Care for caregivers

Professionals working with torture and trauma survivors may come to an agreement that they can never know everything about what perpetrators can or cannot do. In gruesome ways, perpetrators tactfully inflict pain and suffering on others. Their “creativity” is what renders this practice most shocking. Through survivors’ accounts, a poignant truth has been revealed to all professionals working in the field: barbarity has no limits.

Feelings of helplessness and powerlessness may naturally be the price that caregivers pay for listening to sordid stories. It is not easy to remain neutral while working with trauma and torture survivors. Hearing stories about how people were tortured, for example, could no doubt be stressful and overwhelming. Understanding the perplexities of these stories can lead to emotional drainage.

https://www.restartcenter.com/files/files_20230918084134.pdf