June 9, 2025 • 30 mins
In this powerful solo episode of Growing Tall Poppies, host Dr. Nat Green uncovers a hidden truth affecting thousands of health and helping professionals: the exhaustion, numbness, and loss of purpose you’re feeling may not just be burnout—it could be vicarious trauma.
While burnout is widely discussed, vicarious trauma often goes unrecognized. It’s the quiet, cumulative cost of absorbing the pain, stories, and suffering of others. In this episode, Dr. Nat explains how vicarious trauma differs from burnout and compassion fatigue, and why so many well-meaning professionals silently suffer without realizing what's really going on.
You’ll hear some more of her own story, gain clarity on the emotional, cognitive, behavioral, and existential symptoms of vicarious trauma, and discover gentle, practical steps for resetting your nervous system and reconnecting with your true self.
This is a must-listen for anyone who feels like they’ve lost their spark, identity, or joy in the work they once loved.
🗂️ Timestamps & Episode Flow:
- 00:00 – Welcome & Why This Episode Matters
- 01:40 – What Is Vicarious Trauma (And Why It’s So Often Missed)
- 03:39 – Signs & Symptoms: Emotional, Cognitive, Behavioral, and Existential
- 05:59 – Why This Goes Deeper Than Burnout
- 12:37 – Dr. Nat’s Personal Story & What She Learned
- 20:55 – Steps to Begin Healing: Regulating the Nervous System, Micro-Moments of Joy & Identity Reconnection
- 25:40 – Final Reflections + Invitation to Go Deeper
🔑 Key Takeaways:
- The hidden emotional toll of working in helping professions
- How vicarious trauma differs from burnout and compassion fatigue
- Why mindset work alone isn’t enough—you need nervous system repair
- The quiet grief of identity loss in your professional role
✨ Mentioned in This Episode:
- 🌱 Learn more about the Rising Phoenix program: DM Dr Nat on socials
💬 Let’s Connect:
If this episode resonated with you, take a screenshot, share it in your Instagram stories, and tag @drnatgreen—let’s spread this message to every exhausted health professional who needs to hear it.
If this episode resonates with you then I'd love for you to hit SUBSCRIBE so you can keep updated with each new episode as soon as it's released and we'd be most grateful if you would give us a RATING as well. You can also find me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/drnatgreen/ or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DrNatalieGreen
Intro and Outro music: Inspired Ambient by Playsound.
Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational purposes only. It is not intended to be deemed or treated as psychological treatment or to replace the need for psychological treatment.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Dr Nat Green (00:01):
Welcome to the Growing Tall Poppies Podcast.
I'm your host, Dr.
Nat Green, and I'm so excited tohave you join me as we discuss
what it means to navigate yourway through post-traumatic
growth and not just survive, butto thrive after trauma.
(00:23):
Through our podcast, we willexplore ways for you to create a
life filled with greaterpurpose, self-awareness, and a
deep inner peace.
Through integrating the manyyears of knowledge and
professional experience, as wellas the wisdom of those who have
experienced trauma firsthand.
(00:44):
We'll combine psychologyaccelerated approaches.
Coaching and personal experienceto assist you, to learn, to grow
and to thrive.
I hope to empower you to createdeeper awareness and
understanding and strongerconnections with yourself and
with others, whilst also pavingthe way for those who have
(01:08):
experienced trauma and adversityto reduce their suffering and
become the very best versions ofthemselves.
In order to thrive.
Thank you so much for joining meon today's episode.
(01:32):
Hello, beautiful souls andwelcome back to Growing Tall
Poppies.
I'm Dr.
Nat Green, and today we'retalking about something I know
many of you have felt, even ifyou haven't known what to call
it or haven't had the words for62% of health professionals.
(01:54):
Are burnt out and 74% reportexperiencing compassion fatigue
and health professionals areleaving the professions in
droves.
Yet, what if the exhaustion youfeel isn't just burnout?
(02:15):
What if the heaviness you'recarrying isn't laziness or lack
of resilience?
What if it's not about yourmindset or how resilient you
are?
We know that we are not leavingbecause we don't care.
It's because we've cared toomuch for too long with without
(02:40):
being taught how to process it.
What if it's not burnout, thatit's actually the result of
something far more common andfar less spoken about?
What if you are actuallycarrying someone else's pain in
(03:02):
your body?
This is vicarious trauma.
This episode is all aboutvicarious trauma, the hidden
toll of helping work.
We are not just gonna name it.
We're going to talk about whatit really is and how to start to
(03:25):
heal it gently, compassionately,and practically.
