EMDR Treats & Prevents Vicarious Trauma with Health Care Professionals
Healthcare professionals are vulnerable to experiencing vicarious trauma and post-trauma injuries from workplace experiences. Getting the proper treatment, like EMDR, is critical for preventing symptoms from worsening. EMDR has a proven track record of reducing PTSD symptoms.
Using EMDR to process the upsetting workplace experience seems to help you consolidate the experience in your mind so that it no longer upsets you.
After a session, you will find that any triggers related to the experience are no longer disturbing.
EMDR Prevents PTSD, which can cause Vicarious Trauma.
Sometimes Burnout symptoms are masked by EMDR can be helpful for the prevention of Post-trauma injuries. Early treatment prevents symptoms from turning into post-traumatic stress disorder. Some people experience symptoms like ruminating, nightmares, or intrusive thoughts. These symptoms can worsen without intervention. Over time you may feel numb or apathetic about your job. If you experience these symptoms, get help as soon as you can.
With EMDR treatment, most of these symptoms can resolve.
Health Care Professionals & Post Trauma Symptoms
Symptoms of PTSD can range from tearfulness to feeling numb to the inability to sleep through to mental breakdown and suicide.
A study in 2017 shows that these symptoms can resolve. Restoration of emotional control ability in PTSD following symptom amelioration by EMDR therapy
EMDR can ease and eliminate the following acute stress or post-trauma symptoms:
- Intrusive Thoughts
- Rumination or perseverating about a challenging work experience
- Flashbacks
- Nightmares –
- Sleepwalking
- Hyper-arousal ( irritability, rage, or misplaced anger).
- Hypo-arousal ( numb)
- Using coping behaviours that are self-destructive
- Moral Injury due to a lack of support from the system or supervisor.
Is it Burnout, Vicarious Trauma or From Moral Injury?
If you work in healthcare, you could be at risk of experiencing a moral injury. Examples of situations that cause moral injury are:
- Having to act against one’s values or beliefs to do your job.
- Need to agree with your organization’s policies.
- Feel like you have to go against your morals or values.
- Feeling betrayed by your organization, supervisor or colleague.
- Choices made between caring for others and caring for the family during the pandemic
Moral injury can lead to feelings of guilt and shame. Over time, the belief that ” I am flawed” can lead to self-harm behaviour, anger, and depression. Exploring these feelings through counselling or EMDR can help.
EMDR in a group- 2-day workshop for workplace wellness
Does your organization need an idea to help prevent or treat burnout? Hire our team for your next retreat or workplace wellness workshop. We can provide EMDR in a group for you. This 2-day workshop relieves ongoing traumatic symptoms often accompanying long-term vicarious trauma.
Front-line healthcare professionals are vulnerable to vicarious and organizational trauma, which can lead to leaves of absence and low morale.
See more about EMDR in a group here EMDR 2-day workshop for Work Retreats.
To make an appointment fill out the form above.
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