08/16/2025
Vicarious Trauma: What It Is, How to Recognize It, and How Hypnotherapy Can Help
If you work in a helping profession, whether as a therapist, nurse, social worker, first responder, or even a volunteer, you probably entered your role because you care deeply about others. You want to help, to make a difference.
But what happens when caring for others starts to change how you see the world? When their stories and pain start to live in your mind long after your workday ends?
While it's often referred to as burn out, it's called vicarious trauma, and it’s more common than a lot of people realize.
What is Vicarious Trauma?
Vicarious trauma happens when you are repeatedly exposed to the traumatic experiences of others. You aren’t the one who lived through the event, but hearing about it, witnessing it, or supporting the person who did can start to affect your own emotional, physical, and mental well-being.
The concept was first explored by McCann and Pearlman (1990), who described it as a transformation in the helper’s inner world as a result of empathic engagement with clients’ trauma. Over time, this can alter how you see yourself, others, and the world.
It’s not the same as burnout (which is more about emotional exhaustion from workload). Vicarious trauma is specifically linked to empathic connection with trauma survivors.
Signs You Might Be Experiencing Vicarious Trauma
The signs can creep up slowly, and they can be easy to dismiss at first. According to the American Counseling Association (2011), symptoms can be emotional, cognitive, physical, and behavioral.
Emotional signs:
Feeling irritable, sad, angry, or numb
Becoming more easily overwhelmed
Feeling hopeless about the world or humanity
Cognitive signs:
🚩Difficulty concentrating or making decisions
🚩Intrusive thoughts about clients’ stories
🚩Loss of trust in others
Physical signs:
🤕Headaches, stomach aches, muscle tension
Difficulty sleeping or nightmares
🤢Low energy or frequent illness
Behavioral signs:
🫣Avoiding certain situations, people, or places
😬Withdrawing from social activities
😶🌫️Increased use of alcohol, sleep aids, sugary foods, or other coping behaviors
If you notice several of these signs persisting, it’s worth taking a closer look at your self-care practices.
Why Helping Professionals Are at Risk
Helping professionals often feel a sense of responsibility to “hold” the pain of others. This is part of being empathetic, but over time, the nervous system starts to react as if you experienced the trauma firsthand.
Neuroscience research shows that mirror neurons, (the brain cells that fire both when we act and when we observe another person acting) play a role in this process (Iacoboni, 2009). When we hear a detailed trauma story, our brain can light up in similar patterns to the survivor’s, creating a shared emotional and physiological experience.
The lack of public awareness and preventative measures in the workplace settings as well as the lack of community in private practice contribute to the problem as well.
How Hypnotherapy Can Help
Hypnotherapy is a powerful tool for both prevention and recovery from vicarious trauma. Here’s why:
Deep Relaxation for the Nervous System
Hypnosis helps shift the brain into a state of calm (often associated with alpha and theta brain waves). This activates the parasympathetic nervous system, counteracting the chronic “fight or flight” state triggered by repeated trauma exposure (Gruzelier, 2002).
Releasing Stored Emotional Energy
Guided imagery and therapeutic suggestion in hypnosis can help the mind reframe intrusive thoughts and release the emotional weight carried from others’ stories.
Strengthening Emotional Boundaries
Hypnotherapy can include mental rehearsal of healthy boundaries, learning to empathize without absorbing the pain. Over time, this helps protect your inner world.
Restoring Hope and Perspective
Through positive suggestion, hypnosis can reinforce balanced, hopeful worldviews, which are often shaken by repeated trauma exposure.
Tips to Prevent or Reduce Vicarious Trauma
Even if you love your work, you have to care for yourself to continue caring for others. Remember the safety instructions on every flight, put the oxygen mask on yourself before attempting to help the person next to you with theirs.
Practical prevention tips:
Regular debriefing: Talk to trusted peers or supervisors about your feelings regarding challenging cases.
Set mental “end of day” rituals: Simple actions like washing your hands with intention, changing clothes, or a short meditation can signal to your brain that work is done.
Create emotional boundaries: Remind yourself, “This is their story, not mine,” while still offering compassion. Be mindful of the difference between empathy and sympathy.
Practice self-care consistently: Exercise, hobbies, social time, and adequate sleep aren’t luxuries, they’re necessary. Even a 10 minute "mental health walk" can be extremely helpful.
Schedule regular hypnotherapy or relaxation sessions: These can help reset your nervous system before symptoms take hold.
Vicarious trauma is a sign that your empathy is working, it means you care. But caring doesn’t have to mean carrying.
By learning to recognize the signs early, setting healthy boundaries, and using tools like hypnotherapy, you can continue to do the important work you love without losing yourself in the process.
If you’re already noticing symptoms, reach out to a mental health professional or trained clinical hypnotherapist. You don’t have to carry this alone.
References
American Counseling Association. (2011). Vicarious Trauma.
Gruzelier, J. H. (2002). A review of the impact of hypnosis, relaxation, guided imagery, and meditation on immunity and health. Stress, 5(2), 147–163.
Iacoboni, M. (2009). Mirroring People: The New Science of How We Connect with Others. Picador.
McCann, I. L., & Pearlman, L. A. (1990). Vicarious traumatization: A framework for understanding the psychological effects of working with victims. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 3(1), 131–149.u like, I