So if you are someone who showsup.
Every single day.
For others, if you're thetherapist, the coach, the nurse,
the doctor, the allied healthprofessional, first responder,
(03:48):
social worker, or perhapsteacher, the person who holds
space for pain and walks peoplethrough their pain, then this
episode is for you becausehelping is beautiful.
It's brave and it's sacred work,but sometimes helping hurts.
(04:18):
And today we're gonna talk aboutwhy and most importantly, what
to do about it.
So if you've ever felt likeyou're surviving more so than
living, then this one's for you.
Maybe you used to love what youdo.
You were inspired, you feltclear on your purpose, and you
(04:43):
knew that you were helpingpeople.
Most likely you felt that thatwas what you were born to do,
but somewhere along the way, andyou're probably not even sure
where something shifted.
(05:04):
Let me ask you something.
Have you ever said to yourself,I used to love this work, but
now it just feels like I'm insurvival mode?
You're drained, you're onautopilot.
You feel numb or even overlyemotional, and you're starting
(05:28):
to wonder what's wrong with me.
Maybe you're still showing up.
You're doing everything youshould be doing from the
outside.
You look capable.
You might even look like you'rethriving'cause maybe you haven't
even told anyone that you feelthis way because you are the one
(05:53):
that people count on.
The one that they come toconstantly.
You are the strong one, thecapable one, but on the inside
you are quietly unraveling.
You're numb, you are tired.
Deep, deep in your bones.
(06:16):
You dread the next client, thenext shift, the next ask.
And worst of all, you feelguilty for feeling this way.
And if that's you take a deepbreath.
(06:38):
You're not alone.
I hear this from helpingprofessionals all the time.
Things like, I don't recognizemyself anymore.
I should be able to handle this.
Oh, maybe I'm just not cut outfor this work anymore.
(07:00):
It's the truth.
You haven't failed and you sureas heck are not broken.
You've been absorbing andcarrying more pain than any
human nervous system wasdesigned to hold.
So let's talk about what'sactually happening.
(07:24):
We've all heard the termburnout.
Yes, burnout is real.
It's a result of chronic stress,often workplace related that
hasn't been managed well.
It's talked about in workplaces,in leadership circles, and let's
face it, it's all over socialmedia right now.
(07:47):
What I'm seeing more often inhealth and helping professionals
is something deeper.
Far, far deeper from my decadesof experience as a health
professional.
I've worked with thousands ofclients and colleagues who've
experienced exhaustion, mentalhealth issues as a result of
(08:13):
things that have been happeningwithin their workplace, and
they're feeling totally depletedand done.
And they accepted that they hadburnout as they're often dealing
with the unmanageable workloads.
Reduced resources, perceivedlack of support, poor work life
(08:34):
balance, or systemic issueslike, lack of autonomy or
recognition.
But they were frustrated thatthe usual recommended approaches
were not working.
And that's because I firmlybelieve that for the majority,
(08:56):
burnout is not the root problem.
Of course, whilst many may haveexperienced all of these things
and undoubtedly had burnout,they also had the added layers
of indirect exposure to traumathrough hearing their client's
stories.
(09:18):
Day in, day out through dealingwith hearing these stories
repeatedly and engagingempathically with their trauma
experiences and pain.
And this then served to alsoalter their worldview, their
trust, and often their identity.
(09:42):
And came with significantsymptoms that they've kept to
themselves, not game to share,and maybe not even recognized
that these things were going on.
Firstly, emotional symptoms suchas guilt, sadness, anger, and
(10:03):
helplessness, not being able tooffer their clients more.
Despite doing the best that theycould, cognitive symptoms such
as intrusive thoughts, theycouldn't switch off, wanting to
continue to work out what elsethey could do for their clients
(10:24):
to make a difference, andsometimes even hyper vigilance.
Then there's the behavioralsymptoms such as overworking.
Just keep pushing through.
Keep working hard, keep working,you'll feel better.
And that then led to avoidanceand often isolation as a result
(10:49):
of feeling that others wouldn'tunderstand.
Then we have the fourth area ofexistential and spiritual
symptoms such as a loss ofmeaning in their careers.
Their lives and they were leftquestioning their values as a
(11:09):
whole.
If you can relate to any ofthese, then this is vicarious
trauma.
It's insidious, and this is thedeeper issue.
It's the unspoken shadow of thehelping professions when you
(11:32):
work.
With people who've experiencedtrauma, deep hurt, and pain,
whether as a therapist, a nurse,a doctor, a coach, a social
worker, or allied healthprofessional, you are exposed to
their pain, their stories, theirgrief and vicarious trauma
(11:56):
happens when you're exposed overtime to the stories of others.
