, 2021b)
Vicarious Trauma: What We Know So Far
It’s becoming increasingly common for individuals to hear second-hand reports of disasters like pandemics and societal upheaval as well as violence in the streets, road rage on airplanes, and other “wilding” behaviors nowadays. People have been able to document and share their terrible experiences because to the widespread availability of social media. In addition, unsettling anecdotes from coworkers, colleagues, family, and strangers may often elicit a shaky sensation. In many cases, we become hypervigilant to the painful stuff of others without even realizing what has occurred to ourselves. Consequently, we are plagued with anxieties and avoid a variety of circumstances and locations because of them, but we have no idea why we do so.
Evidence from neurobiological science shows that the brain and body both retain remnants of the experience of trauma after it is survived (van der Kolk, 2015). It has been discovered that these physical and emotional artifacts (the memories transmitted by a second source) may likewise have an impact on the brain and body of those who receive them, much like first-hand trauma (Drapeau et al., 2022).
Vicarious Trauma’s Symptoms
In light of the vast majority of material focused on the symptomology of doctors, I wish to extend the same fidelity to symptomology that is generally present in the general community (Suo et al., 2022). And, despite the abnormalities, when we see or hear about someone else being harmed, we can’t help but feel empathy for them. However, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition lists a few signs of vicariously experiencing others’ trauma:
- Avoidance of situations, places, things
- Bad dreams
- Hypervigilant states
- Safety fears
- Grief
- Anxiety
- Sadness
- Irritability
- Morbid pre-occupation (e.g., doomscrolling)
- Loss of hope
- Decreased sense of purpose
- Physiological symptoms such as headaches, heartburn, and ulcers (Jimenez et al., 2021)
Treatment of Vicarious Trauma
Getting rid of negative energy: When we experience the symptoms of VT, we need to let go of the bad energy that’s been building up inside of us. Running, swimming, yoga, or strolling may assist to quickly dissipate the effects of adrenaline, as does engaging in any type of physical exercise. It’s possible to diminish the intensity of VT by engaging in reaction art, music, or writing, which have all been demonstrated to alter and modify such feelings (Drapeau et al., 2022b).
Paying attention to what you’re ingesting: Reflect on what you’ve been “orienting” yourself to recently. To some extent, our responses to VT might be influenced by our preoccupations and predispositions. By “choosing” what we concentrate on, rather than letting our habits or curiosity to drag us into darker regions, we may learn to re-orient our attention and therefore our lives. In (Ogden and Fisher, 2015)
People have a tendency to look back on their previous experiences as a way of preparing themselves for the future. However, this form of automatic orienting might have a negative impact on your health, fostering a sense of dread and anxiety. As a result of such self-defence, we are constantly reminded to keep an eye out for the bad things that are going to happen in the future.
It’s critical to have the ability to redirect one’s attention away from potential sources of VT. Reading literature, seeing art, or taking a thoughtful stroll may all help you return to a healthy viewpoint instead of being tempted to macabre social media sites. It’s important to keep an eye out for foods that are beneficial to your health, so that you may become more adept at picking and choosing which foods to consume on a regular basis.
Developing good habits: Before you begin your day, practice mindfulness. When you meditate, you’ll be able to better control your emotional content. Additionally, using positive self-talk throughout the day might be beneficial. Using simple techniques to convince yourself that you are secure and that everything will be OK may have a significant impact on your well-being.
It’s time to pay greater attention to the issue of vicarious trauma, particularly when the general population is exposed to more and more stimuli capable of evoking VT. We may improve our emotional intelligence by paying attention to our thoughts and feelings while we face difficult situations.
Summary
Trauma is our emotional response to life-threatening accidents, violent interactions, or socio-environmental catastrophes. Second-hand distressing material may cause both emotional and cognitive alterations known as vicarious trauma (VT). The term “vicarious trauma” was coined after 9/11 for research into the long-term effects of therapists hearing their clients’ tragic experiences. It’s becoming increasingly common for individuals to hear second-hand reports of disasters like pandemics and societal upheaval. Neurobiological science shows that the brain and body retain remnants of trauma after it is survived.
It’s possible to diminish the intensity of vicarious trauma by engaging in reaction art, music, or writing. Vicarious trauma (VT) can be caused by our preoccupations and predispositions. By “choosing” what we concentrate on, rather than letting our habits or curiosity to drag us into darker regions, we may learn to re-orient our attention. It’s important to keep an eye out for foods that are beneficial to your health.
Help Us Improve This Article
Have you discovered an inaccuracy? We put out great effort to give accurate and scientifically trustworthy information to our readers. Please notify us if you discover any typographical or grammatical errors.
Make a comment. We acknowledge and appreciate your efforts.
If you have any scale or any material related to psychology kindly share it with us at psychologyroots@gmail.com. We help others on behalf of you.
