In this part II video, we delve into a comprehensive approach to healing from vicarious trauma and burnout. Addressing healing at each level, the mind, body, and soul is crucial for overcoming these challenges and restoring vitality, resilience, and balance. As a seasoned professional in human services with a background in trauma-focused work, I share insights gained from my own journey of healing from vicarious trauma and burnout. If you haven't already, be sure to check out part I to this video here When Helping Hurts: A Spiritual & Clinical take on Vicarious Trauma and Burnout.
Disclaimer: I am no longer licensed and do not work in the field of clinical social work any longer, with that said this is not a form of clinical consultation, training, supervision, or advice. Always adhere to your state policies and professional ethics and training requirements when it comes to your work in being of service to others in these professional roles.
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Resources Referenced:
Table of Contents:
Taking a Multidimensional Approach to Healing
As multi-dimensional beings, we need healing at all levels of our being, mind, body, and soul. When one of these areas are neglected, we begin to see these reoccurring issues repeating throughout our lives which can be frustrating and disheartening. In this post we will break that approach down to meeting healing on all levels to restore the body with vitality, strengthen the mind, and balance the spirit when faced with symptoms of vicarious trauma or burnout.
I struggled with vicarious trauma due to my own unresolved trauma history and experienced repeated exposure to similar family and intergenerational trauma of those I was working with. The second time I struggled with this was when serving the needs of Yezidi refugees who had endured horrific war crimes committed against them and their community in Iraq.
I struggled off and on throughout my career with burnout due to having too large of a caseload. I also felt responsible for the needs and positive outcomes of others and needed to work on healing codependency. Lastly, I didn't prioritize taking enough time off away from work to heal and recharge regularly.
To anyone suffering from this, my compassion is with you, and this is something we can heal from and continue to do this work with greater balance and regard for our own emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual needs.
Healing Vicarious Trauma & Burnout at the Body Level
Prioritize Physical Health & Routine Self-Care:
Identify and manage health or mental health issues.
Schedule appointments with specialists if needed and primary care to rule out underlying health conditions that may be exacerbating the problem.
Explore if a daily supplement or herbal regimen is right for you.
Prioritize 7-9 hours of sleep nightly & if you do not sleep this much work to take at minimum this amount of time to relax and recharge.
Develop healthy nighttime and morning routines to unwind at the end of the day and gently ease into the start of the day.
Physical Practices:
Incorporate midday relaxation breaks (15 minutes to disconnect from electronics and engaging with others ~ go for a walk, meditate, or practice gratitude, positive affirmations, deep breathing, or stretching).
Consider taking cold showers or baths or going to a sauna as these can be regenerating practices that also expose us to extreme temperatures that help us condition our nerves to increase stress tolerance that can improve coping.
Be mindful of health conditions that may not be recommended to explore this type of experience.
Explore massage therapy, chiropractic care, or acupuncture.
Consider going to the salon for a haircut or treatment or indulge in a spa treatment.
Exercise regularly; if attendance is difficult set up services with a personal trainer, train with a loved one, join a fitness support group, or attend group classes.
When burnt out and tired, it can be helpful not to create excessive energy demands on your body while its already combating exhaustion so opt for low impact movement.
Save the long-distance running, HIIT, and strength training for when you are fully charged and have your power back otherwise it can exacerbate symptoms and prolong recovery.
Practice taking naps on the weekend without any distractions such as the phone or tv on.
Spend time in nature.
Enjoy walks in nature.
Nurture the body through positive touch by cuddling up with a pet, child, partner, or other loved one.
Take baths or immerse yourself in bodies of water such as a pool, a deprivation tank, hot tub, bathtub, or a lake or ocean.
When we are feeling exhausted and we immerse ourselves into water, the water alleviates us from the effects of gravity, and we are alleviated from the weight of our body which can feel very restorative to no longer feel the heaviness of exhaustion and fatigue.
Nutritional Practices:
Eat a healthy diet filled with whole foods to help nourish the body with foods that give energy instead of taking it.
Set healthy internal boundaries to not escape through food by eating frequent or excessive amounts of unhealthy food options. When we are exhausted or stressed, our body seeks comfort and that often occurs through craving comfort foods that only leave us feeling bloated, lethargic, and with negative emotions after of eating foods that do not support our longevity.