Especially the trauma stories.
You are not the one who directlyexperienced the traumatic event.
But through witnessinglistening, supporting and
holding others' pain, your brainand body begin to experience it
(12:20):
too.
And the neuroscience backs thisup.
Now.
When you sit with someone indistress, your brain mirrors
theirs.
Your stress response, youramygdala fires up, your nervous
system prepares for danger eventhough the threat isn't yours,
(12:44):
and your nervous system doesn'talways know it isn't happening
to you.
So over time, your brain andyour body absorbed the emotional
residue.
And if that trauma energy isn'tdischarged, then you carry it
and you continue to carry itwithin your nervous system.
(13:09):
And if you don't have a way torelease that activation, then
your system stays stuck, hyperalert, hypervigilant, and
emotionally drained it's traumaby proximity.
Vicarious trauma, and no onetalks about it.
(13:31):
This is why you can feelexhausted even after a quiet
day.
It's why small things triggerbig emotions.
It's why your sleep, your joy,and your clarity start to erode.
You are not overreacting.
(13:54):
You are overloaded.
Let me share a bit of my ownpersonal story.
As you know, I'm Dr.
Nat Green, post-traumatic growthexpert founder of the ABS Method
(14:15):
and the Archetypes ofTransformation, and after 35
years.
Working as a psychologist on thefront lines of trauma, including
a year at Port Arthur PostMassacre and the North Parkes
Mine collapse.
I was depleted, exhausted.
(14:39):
I gave everything to my clientsand I had nothing left for
myself or for my family.
I thought I was probably burntout and just pushed through.
Thinking of course, that I justhad to keep going'cause that's
what you did.
I didn't want to acknowledgewhat was really going on below
(15:02):
the surface for fear of beingseen as impaired or having
something wrong with me.
So I just kept going.
I did all the clinicalsupervision, the self-care work,
everything that I was supposedto do, and it wasn't until many,
(15:24):
many years later, another 20years actually, of some of my
most significant trauma workwhen I experienced facing my own
mortality and anothersignificant trauma and.
Autoimmune disorders and chronicillnesses surfaced and I finally
(15:47):
stopped because I was forced to,not because I chose to, let's be
honest.
And I took some time out andrecognized that vicarious trauma
was what was actually underlyingmy burnout and my PTSD.
And I absolutely had to do thedeeper nervous system work that
(16:10):
I'd been avoiding all theseyears.
And here's the part that's bothfrustrating and hopeful.
Your nervous system isbeautiful, intelligent system
inside of you.
It's trying to protect you whenit senses emotional danger.
(16:32):
It goes into fight, flight,freeze, or fawn.
And this might look likeemotional numbing, trouble
concentrating, compassionfatigue, hypervigilance or
irritability, avoiding your ownfeelings or the people that you
love.
(16:57):
And most helping professionalstry to mindset their way out of
this.
So if you've tried all theself-care tools, if you've gone
on holidays, meditated,journaled, practiced mindset
work, and you still feel off,it's not because you're doing it
wrong.
(17:19):
It's because mindset doesn'theal a dysregulated nervous
system.
You don't need moreaffirmations.
You don't need anotherproductivity hack.
You need your body to feel safeagain, because if your body
(17:40):
doesn't feel safe, and no amountof positive thinking will shift
it.
The body simply must lead theway.
So that means learning how todownshift from fight or flight
and into regulation, gentlyprocessing the emotional residue
(18:03):
of other people's pain andcoming back home to yourself
'cause you deserve it.
And I wanna say this reallyclearly.
You are not weak for needingthis.
You are not selfish, and you arecertainly not broken.
(18:25):
You are human and the work youdo requires you to feel, which
means it also requires you toheal.
So it's our responsibility.
To do the work that we need sothat we can continue to do the
(18:49):
work that we choose to do if wechoose to do it with others.
And one of the hardest parts ofvicarious trauma is the identity
loss.
You start to feel like you'rewearing a mask just to get
through the day.
(19:10):
Oh, I know that.
Well, you start forgetting whoyou are outside of the
professional role.
You pull away from your hobbies,your relationships, even your
joy, and all you are left withis the question, where did I go?
(19:31):
You can't remember what lightsyou up anymore.
You pull back from friends, fromfun, from the little things that
once made life feel like yours.
Let's be honest, this is a formof grief.
It's the loss of self.
It's not loud or dramatic.
(19:52):
It's quiet, subtle, but it'sthere the grief of losing
yourself in the work that youonce loved.
