Thoughts from a Therapist

 

Natural disasters. Shootings. Border separations. How do you cope when mass media makes images and stories of trauma and grief inescapable? Media coverage is saturated with stories of violence, destruction, and loss. While the media can help educate and inform, it can also cause something called vicarious trauma.

 

 

Vicarious trauma is something we see firsthand at the Wendt Center. It occurs when someone experiences the symptoms of trauma after witnessing, hearing or learning about someone else’s traumatic event. Witnessing the pain that survivors have endured sometimes causes its own traumatization. Simply seeing or hearing about events like violent crimes and mass suffering can produce feelings of anxiety and uncertainty in yourself, your children, and others.

 

 

Remember, everybody responds to distressing events differently. Be patient with yourself and your loved ones. Be open. Avoid using language that tells people what they “should” do or what you would do.

Tend to your own needs, even when difficult. Eat, drink water, and try to sleep. Talk about how you feel.

 

Children struggling with their reactions to stories in the news often demonstrate changes like difficulty concentrating, or greater levels of anxiety and irritability. They tend to turn to parents or other trusted adults for reassurance they are safe.

 

Encourage your child to ask questions and answer those questions as directly as possible. Much like adults, children are better able to cope when they have the facts. Talk about the traumatic event, but also address the ways victims are receiving support.  This provides reassurance.

It is also helpful to limit media exposure for children, particularly of images and sounds related to distressing events. Try to limit your own exposure as well.

Remember: secondhand trauma is normal.  It is normal to feel many different emotions—grief, helplessness, sadness, anxiety, anger, and fear. But also remember: vicarious trauma is a sign of your empathy and humanity.

Don’t forget about vicarious resilience.

While vicarious trauma is real, so too is vicarious resilience. At the Wendt Center, we see resilience all the time, not only in our clients who directly experience trauma and grief, but also in those who experience it secondhand – counselors, teachers, first responders, every day community members. Bearing witness can be traumatizing but you, as individuals, families, and communities, are strong. Together, we can heal.