Neurotherapist, Director:Save Israel Project-FREE Trauma help
for Victims and Witnesses of Terror
Long before we began suffering from a civilian terror war
here in Israel, the academic psychology world coined the term
"compassion fatigue" and began compiling data. Compassion
fatigue is when the helpers of traumatized people take on the
very same traumas of the people they are helping. It is not
limited to the psychologists, but also prevalent amongst
paramedics, police, soldiers, social workers, and anyone who
contacts and provides support for terror/trauma victims.
A Hatzolah paramedic worker from the Meron bombing said,
"Though I have seen a lot of terror attacks, I don't remember
an incident that was this difficult. I can't get the scenes
out of my head of the dead and wounded lying next to
sifrei kodesh and tefillin." This Hatzolah
worker needs immediate treatment for compassion fatigue.
The effects of compassion fatigue can extend to intrusive
thoughts, nightmares, avoidance and arousal, as well as
changes in their relationships to their selves, their
families, friends and communities. Even radio or visual media
exposure can evoke serious trauma. A person who has no
exposure to the fear- provoking tales and images of terror is
much less likely to go into serious trauma if they then
experience real terror, than a person who has some previous
exposure.
Since the September 11th tragedy in America, many helpers
have become traumatized. A major university study of
compassion fatigue has identified 25 symptoms of compassion
fatigue, and designed a professional, short, intensive
Traumatology Certification Program offering licensed degrees.
The goal of this training is to enable even non-
professionals, like Hatzolah paramedics, to help people be
relieved of compassion fatigue and minimize their own danger
of falling into trauma.
While training with world class trauma experts, Edward Reese
LCSW and Maryann Reese MA, LMFT and International NLP
trainers who have specialized in and treated thousands of
cases of serious disaster traumas for more than 25 years, I
spent several hours with J. Eric Gentry PhD (cand.), MT, CTS,
the Co-director and designer of this Traumatology program. He
showed evidence that the dangers of becoming traumatized
increase with more exposure to trauma. However, the hopeful
news was that there are safeguards to protect ourselves in
this trauma-full Israel.
First, we must be educated to recognize and then decide to
accept the symptoms and their causes. We must follow up by
choosing to address and resolve our symptoms. This includes
setting goals and making a mission statement, and also
seeking any necessary professional and friendly help. Second,
we have to avoid the urge to disconnect from our friends,
family, and community and focus on self-regulation skills.
Those who do not pay attention to this are likely to become
involved in pleasure seeking self-destructive behaviors to
try to drown their sorrows. The goal is to develop the
ability to be a non-anxious helpful viewer in the face of the
traumatic experiences.
Some of the expert trauma care techniques I trained in, evoke
the ability to disassociate from the trauma, and then
reassociate in a way that the victim can feel his strength of
having actually survived the trauma. This enables the
reintegration of the experience so it can then be used as a
source of healing and growth.
Third, self-care is primary if you want to be suitable to
offer help to others. This means time off where you share
with others, exercise, eat well, and have spiritual meaning
and practice. For this, physical relaxation exercises, and
spiritual prayer or meditation are invaluable. It is also
very important to make time to discuss with peer helpers your
feelings about the traumas you are exposed to as a helper,
and work them through rather than become traumatized by
them.
Physically, diaphragmatic breathing exercises and relaxation
of the pelvic floor muscles enables one to develop this
healthy and helpful spiritual-emotional posture.
Of course, Torah and mitzvos with a healthy family life and
lifestyle makes religious Jews ideal candidates to help in
trauma situations. Just as the terrible traumas are from G-d
and a lesson to become stronger from having survived,
caregivers can be taught to use their symptoms of compassion
fatigue to indicate how they need to change and grow to
become better caregivers.
These courses supply very necessary knowledge and practical
experience to know how to be able to transform the traumas of
terror attacks and helping the victims, into strengthening
experiences, instead of life-shattering ones.
Based on my personal experience treating many terror victims
in the hospitals and their homes for flashbacks and other
problems, I believe the problem is worse than we think, and
that we need this training, as well as many more people doing
this same work. That is why I have almost stopped my private
practice to found the nonprofit Save Israel Project to offer
FREE treatment for victims and witnesses of terror, and bring
training like this course to Israel. We are now working on
financing this training in Israel for both professionals and
regular people. Its clear that we are all traumatized daily
now and in danger of compassion fatigue. Anyone who wants to
help please contact me at 054-311-711 or director@save-
israel.org, or POB 43277, Jerusalem, Israel.