And I wanna name it because whenwe don't name grief, we
internalize it as shame, but youhaven't failed.
(20:13):
You've simply lost yourreflection in the mirror of your
mission, and now it's time tofind your way back.
You are allowed to want yourselfback.
You don't need to abandon yourpurpose.
But you do need to reclaim yourplace inside of it.
(20:43):
Healing from vicarious traumadoesn't mean you have to quit
your job.
It doesn't mean you have to stopbeing the incredible caregiver
leader or helping guide that youare.
But it does mean puttingyourself back into the equation.
It means reclaiming youridentity, releasing the
(21:04):
emotional burdens that you'vebeen carrying for others all
these years, resetting yournervous system and reigniting
your spark.
And this is the work I do withmy clients.
Inside My Rising Phoenixprogram, and I promise you, it
is possible to feel groundedagain, to feel joy again, to
(21:30):
feel like yourself again.
There's a version of you on theother side of this who's more
clear, more connected, and morepowerful than ever, and I
developed the Rising Phoenixprogram.
After working out exactly whatwas required and putting myself
(21:52):
through the process and thentesting it on many, many others
individually and now as a groupprogram, because being part of a
community of like-minded peoplewho truly get it is key.
(22:17):
All right, so let's talkstrategy.
How can you make a start onmoving through vicarious trauma
if you are not yet ready to joinmy Rising Phoenix program, or
you just wanna sit with whatcould actually be going on
first, if you are feeling thisepisode deep in your bones.
(22:39):
Here are five gentle, powerfulsteps that you can take today to
begin healing from vicarioustrauma.
Firstly, vicarious traumathrives in silence, so I want
you to start by simplyacknowledging what you're
(22:59):
experiencing.
Name it.
Talk to a trusted colleague, afriend, a coach, a therapist
speaking about it and languagingit alone brings relief.
Secondly, I want you to regulatebefore you reflect, before you
(23:25):
try to make sense of yourfeelings, regulate your nervous
system.
There's a number of differentprocesses that you can do
whatever works for you.
It might be box breathing, whichis inhale for four, hold for
four, exhale for four, and holdfor four.
(23:49):
You might be someone who getsbenefit from tapping EFT.
You might prefer something likeI do, which is TRE, and I know
that I talk about that a lot onthese episodes.
It's because I know that that isan amazing process that truly
(24:10):
works, a process to evokeneurogenic tremors that will
start.
Allowing the body's naturalshaking and tremoring process
where we release and process ourstress, our anxiety, and our
trauma.
It might be something likerunning cold water on your
(24:33):
wrists or putting it on yourneck.
It might be gentle stretchingwith deep breaths.
Any of these can start to helpyou regulate your nervous
system.
Number three, I want you tocreate micro moments of joy.
You don't need a full week offto reset.
(24:56):
Try 15 minutes of intentionalpleasure.
It could be a song that movesyou sitting in the sun just
soaking up the beautiful warmth,a short walk in nature.
It might be something creativelike coloring, in, drawing,
(25:16):
painting, baking, moving yourbody to music.
Whatever you can do to bring thejoy back to you 4 emotional
(25:39):
discharge rituals.
Don't just absorb the emotions.
Learn to release them.
So set a timer and tryjournaling for five minutes,
unfiltered.
Just writing, seeing what flowsthrough.
(25:59):
You could try shaking outtension from your body, standing
up, moving around, shaking yourwhole body out, dancing, doing
whatever it is you wanna do.
Or it might be screaming into apillow.
Yes, really, whatever it is thatworks to help you discharge and
(26:21):
release the emotions, make itsafe and intentional, and let it
move through.
And number five, reconnect withwho you were outside of work.
Who were you before you were ahelper or health professional?
What brought you alive?
(26:44):
It's time to reintroduceyourself to yourself.
Start small.
You don't have to change theworld.
Just choose one tiny thread topull.
Just pull it and follow it.
(27:05):
So as we wrap up this episode,just wanna check in with you.
If this episode spoke to you andmaybe even made you feel seen,
then I would absolutely love tohear from you.
(27:25):
DM me, connect with me onsocials.
My new rising Phoenix program isalmost here, but I don't want
you to feel any pressure thatyou need to do that.
I'd just love for you to connectwith me on socials, and if you
are really ready to trulyreclaim yourself, reach out.
(27:50):
Or you might wanna get on thewait list for my full online
program where I walk you throughhow to release the emotional
residue.
Reset your nervous system andreconnect with who you are
beyond the burnout and help youto truly heal.
Until next time, keep growing.