Make a conscious effort to schedule in food breaks and take them.
Avoid or significantly limit drug or alcohol consumption.
When you are already exhausted or stressed and you consume these substances, you may feel temporary relief but its only prolonging recovery and adding to the length of time it will take to feel restored as your body has to process and detox these substances that can cause low mood, anxiety, sleep problems, and more fatigue.
Avoid excess caffeine use which can impact overall health in many ways and cause feelings of crashing later on as well as sleep disruptions.
Healing Vicarious Trauma and Burnout at the Mind Level
Mental and Emotional Well-being:
Consider participating in psychotherapy and attend regularly to process what you are going through.
Address unresolved emotional challenges, stressors, and traumas in therapy or with a healer.
Explore different therapeutic options to consider.
Below is a list of options but is not limited to them.
Confide in a trusted loved one to process through your feelings and experiences.
Explore and educate yourself on codependency and whether you are impacted by this which can be a significant factor in contributing to burnout.
There are CODA meetings which is short for codependency anonymous all throughout the country and this is a great option for joining a support group and learning with others how to strengthen boundaries, heal feelings of responsibility for other’s well-being and needs, improve decision-making skills, and improve confidence and self-esteem.
Spend time journaling and in self-reflection to explore, examine, and process your thoughts and feelings especially those that contribute to negative mood and outlook.
Explore underlying causes of these thoughts and feelings and work to process through them and reframe to a healthier mindset.
Interrupt negative thinking patterns through mindfulness practices, deep breathing, or through the use of positive affirmations or practicing gratitude.
Get vulnerable and start sharing with colleagues, mentors, supervisors, and loved ones how you are feeling and allow others to show up for you while you nurture yourself back to health.
You may be surprised to hear about the shared experiences you have with others around this.
Self-reflect on the ways you escape the world such as substances, social media, gambling, shopping, procrastination, food, and so on. Then identify healthy and appropriate limits with these forms of escapism.
Disconnecting from the outer world is not bad but it can become a problem quickly when we don’t have healthy internal limits and boundaries set with ourselves around how much time we let these escapes consume our focus which can lead to neglecting our self-care, our home, finances, and our loved ones.
Curate the content you consume with intention.
Consuming media is hypnotic, entertaining, and relaxing depending on what we are taking in. However, this is a double-edged sword as too much of this in excess is like sleep walking throughout the day and our lives. Set limits as to how often and for how long you enjoy this type of content.
Also be mindful that you already are exposed to emotionally demanding stories and feelings on a daily basis if you work in human services so become intentional about the media that you choose to give your time and consider avoiding emotionally intense media like dramas, violence, scary movies, and even the news which is often about negative and fear-based information.
Financial Health:
Create and regularly review a business & personal budget. Work to set healthy limits and boundaries with yourself to honor your budget and keep it a regular practice of self-care.
I use and highly recommend Mint Intuit which is a free personal financial management website that keeps track of your budget and financial goals. You can also listen to content on financial education to strengthen this area of well-being and two of my favorites are Suze Orman & Dave Ramsey.
Consider reducing monthly expenses and unnecessary purchases to have more for savings or to be able to reduce your work hours while in recovery.
Create a savings account and delegate a certain amount each paycheck to it, to save for sick leave, family emergencies, bereavement, vacation, mental health days, or a sabbatical.
This is especially important for those in private practice as there are no employer benefits to fall back on when we are out of the office.
Find a reputable financial advisor and set up a life insurance policy for your family, a retirement account you contribute to monthly, and explore options for disability insurance so if you experience short or long-term disability you can have a policy to cover monthly income as well as the overhead of your business expenses especially if in private practice.
Putting this type of financial planning into place will help give peace of mind!
Balancing Workload:
Schedule breaks in between each session.
Practice deep breathing, stretching, grounding or clearing practices, & write the note from the last session.
Return phone calls or emails at the beginning or end of each day instead of in-between sessions if possible so you are not in back-to-back productivity all day.
Consider reducing your caseload and going part-time while in recovery and healing.
Re-evaluate your employment and if you are at the right place of employment or working with the population that best suits you.
We may have to consider if we need to find a new place of employment, consider private practice or closing a private practice, or changing the population we serve.
Give yourself permission to take time off and regularly plan a week or several days in a row off every few months or once per yearly quarter.
