Vicarious Trauma

Vicarious Trauma, or Second-hand Trauma, is trauma caused by being exposed to other people's trauma. In the context of working with collections, this is often caused by prolonged exposure to traumatic material. Below is a list of side effects taken from the British Medical Association and the Royal College of Nursing, Not all of the side effects are relevant to our work and have been removed, however you can view the links these side effects have been linked to underneath:

• Experiencing lingering feelings of anger, rage and sadness about patient's victimisation

• Becoming overly involved emotionally

• Feelings of guilt, shame and self-doubt

• Being preoccupied with thoughts of the collection/ people mentioned in a collection outside of the work situation

• Experience horror and rescue fantasies

• Loss of hope, pessimism, cynicism

• Losing meaning in what you do

• Having problems managing personal boundaries

• Worry excessively

• Intrusive thoughts or imagery

• Fatigue, exhaustion and problems with sleep.

You may also experience general symptoms of trauma. These include flashbacks, panic attacks, and dissociation.

Sources:

https://www.bma.org.uk/advice-and-support/your-wellbeing/vicarious-trauma/vicarious-trauma-signs-and-strategies-for-coping

https://www.rcn.org.uk/magazines/Wellbeing/2024/Dec/Vicarious-trauma-spotting-the-signs-and-taking-action

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What do you do if you think you're experiencing Vicarious Trauma as a result of your work?

• Stop working on the collection immediately

• Inform your manager as soon as possible

• Request to take a mental health day

• Get outside

• Do something that makes you feel happy and in no way relates to the collection you're working on

• If you can, let your support network know

• Consider counselling or therapy. You can view the different mental health pathways available to Wellcome staff here: https://wd3.myworkday.com/wellcome/d/inst/1$25754/25754$2257.htmld