Keep shining brightly, keepreclaiming you, and never, never
(28:16):
let anyone dim your light ordull your shine.
You are so worth it.
Take care.
Bye for now.
Thank you for joining me in thisepisode of Growing Tall Poppies.
(28:36):
It is my deepest hope thattoday's episode may have
inspired and empowered you tostep fully into your
post-traumatic growth, so thatyou can have absolute clarity
around who you are, what mattersthe most to you, and to assist
you to release your negativeemotions.
(28:57):
And regulate your nervous systemso you can fully thrive.
New episodes are published everyTuesday, and I hope you'll
continue to join us as weexplore both the strategies and
the personal qualities requiredto fully live a life of
post-traumatic growth and tothrive.
So if it feels aligned to youand really resonates, then I
(29:20):
invite you to hit subscribe andit would mean the world to us.
If you could share this episodewith others who you feel may
benefit too, you may also findme on Instagram at Growing Tall
Poppies and Facebook, Dr.
Natalie Green.
Remember, every moment is anopportunity to look for the
(29:43):
lessons and to learn andincrease your ability to live
the life you desire and deserve.
So for now, stay connected.
Stay inspired.
Stand tall like the tall poppyyou are, and keep shining your
light brightly in the world.
Bye for.
Welcome to the Growing Tall Poppies Podcast.
I'm your host, Dr.
Nat Green, and I'm so excited tohave you join me as we discuss
what it means to navigate yourway through post-traumatic
growth and not just survive, butto thrive after trauma.
(00:23):
Through our podcast, we willexplore ways for you to create a
life filled with greaterpurpose, self-awareness, and a
deep inner peace.
Through integrating the manyyears of knowledge and
professional experience, as wellas the wisdom of those who have
experienced trauma firsthand.
(00:44):
We'll combine psychologyaccelerated approaches.
Coaching and personal experienceto assist you, to learn, to grow
and to thrive.
I hope to empower you to createdeeper awareness and
understanding and strongerconnections with yourself and
with others, whilst also pavingthe way for those who have
(01:08):
experienced trauma and adversityto reduce their suffering and
become the very best versions ofthemselves.
In order to thrive.
Thank you so much for joining meon today's episode.
(01:32):
Hello, beautiful souls andwelcome back to Growing Tall
Poppies.
I'm Dr.
Nat Green, and today we'retalking about something I know
many of you have felt, even ifyou haven't known what to call
it or haven't had the words for62% of health professionals.
(01:54):
Are burnt out and 74% reportexperiencing compassion fatigue
and health professionals areleaving the professions in
droves.
Yet, what if the exhaustion youfeel isn't just burnout?
(02:15):
What if the heaviness you'recarrying isn't laziness or lack
of resilience?
What if it's not about yourmindset or how resilient you
are?
We know that we are not leavingbecause we don't care.
It's because we've cared toomuch for too long with without
(02:40):
being taught how to process it.
What if it's not burnout, thatit's actually the result of
something far more common andfar less spoken about?
What if you are actuallycarrying someone else's pain in
(03:02):
your body?
This is vicarious trauma.
This episode is all aboutvicarious trauma, the hidden
toll of helping work.
We are not just gonna name it.
We're going to talk about whatit really is and how to start to
(03:25):
heal it gently, compassionately,and practically.
So if you are someone who showsup.
Every single day.
For others, if you're thetherapist, the coach, the nurse,
the doctor, the allied healthprofessional, first responder,
(03:48):
social worker, or perhapsteacher, the person who holds
space for pain and walks peoplethrough their pain, then this
episode is for you becausehelping is beautiful.
It's brave and it's sacred work,but sometimes helping hurts.
(04:18):
And today we're gonna talk aboutwhy and most importantly, what
to do about it.
So if you've ever felt likeyou're surviving more so than
living, then this one's for you.
Maybe you used to love what youdo.
You were inspired, you feltclear on your purpose, and you
(04:43):
knew that you were helpingpeople.
Most likely you felt that thatwas what you were born to do,
but somewhere along the way, andyou're probably not even sure
where something shifted.
(05:04):
Let me ask you something.
Have you ever said to yourself,I used to love this work, but
now it just feels like I'm insurvival mode?
You're drained, you're onautopilot.
You feel numb or even overlyemotional, and you're starting
(05:28):
to wonder what's wrong with me.
Maybe you're still showing up.
You're doing everything youshould be doing from the
outside.
You look capable.
You might even look like you'rethriving'cause maybe you haven't
even told anyone that you feelthis way because you are the one
(05:53):
that people count on.
