The Many Victims of Trauma
When a traumatic incident occurs, the impacts can be devastating. First responders, caregivers, family or friends may be present and offer support during and after the incident. These people may in turn be affected by what they witness, such as in the case of this police officer:
I responded to a car crash between two vehicles…I had to pull out the dead mother to get at the surviving child. And I knew this girl; she was a friend of my young daughter. I stayed with the little girl until the paramedics arrived. I can still see the image of that terrible scene so vividly in my mind, even though it happened 8 years ago.
People who regularly support victims of trauma may experience the negative effects of the incidents in the form of vivid flashbacks, vivid dreams, feelings of hopelessness, constant stress and anxiety, or exhaustion. In helpers or witnesses, this is secondary or vicarious trauma.
Left untreated, vicarious trauma can cause compassion fatigue, which is characterized by a decrease in productivity, lessening of compassion, inability to focus, and feelings of incompetency and self-doubt.
Compassion fatigue affects all types of helpers, from first responders to health care workers to family and friends. All in all, a surprisingly large number of us are susceptible to compassion fatigue.
Vicarious trauma also affects children. For example, when veterans experience PTSD, their symptoms can be so intense or vivid that they believe they are re-experiencing the trauma. This is frightening for the individual as well as for their children who witness such episodes. Children may not understand what is happening, may worry about their parent's well-being, and may worry that their parent cannot properly care for them. In witnessing their parents’ distress, they experience vicarious trauma.
Fortunately, awareness is growing. Veteran Centers now recognize that effective PTSD treatment must include the veteran’s family. Additionally, treatments continue to improve. Facilitators of the technique called Traumatic Incident Reduction (TIR), a powerful tool for reducing or eliminating the negative effects of PTSD, can help. TIR is effective for those who are directly impacted as well as those with secondary trauma.
Behavioral health professionals sometimes experience compassion fatigue. However, it is often observed within our profession that TIR facilitators do not seem to experience compassion fatigue. Why is this the case? TIR trains facilitators to have powerful communication skills. The facilitator learns to stay present while a client expresses overwhelming distress, and this allows the client to focus on reprocessing the trauma. Additionally, TIR facilitators do not bring their own feelings or judgments into the equation, and thus do not require help to overcome them. It is a part of the TIR methodology for the client to feel a sense of relief after each session. Gradually, over several sessions, more and more of the effects of the trauma are swept away. Clients and facilitators feel empowered. We could say that TIR facilitators experience “compassion empowerment” rather than compassion fatigue.
Trauma happens. Trained TIR facilitators are fortunate to know and deliver techniques to relieve it.
By Margaret and Harry Nelson