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Trig Oct 12, 2019 at 05:00 AM
  #1
Witnessing trauma, hearing traumatic stories from loved ones in real life, losing a loved one to murder, exposure to neighborhood violence, exposure to witnessing school or workplace bullying/harassment, witnessing crime scenes, having a job that involves witnessing others' traumas - these are all forms of vicarious or secondary trauma.

Much of the extant literature on vicarious/secondary trauma largely focuses on first responders and helping professionals. However, many persons who have experienced complex trauma, polyvictimization throughout the lifespan, and neighborhood violence are also among the populations who experience vicarious/secondary trauma.

In my lifetime, I have been exposed to many different forms of trauma, including witnessing many of the things mentioned above, sometimes in an ongoing pattern. Living in violent neighborhoods when I was poor and homeless at times only increased my trauma exposure. When such exposure remains in the present, it is called continuous traumatic stress.

Those who experience continuous vicarious trauma may be prone to the same symptoms and behavioral problems associated with PTSD. Recurrent nightmares, intrusive thoughts, and hypervigilance are some of those symptoms.

When I heard gunshots every week, and then received a call from a veteran who was feeling both suicidal and homicidal, I tried my best with my own PTSD AND DID to calm myself down, call the VA for help with a symptomatic veteran, and call the police regarding the veteran's claims to me by phone. It took a while for me to call the correct precinct, since I had no idea where the veteran lived, but I knew enough to redirect them to the VA, where the team there could locate her. They did, and they apprehended her weapon. About a week later, she called and texted me a few times. I explained to her that I was not feeling safe, and that I was sorry for not being able to continue being her friend. I felt really badly, but she continued to snail mail me even after I had said that and blocked her. I realized then that I was experiencing multiple forms of trauma from that event alone, not including the local gang violence in my community. Vicarious trauma caused me to flashback, freeze, dissociate, isolate, panic, and fear the unknown. The VA helped me to feel safe a little, but the veteran I described above was recently fired from the VA and feeling hurt by many people. My fears of military sexual trauma resurfaced after that because I was afraid of both uniformed military personnel and potentially hostile veterans at the VA, since my experiences in the military were hostile. I knew my paranoia was somewhat irrational, but I also knew that there may be potential vicarious traumas that could take place in such settings. I wanted to be a help to my fellow veteran family, but my unresolved traumas made me more senaitive to the vicarious traumas I was experiencing.

I moved out of state two months ago to find safety.

I can just imagine what therapists, police, fire fighters, rescue, clandestine operators, and others may be experiencing in terms of vicarious trauma and continuous traumatic stress.

Last edited by bluekoi; Oct 12, 2019 at 08:31 PM.. Reason: Add triggger icon.
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Default Oct 12, 2019 at 12:52 PM
  #2
I left my home city and moved to my current town because I was the victim of a home invasion. I was living in a ghetto and it was bad news. Like, really bad.

Close to everything I owned was stolen as I stood there, not daring to say or do anything...just watching my possessions being dumped, grabbed, carried out. Everything from my wedding dress to lovely bookcases that had been given to me. Thank the universe that my pets weren't hurt. And for some odd reason, the people who broke into my home didn't take my computer.

After they left I grabbed my pets, boxed them up (the mammals), stuffed caged animals into my car. I filled 2 large lawn bags with anything I could grab that hadn't been taken (which wasn't much). Jammed my desktop into my car and took off. I was a state of terror, but I made it to a town where I had a relative I could stay with until I found my own place.

Anyway, I know that people in the "rescue" fields experience some God-awful things and that most of them develop PTSD pretty quickly. But they are trained, they know what they're getting into, they are paid for their work, and they have each other. It is for those reasons that I separate victims from people employed in certain fields.

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Default Oct 12, 2019 at 03:55 PM
  #3
Quote:
Originally Posted by BethRags View Post
I left my home city and moved to my current town because I was the victim of a home invasion. I was living in a ghetto and it was bad news. Like, really bad.

Close to everything I owned was stolen as I stood there, not daring to say or do anything...just watching my possessions being dumped, grabbed, carried out. Everything from my wedding dress to lovely bookcases that had been given to me. Thank the universe that my pets weren't hurt. And for some odd reason, the people who broke into my home didn't take my computer.

