Awe, ((((HD)))) ((((safe hugs))))

If your work involves trauma studies, then you need to take a bunch of breaks and find support to help you through your coursework. Sometimes we empathize with those we are speaking with and then we feel their pain. If all we do all day long is absorb and empathize with so many people's pain, we're bound to feel some sort of vicarious trauma ourselves. You can get treatment for that, too.

But, ironically, the whole purpose of your thread here is to explain how scary treatment is. So, (not to be funny here, but it is quite ironic), most of our support will be for you to find treatment for dealing with reports about bad therapy (how sad is that?!).

There are alternatives. For one, social support can help you get your mind off of things for a while. Music playing in the background may help you feel more distracted from the work that you're doing in school. Learning from mentors or professors on how to disengage from absorbing other people's pain while still empathizing (imagine the other person in their own shoes instead of you in their shoes, for instance). If you must, avoid empathy and remain stoic, which, ironically, is one of the main complaints of therapy. Sadly, I think this is why many therapists become stoic over time, or they remain consistently stoic.

What about studies to increase our threshold for secondary trauma? For that matter, how about tools to increase our threshold for trauma in general? I don't know.

When I'm feeling overwhelmed with repetitive stuff I just don't want to hear anymore, I find something else to do like listen to an upbeat song and go out. You deserve a break to enjoy life, no matter how much you empathize with others who don't enjoy what you do. That comparison is not healthy, and you need not feel guilty. There's room for advocacy later. For now, do what you need to do to take care of you!

(((safe hugs))) Be well.