Where were you when you heard about 9/11? It’s one of those pivotal moments in history that changed the world, and is imprinted in the memories of those of us alive at the time.
That day, there was trauma for pretty much everyone globally, in different ways and to varying extents. For those directly involved, whether they were in the buildings or in the vicinity, the memories of that day will likely never be erased. Similarly for the first responders who saw horrendous things, as well as lost colleagues and friends. For those affected by the loss of loved ones and for those who lost homes and livelihoods.
Then more globally how many of us watched hours of those images, and felt as if the world would never be the same again. Watching desperate people take the decision to jump from over 100 floors up because there was no other option, to stay in one hell, or to get out, however hopeless that was. We felt the vicarious trauma of bearing witness to something so horrific and unbelievable that we have and will never forget.
Many of us feel as drawn to the many documentaries on those events, as we were to watching the hours of newsreels at the time. Why? There is something about it being so unbelievable and almost a desperate need to find some hope – the stories of the last people saved from the rubble, the people that were due to be at work but for various reasons weren’t. We want to believe that there is hope amongst such horror.
And that is trauma, complex and layered, affecting many people with a kind of ripple effect. How often have people uttered the words “I can’t be affected by it, it didn’t happen to me.” Or, “It affected my partner/child so I have to be okay for them.” But the reality is, it does affect us. To witness something traumatic, whether that be a violent incident, an accident, a fire or anything similar can leave us with vicarious trauma.
Vicarious trauma is to be exposed to someone else’s trauma. Obviously most prevalent in the caring professions, but can affect any and all of us at times of national and international events such as 9/11, 7/7 and similar.
In caring professions, we are naturally exposed to hearing and/or witnessing others’ trauma on a regular basis and having an awareness of how that is impacting us and how we are taking care of ourselves is crucial to our well being and our capacity as a helper. Our experience has been that the worst things we have heard have been in training. In real life the nature of the work and the human connection keeps everything real, the empathy that is held in the room and the experience of the practitioner can mitigate how much the secondary trauma impacts. However, there is an emotional cost that must be held in mind. If we as helpers do not take care of ourselves, we become burnt out and unable to help.
Perhaps events have changed our worldview, whether we feel safe and secure in the environments we live in anymore.
Some people may have a sense of survivor’s guilt, a belief that they should have been killed, attacked or whatever, where perhaps circumstances meant that they were spared worse outcomes.
It can be really hard to be a survivor of an event where others have lost their lives and you feel that weight on you as though it should have been you. Power station explosions, house fires and car accidents are examples of when people feel like this. They can carry this sense of guilt along with the trauma of the event they experienced for the rest of their lives. The idea that we have no control over outcomes and that they are seemingly random when it comes to traumatic events can be overwhelming.
But what can we do? Be kind to ourselves, be gentle, learn to live in the moment. We should not be ashamed of experiencing vicarious trauma, and we should be willing to accept help where needed.
Talk about it. In the days, weeks and years beyond 9/11 how many conversations were had over dinner tables and at pubs about the events of that day? Talking doesn’t have to have to be in a therapeutic setting to help you process what has happened. Just talk it through with whoever will listen and engage.
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