Whether the advocate is working with battered women, survivors of sex crimes or med mal advocate burn-out is a real problem.  This is not just a problem for advocates but for law enforcement, counselors, emergency medical personnel and firefighters.  When firefighters or law enforcement see horrible things they have people available to them to help them process what they have seen.  Victim's advocates frequently go from one trauma to the next and never seek help dealing with what they have seen.  They work until they can't take anymore and then burn-out from trauma and exhaustion.

As I sifted through the victim's horror stories, while compiling The Medical Malpractice Journal, I would feel sick and traumatized by the stories.  I was past my deadline and kept telling myself, "Not now.  Wait till you finish the Journal."  I was tuning out my feelings  about the constant trauma I was exposed to.  As I finished the book I found one of my beloved dogs after she had been hit by a car.  She was in shock and hurt.  I tended to her medical needs and pushed any feelings I was having aside to just get the job done.  I didn't have time to feel everyone else's pain. I was too busy trying to fix it.

I finished the book and felt a great weight had been lifted.  Of course the traumatized victims continued to call and write, telling me their stories and seeking "Justice." Which is what I would have them do.  They need to talk ... I continued to listen.

But something was happening to me.  The nightmares and nightsweats had started again.  The trauma from my own experience with doctors was resurfacing, I rationalized.  I couldn't get the image of my battered dog, in shock, out of my mind and started crying constantly.  Then at 10:00 p.m. one night the phone rang.  It was another traumatized victim and I filed documents while listening intently as she told her story.

I have heard so many horror stories that it never occurred to me that one could put me over. This woman told the most horrifying dead baby story I have ever heard. I hung up the phone and literally went to my knees, sobbing.  All of the stories, including my own and the battered three legged Rottweiler that lay in front of me, was now too much. For the next few days I couldn't get the horrible images of this woman's child out of my mind.

I have specifically studied and researched Post Traumatic Stress.  I have worked extensively with POW's, battered women, survivors of sex crimes and have been used as an expert witness.  I have made videos on the subject and spoke to law enforcement and other service providers.  I didn't know what had hit me.  I wasn't making the connection.

I went to a friend, who is a psychologist, and tearfully told him of the images and nightmares, the nightsweats and the constant parade of horror that I was hearing about. I worked  hard to choke back the loud, bawling, squalling, face collapsing , crying fit that welled inside.  I was successful.  He said, "I don't know if giving it a name will help, but it's called vicarious trauma.  It's the PTSD of seeing and hearing about it. Try honoring that part of you that has compassion instead of pushing it away." 

That was all I needed to get started - a name for it. I knew about post traumatic stress and suddenly it all made sense.  It took several weeks of respecting my own limits and heart before the nightmares and night sweats subsided. Within a few weeks I was able to stand steady again and now try to always keep one eye on, and honor, my compassion.

Please don't allow the trauma and horror we deal with daily to build under the surface.  Seek the information and help that you need to process the constant bombardment of human destruction  we face.  We need all advocates and survivors and can't afford to lose even one.

We become so accustomed to the parade of trauma that we begin to think that is what life is about.  I try to make sure I have a balance.  Humor, self enrichment and gratitude can rejuvenate us.  I ensure that I expose myself to the wonderful things in life that make us smile..  When the world around me feels too heavy, and it is appropriate, I work hard to measure out the right amount of humor or irony.  It can be really hard to look at a situation and decide that I need only two teaspoons of humor to add levity and I frequently fail,  but most seem to appreciate the effort.

http://trauma-pages.compg4htm 
David Baldwin's Trauma Info. An extensive site on trauma including Holocaust & torture.  Highly recommended.

http://www.apa.org/journals/figley.html
Review of the book Compassion Fatigue

http://196.25.53.103/reading/tracktwo/p34.htm#top
The Center For Conflict Resolution & The Media Peace Center