Plate No. 9 (“They Do Not Want To”) from the series “The Disasters of War” by Francisco Goya (1810s), Source Arno Schmidt Reference Library (PD)
The impact of witnessing trauma of any kind is profound. It leaves a scar on the psyche. Symptoms can range from sadness, fear, and guilt, to anxiety and emotional numbness [1A].
Secondary Trauma
Of course, trauma takes many forms and is not limited to abuse. We may, for instance, witness an auto accident, seeing victims removed from the scene. This is known as secondary or vicarious trauma. Those in law enforcement, emergency care, and frontline journalism frequently experience it [1B][2].
A. Domestic Violence
Children who witness domestic violence in the home are exposed to evil firsthand, and are most vulnerable to the effects of vicarious trauma. It shapes their character and their view of the world even if they, themselves, are not the victims. Boys are far more likely to become abusers; girls, to seek out abusers as partners. The statistics are appalling [3].
But many of us will encounter secondary trauma simply through life experience.
B. Bullying
We may as children have seen others bullied, feeling powerless, ourselves, to intervene.
C. Vicarious Abuse
Whether as children or adults, we may see a beloved relative gradually worn away by domestic violence, her self-esteem eroded.
Though we may never actually see the blows struck, this is for us, in effect, vicarious abuse. If we try unsuccessfully to persuade that relative to leave her situation, we are bound to feel frustrated, angry, and helpless.
What We Can Do
If we do lose a loved one to abuse, we are not as helpless as we may feel.
A few of us may become advocates, as a result, in or out of the courtroom. Far more will go on to interact with countless other women we can educate about domestic violence. While we may never give formal lectures, we can share our experience with friends, coworkers, and a host of others.
As important, we can treat them the way they should be treated. And we can raise our own children to know they deserve better from a relationship.
That has the power to save lives.
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[1A and 1B] Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), “The Vicarious Trauma Tool Kit — What Is Vicarious Trauam?”, https://ovc.ojp.gov/program/vtt/what-is-vicarious-trauma.
[2] ACLS, “Understanding Secondary Trauma: The Impact of Witnessing Traumatic Events” by Melanie Kolmetz, DFAAPA, EMT-P, https://acls.com/articles/the-impact-of-witnessing-traumatic events/.
[3] Domestic Shelters, “Children and Domestic Violence”, 1/17/15, https://domesticshelters.org/resources/statistics/children-and-domestic-violence.
The US Supreme Court has ruled against a Colorado law which prohibited so called “conversion therapy” in cases of gender dysphoria. The Supreme Court considers such counseling “free speech,” therefore, protected.
Some 23 states have prohibited licensed Christian counselors from exploring underlying issues with patients suffering from this condition, or advising how they might align their perceived gender and biological sex.
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