It was a beautiful, unseasonably warm day at a concert in LA. The sky was turning cotton-candy pink as the sun set. Lovers and friends were sprinkled across the bright green AstroTurf, pouring wine into red cups and bouncing oversized beach balls through the crowd. I was trying to sing along to a song I barely knew, and as I spun around to face my friend, I saw a man’s silhouette in the window of a nearby high rise. My heart sank, and my feet froze in place as he lifted the gun toward the crowd below. Glass shattered as the distinctive pops of gunshots echoed through the atrium.
“Erin!” My friend yelled as she grabbed my arm. “Are you ok?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I said as I noticed it was not, in fact, a gun that I had seen, and we were all safe. “I’m just a little messed up from watching all of the video footage from Vegas.”
As a psychotherapist, I knew that I was more than just a little messed up. I was suffering from Vicarious Trauma.
This is a term that gets thrown around a lot in the helping professions. Social workers, psychologists, therapists are all at an increased risk of developing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder-like symptoms from having others disclose traumatic events to them. However, due to the ongoing incidents of violence in our country and access to more cell phone video footage, all Americans are at significant risk for short and long-term damage to their mental health and wellbeing.
Here are 5 things you should know in order to protect yourself.
- Recognize the Signs
The first step is to become aware of any changes you are experiencing as a result of witnessing disturbing videos. The signs and symptoms are vast and vary from person to person, but experiencing just one of these symptoms can have a negative impact on your life and health.
Signs and symptoms of vicarious trauma (Saakvitne and Pearlman, 1995).
- Psychological- emotional exhaustion, distancing from others, depression, reduced ability to feel sympathy or empathy, cynicism, resentment, disruption of world-view, heightened anxiety, intrusive imagery, hypersensitivity, loss of hope, helplessness
- Physical- exhaustion, insomnia, more frequent illnesses
- Behavioral- increased use of alcohol or drugs, anger, impaired ability to make decisions, problems with personal relationships
Once you know the signs you might start to recognize them everywhere: “Stop sending prayers and do something” (anger, helplessness), “I just honestly can’t even talk about it” (avoidance, emotional exhaustion, numbing), ‘“People keep dying, but nothing ever changes” (loss of hope, cynicism).
It’s important to remember that all of these are typical reactions to abnormal events and there is no reason to judge ourselves for reacting to horrific media images.
- Know the Risks
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5, does not rule out video footage as exposure to a life-threatening event for a diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Therefore, some psychologists would now agree that it is possible to develop PTSD from ongoing exposure to videos.
While Vicarious Trauma can negatively impact your relationships, work, and health, PTSD is a severe and ongoing expression of these symptoms that could severely alter your ability to function and have a productive life.
- Prevention is Key
Proof of the innate human drive for knowledge is everywhere. It can be seen in the rubbernecking that occurs on freeways after an accident, and how we gawk at tabloid fodder. Christopher Hsee and colleagues found that volunteers in four controlled experiments were far more likely to resolve their curiosity, even when they expected a negative consequence for doing so. However, they also found that people were less likely to expose themselves to harmful stimuli by stopping to consider how the content would make them feel.
One research article regarding the Boston Marathon Bombings also suggests that media exposure of 6 hours causes more symptoms of acute stress than direct exposure. Therefore, while it is an entirely logical human impulse to look, merely taking a moment to bring the emotional ramifications of over-exposure into our awareness can significantly decrease the likelihood of overindulging.
- How to Heal
If you recognize that you’re past the point of prevention, then it’s important to take steps today to regain a sense of joy and wellbeing. Research indicates that healing involves awareness of the symptoms, a balanced life, and connection with others. Coping strategies that embrace self-care and create a sense of belonging can go a long way. However, if your symptoms last more than a month, it’s best to seek the help of a professional that specializes in trauma.
- Awareness of the Collective Impact
As we increase our exposure to graphic and violent content, it’s imperative that we improve our understanding of the impact this can have, not only on ourselves but our society as a whole. Compassion, when not acted upon, can turn to dormant empathy or sadness. The Dalai Lama says, “Compassion is the more empowered state because when you are in empathy, your focus is on the problem, the suffering, the pain. When you move to compassion, now you’re focused on the solution.” Compassion fatigue, or the inability to feel compassion for others, is a common result of prolonged vicarious trauma and could have an enormous impact if we all begin to collectively numb out the suffering of others.
On the other hand, if we are able to act on our compassion it can lead to a deeper understanding of our humanity, and a greater sense of wellbeing. This process of expansion called vicarious transformation can be accessed through awareness of the suffering within ourselves and others. We could collectively deepen our connections to one another and begin true healing by recognizing the beauty of human resilience and being motivated by our compassion. If we could this pain to unite and begin taking actionable steps toward improving our country, we could turn our collective traumatization to a nation of transformation.