{"id":9790,"date":"2019-07-09T17:48:42","date_gmt":"2019-07-10T00:48:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/btsadv.wpengine.com\/?p=9344"},"modified":"2019-07-09T17:48:42","modified_gmt":"2019-07-10T00:48:42","slug":"what-is-vicarious-trauma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/breakthesilencedv.org\/?p=9790","title":{"rendered":"What is Vicarious Trauma?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

By Jenn Rockefeller<\/span><\/p>\n

A friend gets into a bad accident and tells you about it, and then you begin to have nightmares about that accident despite you not even experiencing it firsthand. Maybe you\u2019re in a helping profession and the experiences of those you help are starting to affect you. You are experiencing what is called vicarious trauma. What is it and how can you tell if you are experiencing it?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Definition<\/b>
<\/span>According to <\/span>Merriam-Webster<\/span><\/a>, vicarious means \u201cexperienced or realized through imaginative or sympathetic participation in the experience of another.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

So when the term vicarious trauma is discussed, it means that you are experiencing someone else\u2019s trauma simply by them talking about it, discussing it at length, and even mentioning details of that trauma. It\u2019s the cumulative effects of other people\u2019s emotions that you somehow take on as your own.<\/span><\/p>\n

How it can impact you<\/b>
<\/b>Vicarious trauma can have a serious impact on a person\u2019s mental health if it\u2019s not addressed in a timely manner. It can leave you with extreme emotional distress, especially if you are in a helping profession that hears other people\u2019s trauma on a daily basis.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Furthermore, it can leave you with symptoms that bear a striking resemblance to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as well as adversely affecting your identity, self-esteem, sense of safety, ability to trust and intimacy. So it\u2019s imperative to keep a close eye on yourself and develop healthy boundaries so that you can become more aware of the first signs of experiencing it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Signs that someone is experiencing it<\/b>
<\/b>According to <\/span>Good Therapy<\/span><\/a>, signs of vicarious trauma fall into five categories \u2013 emotional, behavioral, physiological, cognitive and spiritual.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n