The Unique Trauma and Grief that Comes with Being a First Responder

We rarely think about how the witnesses to trauma can become traumatized themselves. First responders, such as paramedics, emergency medical technicians, doctors, nurses, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and military personnel, are exposed to pain and suffering daily. While they’re some of our most respected members of society, their grief and emotional burdens aren’t often discussed.

Processing Emotions

First responders are prone to experiencing acute and chronic trauma, burnout, and compassion fatigue. Acute trauma happens after a single traumatizing event, while chronic trauma happens because of repeated exposure.

Burnout and compassion fatigue are related—they happen after repeated stress at work isn’t dealt with and alleviated. For a first responder, it's hard to feel the same level of compassion every single day in the face of every single situation. In fact, a first responder is trained to remain stoic in the face of chaos. While this is helpful for getting their job done, it’s an unhealthy way to approach their own emotional processes. As a result, a first responder may be re-traumatized every day at a job that is slowly burning them out.

Grief and First Responders

First responders are often working in situations where loss of life is more common than it is for the average person. As they witness the aftermath of tragic events or work long hours during a worldwide pandemic, they sometimes see multiple deaths per day.

Despite their best efforts, they may not always be able to save everyone, and this sense of powerlessness can be incredibly damaging. They may feel a loss of control, develop symptoms of depression, and struggle to even eat and sleep.

First responders also might have deep, strong bonds with their coworkers—working through such difficult situations brings people close together. When they lose a colleague in the line of duty, it can cause as deep a wound as the loss of a family member would.

Grief doesn’t always arise from death. A first responder might also grieve their own life. They’re unable to walk through the world as carefree as they once could. They might also not have as much time for life’s pleasures, and missing out on family milestones puts a strain on their relationships. Some first responders, such as travel nurses and military personnel, can’t always put down roots. They may grieve the loss of a place they love as they’re assigned elsewhere in the world.

Removing the Stigma

Addressing mental health still isn’t fully accepted in all social circles. A first responder might be reluctant to seek therapy for their trauma because they might believe admitting they’re in pain is a sign of weakness. They may also worry that doing so could jeopardize their career. As a result, they suffer in silence—this only compounds their issues and makes recovering from trauma even more difficult.

As we work to remove the stigma of taking care of one’s mental health, it’s important to reframe the discussion. Reaching out for help is not a sign of weakness; it takes incredible strength and vulnerability. First responders should take advantage of any workplace mental health benefits and get informed about how trauma and grief affect the mind and body.

Getting Help

If you’re a first responder and you’re having a hard time coping, know you’re not alone. Reach out to a therapist who can help you process the unique issues that come with your job. Therapy can help you cope with your day-to-day, recover from particularly difficult moments in the past, and learn healthy ways of processing intense emotions like stress, anger, and grief.

To find out more about how therapy can help first responders cope with trauma, please reach out to us.

Click here for more information on Trauma Therapy.