After they left I grabbed my pets, boxed them up (the mammals), stuffed caged animals into my car. I filled 2 large lawn bags with anything I could grab that hadn't been taken (which wasn't much). Jammed my desktop into my car and took off. I was a state of terror, but I made it to a town where I had a relative I could stay with until I found my own place.

Anyway, I know that people in the "rescue" fields experience some God-awful things and that most of them develop PTSD pretty quickly. But they are trained, they know what they're getting into, they are paid for their work, and they have each other. It is for those reasons that I separate victims from people employed in certain fields.
@BethRags

I am so so soooo sorry you went through that. You went through multiple traumas during that home invasion in a bad neighborhood. I'm glad you were able to save your fur babies (pets). Gosh, I'd be in a state of terror if I were in that situation, and then some.

You make an excellent point about the difference between trained professionals and victims. The main differences you point out have to do with what I think are "protective factors." Police, EMT, fire, rescue, therapists - they're all trained to deal with many different traumatic experiences they witness (or sometimes encounter directly), and they have the protective factors of not only their training, but each other, their job titles and reputation that goes with them, their social capital, their monetary benefits, etc. - all of which could be considered "capable guardianship" in criminal justice terms.
Conversely, victims seemingly lack those protective factors (capable guardianship) against victimization; they lack the social support before and after traumas, and they lack the training (most notably self-defense that is often suggested to sexual assault victims only after their traumatic experiences, so as to prevent revictimization, polyvictimization, etc.), the financial resources to deal with monetary losses, and their reputation based on their newfound title "victim."

Notwithstanding your excellent points, both groups can experience post-traumatic symptoms and behavioral problems. Additionally, there are many veterans who have been sexually or physically assaulted, despite their "defense training," so the mere suggestion of self-defense courses for victims of sexual or physical assault negates those who have already been trained but were overpowered, or those who are physically disabled and therefore cannot fight for themselves. Again, it's easy to place responsibility on the victim and victim-blame than it is to blame the offender(s) who started this trauma to begin with. It's also easy to target victims to change the "formula for victimization, making it less of an option for predatory offenders" in terms of prevention than it is to target offenders to change their "formulas for offending." Both parties can suffer from the same symptoms, and therefore both parties need help to manage or relieve their symptoms, even though one party has more support than the other.

It's the support for the victims that I'm advocating for!

I never held a professional title, but I was trained in police and the military, and that did not stop me from becoming mentally disabled, overpowered by stronger others, or losing my own reputation and therefore social capital. It didn't stop me (and many veterans) from becoming homeless at one point in our lives due to a lack of social support and/or understanding that would have protected us from homelessness. There are many police officers (my half-sister's fiance for one, who was an African American, full-time police officer) who were so affected by the continuous traumatic stress that they either quit or got fired from their jobs as law enforcement professionals - some of whom are actually incarcerated themselves for criminal behavioral problems that led to poor conduct on the job (e.g., police brutality, police harassment, an officer-involved-shooting gone wrong, etc.). Despite criminal behaviors, some offenders were once victims (also termed "victim-offenders," based on the theory of the victim-offender overlap), and victimization is a form of trauma; their unresolved traumas coupled with other factors (not trauma alone, and not a serious mental illness alone, but other factors such as learning deviancy, being involved in too many moral injuries) led to more externalizing, behavioral problems than other victims who did not act out criminally. There's a lot o research on all of this, and it doesn't mean that one party should be treated better than the other party, even though systemic problems show that some parties are treated better than other parties, especially in terms of access to mental health care, social stigma preventing mental health treatment as well as the protective factors of social support.

That said, I do feel more support is needed for victims because they often lack so many resources that make their recovery from a traumatic situation harder, such as what you had described in your own life.

I'm so sorry.
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Default Oct 12, 2019 at 06:10 PM
  #4
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Originally Posted by lillib View Post
@BethRags

I am so so soooo sorry you went through that. You went through multiple traumas during that home invasion in a bad neighborhood. I'm glad you were able to save your fur babies (pets). Gosh, I'd be in a state of terror if I were in that situation, and then some.

Thank you, lillib, I appreciate your kindness. Strangely, coming from a childhood in which we experienced relentless stress and trauma and then the almost inevitable extreme stress that follows us into adulthood (when we had a traumatic childhood) sometimes provides us with a degree of ability to cope with very unordinary circumstances - at least, while they're happening (then later we might fall to pieces).

