Second-Hand Shock: Surviving & Overcoming Vicarious Trauma

by Vicki Carpel Miller, Ellie Izzo

Overview

Helping professionals can experience burnout and compassion fatigue as a result of their work, but what about those suffering debilitating problems like depression, anxiety, addiction, obesity, or immune disorders? The cause could be vicarious trauma—a phenomenon that goes far beyond compassion fatigue or burnout.

Every time you interact with those you help, you are putting yourself at risk for vicarious trauma. Absorbing others’ trauma while controlling your own empathic response alters your neurochemistry and even the structure of your brain, negatively affecting your mind, body, and spirit.

Second-Hand Shock presents the Rapid Advance Process, a method of recovery created by the authors and used successfully with their own clients. The book includes The Aftershock Workbook, your step-by-step guide through the Rapid Advance Process. This second edition offers new information about how vicarious trauma can be worsened when helping professionals deny or minimize their personal trauma history—or overestimate their effectiveness in coping with it. The authors also explore the ways that emotional intelligence can protect you from vicarious trauma.

Second-Hand Shock offers acknowledgment, hope, and healing to millions of helping professionals. There is no need to suffer in silence. You can recognize, address, and recover from vicarious trauma.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781936268283
Publisher:	High Conflict Institute Press
Publication date:	04/17/2018
Pages:	182
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Vicki Carpel Miller is co-founder and Director of Vicarious Trauma Institute. As a Registered Nurse and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice, she specializes in the practice of Collaborative Divorce, the treatment of Vicarious Trauma, divorce-related issues, and blended families. Vicki holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from the University of Minnesota and a Master's degree in Counseling Psychology from Nova Universityin Florida. She is co-director of the Collaborative Divorce Institute and the Vicarious Trauma Institute in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Table of Contents

About the Authors xi

Acknowledgments xiii

Introduction xv

Part I

Chapter 1 Where There's Smoke, There's Fire 1

Chapter 2 A Serious Situation 9

Chapter 3 The Neuroscience of Trauma 15

Chapter 4 The Psychology of Trauma 21

Chapter 5 When Is It Vicarious Trauma? 25

Chapter 6 Counter transference and the Wounded Hero 37

Chapter 7 The Miracle Worker Reverie 53

Chapter 8 Rapid Advance Process for Vicarious Trauma Treatment 57

Chapter 9 Organizations as Vicarious Trauma Cauldrons 87

Chapter 10 Second-Hand Shock Revisited: The Confusion Continues 95

Conclusion 101

Professional Group Discussion Questions 103

Part II The Aftershock Workbook

Chapter 1 Introduction 109

Chapter 2 Do I Have Vicarious Trauma? 111

Evaluation Questions

Act of Courage Exercise

Act of Faith Exercise

Chapter 3 Rapid Advance Process 121

Introduction to Case Study: Daniel

Step 1 Reveal Your History

Step 2 Recognize Your Impasse(s)

Step 3 Release Your Past

Step 4 Respond To Your Fear

Step 5 Reconnect To Your Spirit

Chapter 4 Conclusion: Spread the Word! 153

Bibliography 157

References 159