Many people drawn to helping professions—therapists, educators, nurses, social workers, first responders—begin their work with a calling to care. But over time, being present with others’ pain can carry a quiet strain. This is known as vicarious trauma: the emotional toll that comes from empathizing deeply with the trauma stories of others.

Yet in recent years, our exposure to suffering has also extended far beyond our personal circles. Through 24-hour news cycles, social media, and shared cultural upheavals, we are collectively witnessing trauma on a societal scale—wars, pandemics, racial injustice, environmental loss. The emotional load of witnessing all this—even from afar—creates what many psychologists now call collective trauma.

When the World Hurts, We Feel It Too

Vicarious trauma develops through direct empathic connection—sitting across from someone sharing their story of loss or fear. Collective trauma, in contrast, spreads through communities and society. It comes from witnessing crisis—seeing video footage of violence, hearing about mass loss, or living within systems where harm is repeated and normalized.

Even if we are not personally harmed, our bodies and hearts absorb what we see. Compassion, while one of our greatest strengths, makes us permeable. The ache of the world seeps in.

The two forms of trauma—vicarious and collective—often intersect. A therapist supporting clients through social unrest may find their own fears and grief reflected back in the room. A nurse treating patients after a public tragedy may be grappling with similar feelings at home. The boundary between “their trauma” and “ours” becomes porous.

How It Shows Up

Whether experienced individually or collectively, trauma touches our nervous system. Over time, this can manifest as:

• Emotional exhaustion or numbness

• Heightened irritability or anxiety

• Difficulty sleeping or concentrating

• A cynical or hopeless worldview

• Compassion fatigue—feeling detached from others’ suffering

• Physical symptoms such as tension headaches, fatigue, or stomach pain

These are not signs of failure; they are signs of impact. They remind us that empathy is embodied—it lives in our physiology as much as our hearts.

Healing in Connection

Healing from both vicarious and collective trauma starts with recognizing that being affected doesn’t make you weak; it makes you human. The same empathy that exposes us to sorrow also connects us to collective healing.

Here are a few grounding ways to begin:

• Name what you’re experiencing. Putting words to the weight you carry can ease its hold. A trusted colleague, therapist, or friend can help you process.

• Lean into community. Healing from collective wounds requires collective care. Support circles, professional consultation groups, and community rituals help transform isolation into belonging.

• Set compassionate boundaries. Step away from news and social media when overwhelm rises. You are allowed to rest from bearing witness.

• Engage the body. Gentle movement, breathwork, time in nature, or grounding practices can help your nervous system recalibrate.

• Hold space for hope. Amid suffering, make intentional room for beauty, humor, creativity, and joy. They are not distractions; they are antidotes.

Remembering That Healing Is Ours, Too

In times of collective distress, healers and helpers play an essential role. But sustaining that role means tending to your own spirit as carefully as you tend to others. Reconnecting with your sense of meaning, belonging, and wonder is not indulgent—it’s restorative.