If you've ever been in the position of being someone's primary care giver, you will definitely relate to what is to follow. If you are working in the medical field in any capacity, i.e. nurse, doctor, certified nursing assistant, physical therapist, clinical counselor, psychologist, psychiatrist, social worker, parent, and even as a mentor or life coach, you too will also relate to the content of this blog.
the title 'Compassion Fatigue' is a professional term who's primary use is in the arena of vocations where working in close proximity to a patient/client is required, such as the aforementioned in the first paragraph.
The definition of Compassion Fatigue, according to University of Tulane Professor Dr. Charles Figley is two-fold:
1. The emotional residue or strain of exposure to working with those suffering from the consequences of traumatic events. It differs from burn-out, but can co-exist.
2. The mental and physical exhaustion and emotional withdrawal experienced by those who care for sick or traumatized people over an extended time. Also, a gradual lessening of compassion.
Other terms describing Compassion Fatigue are 'Vicarious Traumatization' and 'Secondary Traumatization Stress' or STS.
Simply put, this means that even with the passion that drove you to enter into a career centered around helping people heal from their traumatic experiences, we too can become traumatized by the trauma we're trying to help heal in others. I'm sure you've heard the phrase 'don't take your work home with you', well, when you are passionate about what you do and compassionate toward who you're doing it for, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that if you do not put certain things into a prioritized category you can very easily become traumatized by the trauma you're treating in your client/patient, hence vicarious traumatization. Their dysfunction finds it's way into your mental and emotional make-up rendering you ineffective to adequately address the issues of your subject.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with being compassionate; it is a paragon of virtue that is sorely missing in today's society as it relates to proper human conditioning and humanity as a whole. But when you begin to exhibit the traits of the same trauma you're trying to treat, chances are you have taken on more than what is necessary and fatigue from what you love, the compassion for what you do turns tedious and starts feeling more like a chore than a joyful endeavor.
The other indicators that suggests VT or STS is present is how it's effects may cause you to treat your client/patient differently, not to mention how you begin to treat your family and friends. This goes back to the phrase -- 'don't take your work home with you'. It becomes be detrimental to your peace, offsetting your attitude and approach to your work which eventually effects your family and your reputation as a professional if it goes unchecked.
A more serious issue to consider is when you take on multiple traumas at once. In this case, Compassion Fatigue brings to us another term called -- Comordidity or Comordidity Diagnosis. This means there is present a pluralistic measure of trauma. Over an extended period of time a gradual lessening of compassion sets in, taking you out of the original heart reality you once had that was the driving force behind your passion to help others.
In order to avoid having the traumatic experiences of others become your traumatic experience, one should bear in mind that they must protect themselves from the infection of dysfunction or malfunction. It is equivalent to when a doctor scrubs and suits up before he/she goes into perform surgery on someone who has suffered some sort of physical trauma; they are prepared to deal with the task at hand without further infecting their patient and without becoming infected themselves.
A personal example of this is when I was the primary care giver to my grandfather for three years until he had to go into a convalescent facility. he suffered from congestive heart failure, COPD and alzheimers. I had to make sure he had clean clothing everyday, which was always a hassle because he did not like to change everyday. I had to learn to respect that because there were days when he simply did not feel well and didn't want to get out of bed. I had to make his meals everyday. I had to make sure he got his medicine everyday at the same time as well as shaving him and cutting his hair when needed. He was a sickly old man who needed daily assistance but he was impossible to deal with at times; which were the times I refer to as defining moments because he tested my resolve on a regular basis.
In order for me to continue to do what he needed me to do without losing my cool, I had to tend to myself and my needs, too. There were times when I had to enlist the help of someone to take over for me so I could take a day or two to 'get way', if for nothing else, the preservation of my sanity. What I didn't want to do is have what needed to be done for him become a loathsome burden for me. Although fatigue set in on a few occasions, I never lost my compassion toward this man who had taken care of so many, but could no longer take care of himself.
The importance of not losing sight of taking care of yourself is a sure way to avoid experiencing Compassion Fatigue. I found that it afforded me the ability to go the distance without giving up or giving out. Your health is just as important as the people you're trying to help. But if you are not in the mental, emotional and yes, physical shape necessary for your own benefit, then how could you possibly be in shape to help someone else?
