Is it possible to have the effects of a traumatic experience after being told about it without actually experiencing it yourself?
Anonymous
on
Jul 24, 2018
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I believe it is. It's empathy. It's a good thing that a person is able to be able to place themselves in someone else's shoes.
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hereToListen29
on
Jan 24, 2015
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Experiencing stress through someone else is very much a real thing. Many people feel for the victims of the trauma and sometimes live it through them. The best way to get over this is to help the actual victim to recover, and then you should naturally recover on your own.
kindheartedPudding17
on
Mar 20, 2015
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Some text books state there is a phenomenon called "vicarious trauma" which occurs by hearing about the experience without having actually been through it.
etherealkelsie
on
Jun 2, 2015
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Yes, it happened to me when I found out my mom was abused by her boyfriend. I was completely convinced that it was my fault and had a difficult time forgiving myself. It still affects me to this day, but I have finally convinced myself that it was not my fault.
MandaP
on
Jul 6, 2015
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Yes you can experience trauma vicariously, especially if you are very empathetic. The more empathetic you are the more you may take one someone's pain as your own.
NewRomantic677
on
Sep 8, 2015
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It definitely is. Especially if the experience was experienced by someone who is very close to you, in which case I think it's a natural empathetic response.
LeapingLaughter
on
Sep 13, 2015
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Absolutely. Mirror neurons allow us to feel empathy, and to actually experience the feelings of others as though we are experiencing them ourselves.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror_neuron
BubbleMJ
on
Nov 27, 2017
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I believe it is possible, the mind is a powerful organ that can force you to believe things that are not true.
endearingLion70
on
Mar 19, 2018
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Hearing someone bad experience especially if it is someone who is close to us can trigger a lot of anxiety.
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