Secondary Trauma: Silent Suffering and Its Treatment

This book focuses on secondary trauma as distinct from other forms of psychological trauma and PTSD. While PTSD has garnered considerable attention in the literature, secondary trauma afflicts a far greater number of people. Secondary trauma refers to the spread of negative emotional and cognitive states from those who are traumatized to those who have close contact with these individuals. The book delineates how, when, and where secondary trauma occurs and provides the latest information on treatments. Far more common than usually thought, secondary trauma affects family members who must manage and support an ill member, first responders who are tasked with assuring public safety, and healthcare providers who must manage the burdensome demands of those who are in distress. While PTSD and other forms of primary trauma can negatively alter one's self-perception and result in a fearful distrust of one's environment, secondary trauma taxes and drains one emotionally but often does not cause a weary distrust of the environment and negative self-view. In fact, secondary trauma sufferers can have an elevated sense of self and some pride in dealing with it.. Secondary trauma can be seen as the emotional cost of caring. In describing the nature and occurrence of secondary trauma and its attendant burden of silent suffering, it provides a foundation for understanding a phenomenon that needs further study.

Childhood secondary trauma is described along with that seen in family members, professional healthcare providers, and first responders. Following this, the nature of treatment is addressed. It is pointed out that unlike primary trauma and PTSD which respond to traditional treatments such as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and Exposure Therapy, secondary traumatization is best addressed with interventions such as targeted social support, various exercise interventions, mindfulness, yoga, animal assisted therapy, and immersion in natural environments. The book's emphasis on secondary trauma elucidates a widely influential stressor that appears to have taken a back seat to primary trauma and PTSD. In fact, secondary trauma is a common and commonly ignored stressor whose impact is wide ranging.