The one that they come toconstantly.
You are the strong one, thecapable one, but on the inside
you are quietly unraveling.
You're numb, you are tired.
Deep, deep in your bones.
(06:16):
You dread the next client, thenext shift, the next ask.
And worst of all, you feelguilty for feeling this way.
And if that's you take a deepbreath.
(06:38):
You're not alone.
I hear this from helpingprofessionals all the time.
Things like, I don't recognizemyself anymore.
I should be able to handle this.
Oh, maybe I'm just not cut outfor this work anymore.
(07:00):
It's the truth.
You haven't failed and you sureas heck are not broken.
You've been absorbing andcarrying more pain than any
human nervous system wasdesigned to hold.
So let's talk about what'sactually happening.
(07:24):
We've all heard the termburnout.
Yes, burnout is real.
It's a result of chronic stress,often workplace related that
hasn't been managed well.
It's talked about in workplaces,in leadership circles, and let's
face it, it's all over socialmedia right now.
(07:47):
What I'm seeing more often inhealth and helping professionals
is something deeper.
Far, far deeper from my decadesof experience as a health
professional.
I've worked with thousands ofclients and colleagues who've
experienced exhaustion, mentalhealth issues as a result of
(08:13):
things that have been happeningwithin their workplace, and
they're feeling totally depletedand done.
And they accepted that they hadburnout as they're often dealing
with the unmanageable workloads.
Reduced resources, perceivedlack of support, poor work life
(08:34):
balance, or systemic issueslike, lack of autonomy or
recognition.
But they were frustrated thatthe usual recommended approaches
were not working.
And that's because I firmlybelieve that for the majority,
(08:56):
burnout is not the root problem.
Of course, whilst many may haveexperienced all of these things
and undoubtedly had burnout,they also had the added layers
of indirect exposure to traumathrough hearing their client's
stories.
(09:18):
Day in, day out through dealingwith hearing these stories
repeatedly and engagingempathically with their trauma
experiences and pain.
And this then served to alsoalter their worldview, their
trust, and often their identity.
(09:42):
And came with significantsymptoms that they've kept to
themselves, not game to share,and maybe not even recognized
that these things were going on.
Firstly, emotional symptoms suchas guilt, sadness, anger, and
(10:03):
helplessness, not being able tooffer their clients more.
Despite doing the best that theycould, cognitive symptoms such
as intrusive thoughts, theycouldn't switch off, wanting to
continue to work out what elsethey could do for their clients
(10:24):
to make a difference, andsometimes even hyper vigilance.
Then there's the behavioralsymptoms such as overworking.
Just keep pushing through.
Keep working hard, keep working,you'll feel better.
And that then led to avoidanceand often isolation as a result
(10:49):
of feeling that others wouldn'tunderstand.
Then we have the fourth area ofexistential and spiritual
symptoms such as a loss ofmeaning in their careers.
Their lives and they were leftquestioning their values as a
(11:09):
whole.
If you can relate to any ofthese, then this is vicarious
trauma.
It's insidious, and this is thedeeper issue.
It's the unspoken shadow of thehelping professions when you
(11:32):
work.
With people who've experiencedtrauma, deep hurt, and pain,
whether as a therapist, a nurse,a doctor, a coach, a social
worker, or allied healthprofessional, you are exposed to
their pain, their stories, theirgrief and vicarious trauma
(11:56):
happens when you're exposed overtime to the stories of others.
Especially the trauma stories.
You are not the one who directlyexperienced the traumatic event.
But through witnessinglistening, supporting and
holding others' pain, your brainand body begin to experience it
(12:20):
too.
And the neuroscience backs thisup.
Now.
When you sit with someone indistress, your brain mirrors
theirs.
Your stress response, youramygdala fires up, your nervous
system prepares for danger eventhough the threat isn't yours,
(12:44):
and your nervous system doesn'talways know it isn't happening
to you.
So over time, your brain andyour body absorbed the emotional
residue.
And if that trauma energy isn'tdischarged, then you carry it
and you continue to carry itwithin your nervous system.
(13:09):
And if you don't have a way torelease that activation, then
your system stays stuck, hyperalert, hypervigilant, and
emotionally drained it's traumaby proximity.
Vicarious trauma, and no onetalks about it.
(13:31):
This is why you can feelexhausted even after a quiet
day.
It's why small things triggerbig emotions.
It's why your sleep, your joy,and your clarity start to erode.
You are not overreacting.
(13:54):
You are overloaded.
Let me share a bit of my ownpersonal story.
As you know, I'm Dr.
