Help for those Experiencing Vicarious/Secondary Trauma, Compassion Fatigue, Etc.?

What are some tips to help us helpers reduce vicarious/secondary trauma and/or compassion fatigue, etc.?

For example, *boundaries* and *effective communication* are two tips that can help alleviate stress when helping.

Another example: Knowing your own limitations to what you can offer in terms of time, energy, words, emotional support, instrumental support, etc. You may be able to offer some help, but not other types of help. For instance, I ask some people whom I barely know to post their concerns as a thread on a forum, so that I can find support for myself while helping out another fellow PC member. I know that my limitation is feeling singled out as someone's only source of support, which can tap into my own low energy reserves affiliated with my chronic fatigue syndrome. To help me to help others, I set boundaries for myself and with others, but I keep the doors of communication open so that I can still offer limited support while finding that person more support. --That's just one example.

I'm sure there are more tips many of you can offer, especially those who are professionals. But it's important to recognize that vicarious/secondary trauma can happen to anyone who is a support system for someone else - not just with professionals who work in the helping fields or as first responders. All of us could use some self-care as well as support when helping others. All of us are susceptible to exceeding our own individual thresholds of distress tolerance.

Please share some ideas you have to reduce vicarious/secondary trauma while, at the same time, learning to embrace and enjoy helping others, empathizing with others, and not giving up on relationships that could easily be reciprocated when you're in need of support from those whom you're currently supporting.

Thank you! (((safe hugs)))

PS: Keep in mind that not all forms of trauma lead to PTSD, and not all forms of stress lead to a diagnosable mental disorder. Thus, I've placed this thread here since it really does fall under "other mental health discussions." Symptoms may not add up to a diagnosis, at least not in the clinical range.
Nevertheless, these symptoms could use some support and coping skills.

This is an excellent reminder to care for one's self. It's great that we yearn to help others, but when it comes at a cost to our energy, quality alone time, and well-being, it's probably a sign it's time to set some new boundaries for yourself.

I know this from being a lifelong nurturer and naturally helpful person. You can burn-out very quickly if you don't pay attention to your own needs.

It's not selfishness. It's a healthy understanding of what we're really capable of.

I've found the blog articles published here at Psych Central to be of great help in this area. For instance: Compassion Fatigue (not just for nurses!)

Hugs, y'all.

Good post. Hugs from me also. I can relate.

There is a super quick book I read last month, which is also mostly a workbook: Overcoming Compassion Fatigue: When Helping Hurts
Book by Sharise M. Nance

There is another book I have in a rotation of Treating Compassion Fatigue...by Figley I think. I am not sure it's format, but it might be worth checking out.

This is an amazing topic for a thread Lilly2!

I want to come back to this one - there is absolutely a series of secondary traumas that survivors face when seeking help from subsequent therapists, and or friends, family and anyone in society. Often times this can be worse than the initial trauma. I have experienced this ALOT - especially when seeking help from subsequent therapists in the helping professions.

This is unfortunately a societal problem that is multifaceted - but extremely logical and VERY obvious. Unfortunately for survivors of abuse, their reaction to the abuse is often seen as the problem - rather than the abuse itself. And society is still largely unaware of these issues, despite the fact that they have been proven so many times before. In short, there are many abusers in society who have a vested interest in suppressing these systemic abuses. Survivors are almost always made subject to character smear campaigns in prep for lawsuits and complaints. Despite this being an obvious pattern of behavior - the credibility of truth-speakers is systematically under attack by our helping professions - because the Government wants to maintain their power and reputation - and (according to a historian I recently spoke to) the powers that be simply benefit from abusing vulnerable populations.

The amount of helping professionals that have aided and abetted my abusers - is an indication of how prevalent cultural and systemic corruption and abuse is. If the abusers were not protected by their establishment via Institutional Betrayal tactics, then the abuse might be acknowledged, and perhaps then survivor's behavior would be seen as a NORMAL REACTION TO ABNORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES. This is the hallmark of PTSD. Seen in this proper context - we would come to realize that humans react similarly to abuse, and that it is often the reaction to abuse that is portrayed in the media - not the abuse itself.

Basically - if anyone goes through what I went through - most people would react the same way I have because it is what humans do. Abusers pathologize the reaction to abuse, thinking it is the source of the problem, and the public foolishly believes the lies and deceipt that psychiatry spills out - because the general public still thinks that Psychiatrists would never do bad things... LOL.

So long as the powers that be can depend on the NORMAL REACTION that survivors have when they are abused - victim blaming and shaming will continue to be an effective method of covering up abuse and suppressing whistle-blowers. Our Courts, Judicial Systems, Police Systems, Child Protection Services, Psychiatry - they do protect one another when it comes to investigations, complaints and or lawsuits. Yes - there are always good therapists, doctors, police, etc - but if they stand up against the establishment, and do the right thing - they could become subject to the same exact mistreatment that survivors of abuse do. The culture of fear and intimidation keeps ethical professionals stuck in silence, and enables abusers.

And now our society has become riddled with these psychopaths.

I feel that awareness and research and trauma informed care has slowly improved our entire system - BUT - it still has a long ways to go. There are plenty of narcissists and psychopaths who are abusing vulnerable people with impunity, and their go-to smear campaign tactics are effective in defense because those in power benefit from the current system that is in place.

Our societal establishment has literally become a playground for psychopaths, which penalizes survivors, protects perpetrators and perpetuates toxic workplace cultures that normalize abuse and corruption.

And believe me - the psychopaths are enjoying every minute of it. Once you've graduated to the upper echelon of society - you can abuse with impunity. I truly believe that is now the IN THING. If you are not abusing someone vulnerable, you are simply missing out.


As an anonymous social worker recently told me off the record, "If you cannot change the system, you may as well join it..."




Thanks,
HD7970ghz