By Lenni Ferren, LPCC
This has been a big year for not only our country but also our world. We have witnessed a global pandemic resulting in millions of deaths. We have witnessed unnecessary deaths on video in front of our very eyes, ongoing mass public shootings, riots, and we have watched our loved ones suffering and going through their own struggles. Through all of this, we are also trying to maintain our own physical and mental health.
Vicarious Trauma: Why It Matters Now More Than Ever
So What is Vicarious Trauma? Vicarious Trauma or VT is the cumulative emotional, physical, and psychological effect of exposure to stories of events characterized by pain, fear, and suffering of others, combined with the strain and stress of everyday life.
Vicarious Trauma and the Brain: Why Do We Experience Vicarious Trauma?
Human beings have something in our brains called Mirror Neurons. Mirror neurons are a type of neuron in the brain that allows us to feel other’s pain as if it is our own. Human beings need mirror neurons for empathy and we need empathy to survive as social tribal beings. This is why we are able to feel what others feel. Cry at movies, and why we can experience VT.
Why Do Some People Experience VT and Some Don’t?
What is happening in our personal life matters like our personal history, personality, life circumstances, resources, and support system. If we have grown up with trauma or dysfunction, are struggling with finances, or struggling with relationships, and do not have a strong support system like family, friends, or a therapist, we may struggle more with VT.
A person’s environment and the health of our environment are also very important. This includes our home environment, work environment, school environment, and professional environment. Are you getting safety and support in these environments?
Another very important factor and one we have seen a lot of this year is cultural health, safety, and support. Cultures of intolerance, differing cultural styles of communication, and discrimination can affect VT on a massive level.
What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Vicarious Trauma?
If you are experiencing lingering feelings of anger, rage, and sadness about someone’s victimization, if you are becoming overly involved emotionally or experiencing repetitive thoughts or rumination about the event(s), If you become so preoccupied with it that it begins to affect your health, relationships, or work. You may also feel loss of hope, pessimism, or cynicism about the world in general or one particular event. It is important to notice if you are distancing yourself from friends and family, numbing, self-medicating, or even keeping yourself very busy to cope.
The Impact of Vicarious Trauma On Your Life
There is an impact on our lives if we ignore or do not treat VT. Most often if you are experiencing VT and it becomes chronic which means longer than three months, you may begin to notice signs of stress and burnout. VT can also cause anxiety, depression, and PTSD. This has been a very hard year for so many and just the isolation for a year watching all of this last year's events unfold is enough to cause chronic stress. This not only affects our mental health, but the ongoing stress hormones also affect our physical health too.
What is Stress and What is Burnout?
Stress is the body’s response to demands that can affect your mind, body, behaviors and relationships. Stress feels like too much. “This is too much, I cant handle it”, too much to feel, too much work, pressure, etc
Burnout is a state of emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion, caused by excessive and prolonged stress. Leaving an individual unable to meet constant demands. Burnout is not enough..not enough time, energy, caring, etc.
Stress
Too much
Over involvement
Heightened emotions
Loss or too much energy
Burnout
Not Enough
Detachment and Disengagement
Helplessness and Hopelessness
Loss of motivation, values, and purpose
The Window of Tolerance and Why It Matters
The window of tolerance is a term defined by Dan Seigel as the optimal zone of our nervous system functioning, where we can learn, be creative, and respond to life’s demands. When we are not in our window of tolerance we feel overwhelmed, reactive, overloaded, and withdrawn. Trauma, stress, and burnout affect our window of tolerance. Vicarious Trauma makes it hard for us to stay on our window of tolerance which often leads to maladaptive coping mechanisms, difficulty in relationships, and chronic stress. The good news is there are tools and support systems to help you heal VT and your nervous system so that you are better able to cope and stay within your window of tolerance. Therapy provides many tools to help you do this as well as finding tools that work for your own individual nervous system.
5 Strategies to Nurture Your Nervous System and Get In Your Window of Tolerance
Cognitive/mental strategies- positive and gentle self-talk, mantras, healthy attitudes, therapy, understanding emotions
Spiritual/Ritual strategies- utilizing philosophy, finding support in your faith and spiritual communities, getting help with your outlook on life, connecting with, or getting help finding your values, chanting, meditation.
Physical/Sensory strategies- Baths, massage, movement, music, singing, acupuncture, bike riding, walking in nature, healthy consensual physical touch, dancing, meditation
Social strategies- Creative expression like making art, friends and family, volunteering, concerts, zoom dates, therapy, Boundaries, support of a good therapist. Healthy Boundaries with media exposure, give yourself a healthy limit for the day (and try not to engage in it first thing in the morning or before you go to bed)
Verbal/language strategies- expression-talking, singing, writing, expressing feelings, therapy, Boundaries, asking for help and support, talking with your therapist
We have been through a year like no other, and though it has felt isolated, we have all been going through it together. We as human beings are not meant to do this alone. We are not meant to struggle alone. If you feel like you are struggling with vicarious trauma, anxiety, depression, PTSD, chronic stress, and burnout, know you are not alone. There are tools to heal your nervous system and when you heal your nervous system and are able to regulate so you can handle whatever life throws your way. If you need additional support at this time you can text the national crisis text line, text HELLO to 741741. Or you can reach out to us here at Evolve in Nature to schedule a psychotherapy session.