In my case I was so immensely relieved to save my pets and get myself safely out of there that everything else seemed to lose significance.

You make an excellent point about the difference between trained professionals and victims. The main differences you point out have to do with what I think are "protective factors." Police, EMT, fire, rescue, therapists - they're all trained to deal with many different traumatic experiences they witness (or sometimes encounter directly), and they have the protective factors of not only their training, but each other, their job titles and reputation that goes with them, their social capital, their monetary benefits, etc. - all of which could be considered "capable guardianship" in criminal justice terms.

"Protective factors" is an excellent term. Precise.

Conversely, victims seemingly lack those protective factors (capable guardianship) against victimization; they lack the social support before and after traumas, and they lack the training (most notably self-defense that is often suggested to sexual assault victims only after their traumatic experiences, so as to prevent revictimization, polyvictimization, etc.), the financial resources to deal with monetary losses, and their reputation based on their newfound title "victim."

Sadly - yes. Absolutely. There is that cruel "blame the victim" mentality. Victims are very seldom heroes; they are usually thought of as "weak."

Notwithstanding your excellent points, both groups can experience post-traumatic symptoms and behavioral problems. Additionally, there are many veterans who have been sexually or physically assaulted, despite their "defense training," so the mere suggestion of self-defense courses for victims of sexual or physical assault negates those who have already been trained but were overpowered, or those who are physically disabled and therefore cannot fight for themselves. Again, it's easy to place responsibility on the victim and victim-blame than it is to blame the offender(s) who started this trauma to begin with. It's also easy to target victims to change the "formula for victimization, making it less of an option for predatory offenders" in terms of prevention than it is to target offenders to change their "formulas for offending." Both parties can suffer from the same symptoms, and therefore both parties need help to manage or relieve their symptoms, even though one party has more support than the other.

Very true!

It's the support for the victims that I'm advocating for!

I never held a professional title, but I was trained in police and the military, and that did not stop me from becoming mentally disabled, overpowered by stronger others, or losing my own reputation and therefore social capital. It didn't stop me (and many veterans) from becoming homeless at one point in our lives due to a lack of social support and/or understanding that would have protected us from homelessness. There are many police officers (my half-sister's fiance for one, who was an African American, full-time police officer) who were so affected by the continuous traumatic stress that they either quit or got fired from their jobs as law enforcement professionals - some of whom are actually incarcerated themselves for criminal behavioral problems that led to poor conduct on the job (e.g., police brutality, police harassment, an officer-involved-shooting gone wrong, etc.). Despite criminal behaviors, some offenders were once victims (also termed "victim-offenders," based on the theory of the victim-offender overlap), and victimization is a form of trauma; their unresolved traumas coupled with other factors (not trauma alone, and not a serious mental illness alone, but other factors such as learning deviancy, being involved in too many moral injuries) led to more externalizing, behavioral problems than other victims who did not act out criminally. There's a lot o research on all of this, and it doesn't mean that one party should be treated better than the other party, even though systemic problems show that some parties are treated better than other parties, especially in terms of access to mental health care, social stigma preventing mental health treatment as well as the protective factors of social support.

That said, I do feel more support is needed for victims because they often lack so many resources that make their recovery from a traumatic situation harder, such as what you had described in your own life.

I'm so sorry.

Again - thank you.

My husband is a military veteran (Vietnam) and, despite all training, etc., suffers with PTSD. So yes, without a doubt PTSD can effect all, under any circumstances. When all is said and done it's the support following the event that makes all the difference.
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Default Oct 12, 2019 at 10:30 PM
  #5
@BethRags

I'm so sorry your husband is dealing with all that, too. My half-brother was in the Army during Vietnam, and he is disabled with a bunch of disabilities. I'm not sure he trusts the VA though. It's tough!

It's awesome that you found a partner where you can support one another! I've always wondered what that would be like, since I've been single most of my life and now consider myself asexual, due to my many disabilities.

Thank you for responding to my post. It helps to get my brain thinking about the many different topics that are brought up here, and how I can relate or what I've read on the subjects.

I love the diversity on PC!

Quote:
My husband is a military veteran (Vietnam) and, despite all training, etc., suffers with PTSD. So yes, without a doubt PTSD can effect all, under any circumstances. When all is said and done it's the support following the event that makes all the difference.
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