Take a vacation, even if you can just get out of town for the weekend but preferably taking one to two weeks off.
I know this can seem like a big ask of yourself and finances and thoughts may arise on whether you can afford to do this, but the more important question is, can you afford not to?
Consider what will happen if you do not take time off, whether this leads to lowered immunity and frequent illness, or physical and mental exhaustion that turns into a short or long-term disability. Also taking into consideration the quality of care being provided to others when you are not feeling well.
Consider taking a sabbatical, the duration of this will have to be up to you and your financial means to do this.
begin saving up for this to cover expenses during your time off whether that’s one month or six months.
Give yourself permission to have a mental health day even if that means having to cancel already scheduled appointments.
We fear this will upset clients or that we are responsible for their needs, or that we cannot afford to, but this really shows we have the ability to discern and prioritize our needs. This is a great way to model self-care and healthy boundaries.
Take no shows or cancellations as opportunities to rest, recharge, & or learn something new that excites you.
It’s time for us to embody what we encourage our clients to do and not just speak pretty words of how to live an intentional life but to walk the walk which will be a powerful energy we radiate without speaking on it, others will be able to feel it through our vital energy, demeanor, and rested nature.
Find your sweet spot for how many clients you want to see each day and week and what size of a caseload helps you feel balanced instead of depleted.
A full-time caseload is 20-28 clients per week which does not reflect the standard 40-hour work week nor should as working in human services is emotional labor that requires significant amounts of energy output.
Self-care Practices:
Find engaging and entertaining books to read to take a digital media break.
Find an outlet for self- expression through creativity such as creating art, music, writings, making a funny TikTok, or whatever appeals to your interests.
Practice humming, this calms the nerves and helps reduce tension and pain within the body and can help the mind redirect its attention from intrusive and incessant negative thought patterns.
Create a stress management toolbox with healthy coping skills in your phone notes to reflect back on when a reminder is needed as we often forget when we are overwhelmed, fatigued, or distressed what are coping tools are.
Hold space for emotions and allow yourself time to feel them.
Allow yourself time to be angry, confused, sad, overwhelmed, and so on. Let yourself cry and release this pint up emotional energy.
Read self-development books on acceptance, self-compassion, burn out, vicarious trauma, healthy coping, and positive stress management.
Attend community consultation meetings with colleagues and share your experiences around burnout and consider starting a support group you and your colleagues can attend or suggest a certain amount of time each week it set aside in the main meetings to discuss this with others.
Seek out consultation, supervision, and mentorship to address these feelings and experiences to receive guidance, support, and feedback on how to help address these issues.
Attend compassion fatigue workshops or continuing education workshops that peak your interest. This helps break up the work routine and gets you out of the office for a bit.
Try to avoid telling yourself how much you hate or dislike your job or how burnt out you are on a regular basis because the cells of your body are listening, and it will just create more inner tension and emotional charge that can have ill effects.
Healing Vicarious Trauma and Burnout at the Spiritual Level
Alternative Healing Practices:
Explore alternative healing practices such as:
Energy work
The Body or Emotion Code
Psych-K
Access Bars Healing
Reiki
Cranial Sacral Therapy
Emotional Release Therapy or Amanae
Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE)
Tai Chi
Qigong
Yoga
Meditation
Acupressure techniques
TAT Acupressure Technique
Emotional Freedom Therapy (EFT)
Donna Eden’s energy work techniques
Cultivate self-compassion, this can be done through reading more on the topic from books such as Radical Compassion by Tara Brach or Self-Compassion by Kristin Neff. You could also explore inner child work with a trained healer or therapist to cultivate this inner connection.
Reading, listening, or watching content on spiritual development, self-growth, or spiritual or religious teachings that resonate with you.
Consider joining a religious or spiritual community and participate in community activities associated with this on a regular basis.
Explore yoga, meditation, meditation groups, or mindfulness meditation practices.
Integrate the use of spiritual or religious mantras or positive affirmations and allocating a certain amount of time to this daily for instance start off with 5-10 minutes of focusing the mind on repeating uplifting mantras or affirmations.
Explore the use of prayer and practicing gratitude on a daily basis.
Explore transcendental dance which is a mindfulness form of meditation done through the movement of body without thinking or choreographed movement.
