"Vicarious post-traumatic growth (VPTG) is the experience of personal transformation that occurs not from directly experiencing trauma, but from bearing witness to someone else's struggle, healing, and growth. It's growth that happens because of being indirectly exposed to trauma. And it's a hopeful counterpart to the more familiar concept of secondary or vicarious trauma. The risks and benefits of working with indirect trauma are intertwined, and to focus only on"
"one or the other leaves part of the story untold. It is often the struggle itself that sparks a transformation. For helpers, that struggle might show up as emotional exhaustion, cynicism, or feeling as though they're carrying the pain of those they serve. Vicarious trauma and vicarious post- traumatic growth aren't opposites; they're two sides of the same coin, reminding us that meaning and renewal can emerge from even the toughest experiences."
Trauma work carries well-known risks such as burnout, compassion fatigue, and secondary traumatic stress, yet indirect exposure to others' trauma can also spark vicarious post-traumatic growth (VPTG). VPTG involves personal transformation from witnessing someone else's struggle, healing, and growth, and it can coexist with vicarious trauma. The interplay of risk and growth means struggle may produce exhaustion and cynicism while also prompting renewed meaning and strength. Reflection, connection, and support can help helpers channel emotional pain into purpose across clinical, educational, peer-support, and family settings.
Read at Psychology Today
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]