Nat Green, post-traumatic growthexpert founder of the ABS Method
(14:15):
and the Archetypes ofTransformation, and after 35
years.
Working as a psychologist on thefront lines of trauma, including
a year at Port Arthur PostMassacre and the North Parkes
Mine collapse.
I was depleted, exhausted.
(14:39):
I gave everything to my clientsand I had nothing left for
myself or for my family.
I thought I was probably burntout and just pushed through.
Thinking of course, that I justhad to keep going'cause that's
what you did.
I didn't want to acknowledgewhat was really going on below
(15:02):
the surface for fear of beingseen as impaired or having
something wrong with me.
So I just kept going.
I did all the clinicalsupervision, the self-care work,
everything that I was supposedto do, and it wasn't until many,
(15:24):
many years later, another 20years actually, of some of my
most significant trauma workwhen I experienced facing my own
mortality and anothersignificant trauma and.
Autoimmune disorders and chronicillnesses surfaced and I finally
(15:47):
stopped because I was forced to,not because I chose to, let's be
honest.
And I took some time out andrecognized that vicarious trauma
was what was actually underlyingmy burnout and my PTSD.
And I absolutely had to do thedeeper nervous system work that
(16:10):
I'd been avoiding all theseyears.
And here's the part that's bothfrustrating and hopeful.
Your nervous system isbeautiful, intelligent system
inside of you.
It's trying to protect you whenit senses emotional danger.
(16:32):
It goes into fight, flight,freeze, or fawn.
And this might look likeemotional numbing, trouble
concentrating, compassionfatigue, hypervigilance or
irritability, avoiding your ownfeelings or the people that you
love.
(16:57):
And most helping professionalstry to mindset their way out of
this.
So if you've tried all theself-care tools, if you've gone
on holidays, meditated,journaled, practiced mindset
work, and you still feel off,it's not because you're doing it
wrong.
(17:19):
It's because mindset doesn'theal a dysregulated nervous
system.
You don't need moreaffirmations.
You don't need anotherproductivity hack.
You need your body to feel safeagain, because if your body
(17:40):
doesn't feel safe, and no amountof positive thinking will shift
it.
The body simply must lead theway.
So that means learning how todownshift from fight or flight
and into regulation, gentlyprocessing the emotional residue
(18:03):
of other people's pain andcoming back home to yourself
'cause you deserve it.
And I wanna say this reallyclearly.
You are not weak for needingthis.
You are not selfish, and you arecertainly not broken.
(18:25):
You are human and the work youdo requires you to feel, which
means it also requires you toheal.
So it's our responsibility.
To do the work that we need sothat we can continue to do the
(18:49):
work that we choose to do if wechoose to do it with others.
And one of the hardest parts ofvicarious trauma is the identity
loss.
You start to feel like you'rewearing a mask just to get
through the day.
(19:10):
Oh, I know that.
Well, you start forgetting whoyou are outside of the
professional role.
You pull away from your hobbies,your relationships, even your
joy, and all you are left withis the question, where did I go?
(19:31):
You can't remember what lightsyou up anymore.
You pull back from friends, fromfun, from the little things that
once made life feel like yours.
Let's be honest, this is a formof grief.
It's the loss of self.
It's not loud or dramatic.
(19:52):
It's quiet, subtle, but it'sthere the grief of losing
yourself in the work that youonce loved.
And I wanna name it because whenwe don't name grief, we
internalize it as shame, but youhaven't failed.
(20:13):
You've simply lost yourreflection in the mirror of your
mission, and now it's time tofind your way back.
You are allowed to want yourselfback.
You don't need to abandon yourpurpose.
But you do need to reclaim yourplace inside of it.
(20:43):
Healing from vicarious traumadoesn't mean you have to quit
your job.
It doesn't mean you have to stopbeing the incredible caregiver
leader or helping guide that youare.
But it does mean puttingyourself back into the equation.
It means reclaiming youridentity, releasing the
(21:04):
emotional burdens that you'vebeen carrying for others all
these years, resetting yournervous system and reigniting
your spark.
And this is the work I do withmy clients.
Inside My Rising Phoenixprogram, and I promise you, it
is possible to feel groundedagain, to feel joy again, to
(21:30):
feel like yourself again.
There's a version of you on theother side of this who's more
clear, more connected, and morepowerful than ever, and I
developed the Rising Phoenixprogram.
After working out exactly whatwas required and putting myself
(21:52):
through the process and thentesting it on many, many others
individually and now as a groupprogram, because being part of a
community of like-minded peoplewho truly get it is key.
(22:17):
All right, so let's talkstrategy.
