In a past blog we touched upon “What happens When Sexual Assault Happens to Someone You Love?” Dealing with a loved one who experiences trauma can often be traumatic in itself. Often we concentrate on the emotions and mental health of the survivor, but what about the supporters too? Don’t they need to be emotionally and mentally healthy if we want them to help survivors and lead their own healthy and successful lives? If you are a supporter or caregiver have you ever felt any of the following?
If so, you may be experiencing a common response to Trauma Exposure--sometimes called secondary trauma or compassion fatigue. Although very common and normal, this response may be very difficult to continue caregiving to others as well as taking care of yourself. But, there are ways that can help. So how do we take the steps to self-care? First we must reflect on our intentions continuously and through our reflections, we can make steps towards changing. To start ask yourself these questions based on the five directions:
If you need any support or have any questions you can also always call the Advocacy Center Hotline 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at (607) 277-5000.
These ideas are further explored in the book Trauma Stewardship: An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self While Caring for Others by Laura van Dernoot Lipsky with Connie Burk. This is a fast and easy read but extremely helpful and reflective. I highly recommend this book if you have experienced or may experience any of these struggles. Comments are closed.
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