By Craig Samuels
5/15/2018
the title 'Compassion Fatigue' is a professional term who's primary use is in the arena of vocations where working in close proximity to a patient/client is required, such as the aforementioned in the first paragraph.
The definition of Compassion Fatigue, according to University of Tulane Professor Dr. Charles Figley is two-fold:
1. The emotional residue or strain of exposure to working with those suffering from the consequences of traumatic events. It differs from burn-out, but can co-exist.
2. The mental and physical exhaustion and emotional withdrawal experienced by those who care for sick or traumatized people over an extended time. Also, a gradual lessening of compassion.
Other terms describing Compassion Fatigue are 'Vicarious Traumatization' and 'Secondary Traumatization Stress' or STS.
Simply put, this means that even with the passion that drove you to enter into a career centered around helping people heal from their traumatic experiences, we too can become traumatized by the trauma we're trying to help heal in others. I'm sure you've heard the phrase 'don't take your work home with you', well, when you are passionate about what you do and compassionate toward who you're doing it for, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that if you do not put certain things into a prioritized category you can very easily become traumatized by the trauma you're treating in your client/patient, hence vicarious traumatization. Their dysfunction finds it's way into your mental and emotional make-up rendering you ineffective to adequately address the issues of your subject.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with being compassionate; it is a paragon of virtue that is sorely missing in today's society as it relates to proper human conditioning and humanity as a whole. But when you begin to exhibit the traits of the same trauma you're trying to treat, chances are you have taken on more than what is necessary and fatigue from what you love, the compassion for what you do turns tedious and starts feeling more like a chore than a joyful endeavor.
The other indicators that suggests VT or STS is present is how it's effects may cause you to treat your client/patient differently, not to mention how you begin to treat your family and friends. This goes back to the phrase -- 'don't take your work home with you'. It becomes be detrimental to your peace, offsetting your attitude and approach to your work which eventually effects your family and your reputation as a professional if it goes unchecked.
A more serious issue to consider is when you take on multiple traumas at once. In this case, Compassion Fatigue brings to us another term called -- Comordidity or Comordidity Diagnosis. This means there is present a pluralistic measure of trauma. Over an extended period of time a gradual lessening of compassion sets in, taking you out of the original heart reality you once had that was the driving force behind your passion to help others.
In order to avoid having the traumatic experiences of others become your traumatic experience, one should bear in mind that they must protect themselves from the infection of dysfunction or malfunction. It is equivalent to when a doctor scrubs and suits up before he/she goes into perform surgery on someone who has suffered some sort of physical trauma; they are prepared to deal with the task at hand without further infecting their patient and without becoming infected themselves.
A personal example of this is when I was the primary care giver to my grandfather for three years until he had to go into a convalescent facility. he suffered from congestive heart failure, COPD and alzheimers. I had to make sure he had clean clothing everyday, which was always a hassle because he did not like to change everyday. I had to learn to respect that because there were days when he simply did not feel well and didn't want to get out of bed. I had to make his meals everyday. I had to make sure he got his medicine everyday at the same time as well as shaving him and cutting his hair when needed. He was a sickly old man who needed daily assistance but he was impossible to deal with at times; which were the times I refer to as defining moments because he tested my resolve on a regular basis.
In order for me to continue to do what he needed me to do without losing my cool, I had to tend to myself and my needs, too. There were times when I had to enlist the help of someone to take over for me so I could take a day or two to 'get way', if for nothing else, the preservation of my sanity. What I didn't want to do is have what needed to be done for him become a loathsome burden for me. Although fatigue set in on a few occasions, I never lost my compassion toward this man who had taken care of so many, but could no longer take care of himself.
The importance of not losing sight of taking care of yourself is a sure way to avoid experiencing Compassion Fatigue. I found that it afforded me the ability to go the distance without giving up or giving out. Your health is just as important as the people you're trying to help. But if you are not in the mental, emotional and yes, physical shape necessary for your own benefit, then how could you possibly be in shape to help someone else?
By Craig Samuels
5/15/2018
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