How can you make a start onmoving through vicarious trauma
if you are not yet ready to joinmy Rising Phoenix program, or
you just wanna sit with whatcould actually be going on
first, if you are feeling thisepisode deep in your bones.
(22:39):
Here are five gentle, powerfulsteps that you can take today to
begin healing from vicarioustrauma.
Firstly, vicarious traumathrives in silence, so I want
you to start by simplyacknowledging what you're
(22:59):
experiencing.
Name it.
Talk to a trusted colleague, afriend, a coach, a therapist
speaking about it and languagingit alone brings relief.
Secondly, I want you to regulatebefore you reflect, before you
(23:25):
try to make sense of yourfeelings, regulate your nervous
system.
There's a number of differentprocesses that you can do
whatever works for you.
It might be box breathing, whichis inhale for four, hold for
four, exhale for four, and holdfor four.
(23:49):
You might be someone who getsbenefit from tapping EFT.
You might prefer something likeI do, which is TRE, and I know
that I talk about that a lot onthese episodes.
It's because I know that that isan amazing process that truly
(24:10):
works, a process to evokeneurogenic tremors that will
start.
Allowing the body's naturalshaking and tremoring process
where we release and process ourstress, our anxiety, and our
trauma.
It might be something likerunning cold water on your
(24:33):
wrists or putting it on yourneck.
It might be gentle stretchingwith deep breaths.
Any of these can start to helpyou regulate your nervous
system.
Number three, I want you tocreate micro moments of joy.
You don't need a full week offto reset.
(24:56):
Try 15 minutes of intentionalpleasure.
It could be a song that movesyou sitting in the sun just
soaking up the beautiful warmth,a short walk in nature.
It might be something creativelike coloring, in, drawing,
(25:16):
painting, baking, moving yourbody to music.
Whatever you can do to bring thejoy back to you 4 emotional
(25:39):
discharge rituals.
Don't just absorb the emotions.
Learn to release them.
So set a timer and tryjournaling for five minutes,
unfiltered.
Just writing, seeing what flowsthrough.
(25:59):
You could try shaking outtension from your body, standing
up, moving around, shaking yourwhole body out, dancing, doing
whatever it is you wanna do.
Or it might be screaming into apillow.
Yes, really, whatever it is thatworks to help you discharge and
(26:21):
release the emotions, make itsafe and intentional, and let it
move through.
And number five, reconnect withwho you were outside of work.
Who were you before you were ahelper or health professional?
What brought you alive?
(26:44):
It's time to reintroduceyourself to yourself.
Start small.
You don't have to change theworld.
Just choose one tiny thread topull.
Just pull it and follow it.
(27:05):
So as we wrap up this episode,just wanna check in with you.
If this episode spoke to you andmaybe even made you feel seen,
then I would absolutely love tohear from you.
(27:25):
DM me, connect with me onsocials.
My new rising Phoenix program isalmost here, but I don't want
you to feel any pressure thatyou need to do that.
I'd just love for you to connectwith me on socials, and if you
are really ready to trulyreclaim yourself, reach out.
(27:50):
Or you might wanna get on thewait list for my full online
program where I walk you throughhow to release the emotional
residue.
Reset your nervous system andreconnect with who you are
beyond the burnout and help youto truly heal.
Until next time, keep growing.
Keep shining brightly, keepreclaiming you, and never, never
(28:16):
let anyone dim your light ordull your shine.
You are so worth it.
Take care.
Bye for now.
Thank you for joining me in thisepisode of Growing Tall Poppies.
(28:36):
It is my deepest hope thattoday's episode may have
inspired and empowered you tostep fully into your
post-traumatic growth, so thatyou can have absolute clarity
around who you are, what mattersthe most to you, and to assist
you to release your negativeemotions.
(28:57):
And regulate your nervous systemso you can fully thrive.
New episodes are published everyTuesday, and I hope you'll
continue to join us as weexplore both the strategies and
the personal qualities requiredto fully live a life of
post-traumatic growth and tothrive.
So if it feels aligned to youand really resonates, then I
(29:20):
invite you to hit subscribe andit would mean the world to us.
If you could share this episodewith others who you feel may
benefit too, you may also findme on Instagram at Growing Tall
Poppies and Facebook, Dr.
Natalie Green.
Remember, every moment is anopportunity to look for the
(29:43):
lessons and to learn andincrease your ability to live
the life you desire and deserve.
So for now, stay connected.
Stay inspired.
Stand tall like the tall poppyyou are, and keep shining your
light brightly in the world.
Bye for.
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