Why Self-Care is Not Enough

“While we believe that the effects of vicarious traumatization are inevitable and permanent, we also believe they are modifiable. Thus, while this will change you, there is a lot you can do about it”(Saakvine and Pearlman, 1996, p.71).

Karen Saakvine and Laurie Anne Pearlman, leaders in the field of vicarious trauma (VT) prevention, and women who coined the term “vicarious trauma” suggest that VT prevention is two-fold: first, we must address the stress of VT through self-care, nurturing activities, and escape; secondly, we can transform the despair, demoralization, and loss of hope of VT by creating meaning, challenging negative beliefs and assumptions, and participating in community-building activities.

This 2-part solution to vicarious trauma is very important. In the past several years self-care in victim advocacy has been brought to the forefront of the movement, and this is great. However, the second part of the solution, the negative psychological effects transforming activities, such as rich life outside of work, identifying, working on, and fulfilling long-term goals, discovering and pursuing your passions, building a strong support systems outside of work, are not emphasized at all, and often are completely forgotten.

Realistically, one cannot transform despair, loss of hope, and nihilism brought on by vicarious trauma by taking a bubble bath or getting a massage. This is just not going to happen. Therefore, when we only talk about self-care as a vicarious trauma prevention tool, we are only talking about half of the solution. And of course, when it comes to vicarious trauma, half measures are very much inadequate.

References

Saakvitne, K. & Pearlman, L. (1996). Transforming the Pain: A Workbook on Vicarious Traumatization. Norton Publishing, NY.