Vicarious Trauma
Vicarious trauma (VT), also known as secondary trauma, is generally defined as indirect exposure to a traumatic event, which results in symptoms similar to those of individuals who actually experienced the event. Recently, there has been an acknowledgment of vicarious trauma within communities, broadening the definition to “a life or safety-threatening event or abuse that happened to some members of a social group but is felt by other members as their own experience because of their personal affiliation with the group” (Fuhr, 2016). Situations that may cause vicarious group trauma include things such as shootings due to racial or religious reasons (Christchurch shooting, Tree of Life shooting, El Paso Walmart shooting), genocide, natural disasters, etc. It should be noted that while this is typically associated with helping professions (therapists, first responders, doctors, etc.) or those with ties to the affected group, it is not exclusive to those groups; someone does not need to have a certain job or be part of the affected group to experience vicarious trauma. The reason this is an important distinction to make is because without it, we risk alienating people who are experiencing vicarious trauma. For example, someone who did not know anyone at the Route 91 Harvest Festival may have vicarious trauma that then stops them from going to any concerts regardless of location, type of music, etc.; if we say that only people with a direct link can experience trauma we would be alienating this individual and they may not receive the help they need.
It’s also important to clarify that vicarious trauma is not interchangeable with compassion fatigue or burnout; while they share similarities they are separate phenomenons and compassion fatigue will have its own post.
As with all things, the ways that people experience VT will vary. Symptoms can be broken down into five categories: emotional, behavioral, physiological, cognitive, and spiritual.
Emotional: grief, anger, irritability, distractibility.
Behavioral: isolation, substance use, difficulty sleeping, change in eating habits, increase in risky behaviors.
Psychological: headaches, rashes, ulcers, heartburn, shortness of breath.
Cognitive: cynicism, difficulty concentrating, memory issues, hypervigilance,
Spiritual: loss of hope, loss of sense of purpose, feelings of disconnect.
What can you do if you or a loved one are experiencing vicarious trauma? It depends, and no one answer will fit for everyone. Some things that may help:
Self-care: not necessarily face masks (but if that’s what you need, you do you boo). This can mean getting enough sleep, drinking enough water, exercising, taking time off, etc.
Taking a break from social media, news, electronics if these are causing or worsening symptoms.
Talking to someone (friend, family, or professional). It’s important to note that your friends and family may not be emotionally able to have these conversations and/or may not feel that they can provide the needed support. This is not a reflection on either of you- without training these feelings and situations can be hard to deal with.
References and further reading
Fuhr, C. (2016). Vicarious Group Trauma among British Jews. Qualitative Sociology. 39(3). 309-330. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11133-016-9337-4
Smith, L. E., Bernal, D. R., Schwartz, B. S., Whitt, C. L., Christman, S. T., Donnelly, S., … Kobetz, E. (2014). Coping With Vicarious Trauma in the Aftermath of a Natural Disaster. Journal of Multicultural Counseling & Development, 42(1), 2–12. https://doi-org.lopesalum.idm.oclc.org/10.1002/j.2161-1912.2014.00040.x
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/vicarious-trauma-mass-shooting_l_5c8bac34e4b0db7da9f27579
https://www.popsci.com/compassion-fatigue-trauma/
https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychpedia/vicarious-trauma
https://www.counseling.org/docs/trauma-disaster/fact-sheet-9---vicarious-trauma.pdf