Vicarious trauma, also known as “compassion fatigue” is defined as trauma affecting those who help the traumatized. First responders – paramedics, firefighters, police officers, hospital or military medical personnel and even counselors who emotionally engage in their client’s trauma stories can all be affected vicariously by someone else’s trauma. All of these helpers are first hand witnesses to someone else’s pain, fear and terror and they can be adversely affected. Vicarious traumatization can result in PTSD or the helper living with a replaying of the stories or scenes that are witnessed or heard and an increased level of unrest and fear. Here is the story of a paramedic suffering from PTSD and his recovery using the powerful modality of EMDR.