Allow the mind to focus on the movement that wants to organically express through the body as you practice non-judgmental acceptance and awareness of allowing the body to connect to its own innate forms of expression. Gabrielle Roth has guided track on this, but any music can be used.
Healthy Emotional Detachment & Psychic Boundaries:
Set psychic or emotional boundaries at the start of your workday and or in between sessions.
learning the difference between compassion and empathy and practicing compassion over empathy to cultivate healthy emotional detachment while still upholding compassionate attunement within the healing space and with the person you are with.
To do this practice, we can remind ourselves that I can be a loving presence with the other person without having to feel the pain they are feeling.
We can imagine ourselves staying grounded like a sturdy mountain or see roots from our feet growing into the ground.
When we begin to feel a negative emotion, we can acknowledge this and reaffirm, “it isn’t necessary for me to feel their pain, I am a loving space of unconditional regard and presence and that is enough.”
Repeating a mantra can help us stay present and compassionately attuned so the emotion doesn’t take us over.
Healthy emotional detachment continued; at times when we hear a story our minds may start constructing images of how that story occurred as a way of perceiving another’s experience, but this is not ideal when disturbing accounts are shared. When this begins to occur, practicing a grounding mantra again is helpful such as:
"I am present in this moment."
"I am safe."
"We are safe."
"All is well."
"All is love.”
Also consider the use of prayer asking for presence, comfort, safety, and healing.
When the mind stays persistent in distressing intrusive images, you can help shift the mental activity to an intentional visualization.
Imagining the room is filled with white healing light.
Visualize grounding energy moving through the soles of each of your feet.
See white light moving in through the crown filling the body or aura with loving light.
See the person or you both surrounded by healing green ray light from the heart chakra.
This can all be done as you learn to focus mental energy and attention all while staying attuned and present for the healing work taking place.
Spiritual Practices:
Spend time in solitude to self-reflect, contemplate, and recharge.
Create a self-study practice to know yourself more deeply.
Reflect and/or journal your thoughts, feelings, and experiences and gain insight into shadow work that can be addressed and to gain greater insight into your strengths.
Practice observing the mind’s activity as a witness.
One way to do this is asking “I wonder what thought I will have next?" then notice what arises then repeat.
After a while a part of the mind some may call the ego becomes aware its being watched and thinking begins to slow down and there are longer periods of silence in between each thought.
Practice sitting with your emotions and saying:
“I welcome you here, you have my full attention.”
Notice how they are experienced within the body and change from moment to moment; this helps with cultivating presence and acceptance with what is rather than being at odds with it.
Reframe negative thinking, self- talk, and inner criticism.
Practice acceptance of the human condition and collective experience.
Affirmations can be used to help with this: find what is meaningful to you and your own beliefs regarding the wording.
Reflect on how challenges and pain can be teachers of important life lessons and help us develop positive qualities such as patience, tolerance, acceptance, courage, forgiveness, empowerment, confidence and so on.
What have previous hardships taught you about yourself, your capabilities, resilience, and perseverance?
Spend quality time with loved ones, pets, or animals.
This helps us strengthen our emotional supports to lean on along with improving bonds which act like an antidote to healing burnout.
Spend time in nature.
Listen to uplifting and inspiring music.
Prioritize laughing, pleasure, and fun.
Find what makes you laugh and feel happy and like a child again. Explore what pleasure and fun mean to you and make a plan to create this in your life.
Final Thoughts
It's helpful to remember, healing takes time. It takes a while to learn of ourselves, our needs, and what level of healing we are being asked to address, whether its learning to set healthy boundaries, taking care of our bodies with healthy foods and rest, or finding ways to set energetic boundaries to not take on other's pain. I have struggled with this at certain points of how long healing can seem to take and sought for instant results but life has humbled me time and time again around this. If you also feel resistance to the time it takes for healing, place your hand on your heart, breath in slowly, and know you are not alone in this, and this too will pass.
By incorporating these comprehensive tips, we can cultivate resilience, achieve balance, and rediscover the joy in being of service and support to others. If you have anything you would like to share to support healing or experiences you have had around vicarious trauma or burnout, please join the conversation by sharing in the comment section on the Youtube video.
Also, if you know anyone who may benefit for the conversation please share and if you haven’t already, subscribe to the email list to receive future content to help support your healing and wellness journey. Thank you so much for sharing your time with me and I wish you happiness & healing!
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