Secondary Trauma from Your TV

People who work in emergency rooms or work in crisis intervention services often experience what is called secondary traumatization. They may not directly experience a trauma, such as an injury, or find themselves in a dangerous situation but they witness such events and are therefore indirectly exposed to the same trauma as the patient. Those of us glued to our TV on and after 9/11/01 experienced this type of secondary trauma. We may not have been in New York to see it first hand but seeing it played out repeatedly on TV exposed us to the trauma again and again. Thus we may have similar feelings as those who were there at ground zero. Repeated exposure to bad news about the economy, violence in schools and families being killed in their homes leave us feeling helpless, fearful, and anxious. At the same time, we may tune in to the news to get updates on the traumatic stories. Repeated exposure to news of this kind may traumatize people if they do not limit themselves. As with anything else, moderation is the key. Limiting exposure is a way to maintain a healthy emotional outlook. In addition, be sure to tune in to what is positive about our world and the good things that happen everyday. This "glass half full" approach to life can do wonders for your emotional health.