Compassion Fatigue: Dis-ease of the 21st Century
By Karl LaRowe
What is Compassion Fatigue?
Compassion fatigue is a term, traditionally reserved for professional care providers, – doctors, nurses, social workers and counselors who experience burnout providing care and treatment for people suffering from physical, mental or emotional trauma. It has also been called “secondary traumatic stress” because the symptoms of compassion fatigue mirror some of the symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
With our relentless 24 hour news cycle, Compassion Fatigue increasingly affects the rest of societywith constant exposure to the sounds of suffering, the images of trauma or threats of war and terrorism. The hallmark of Compassion Fatigue is the feeling of going “numb” inside, disconnecting from feelings and chronic fatigue. It is literally being “tired from caring,” and “tired of caring.”
Fight, Flight and Freeze
Compassion Fatigue is experienced as repetitive shocks to the mind and body. The sympathetic nervous system is hyper-activated, secreting large amounts of adrenaline into the bloodstream in preparation for fight or flight. The heart rate increases, breathing becomes short and shallow, blood vessels constrict and muscles tighten. The neo-cortex, the thinking brain begins to shut down in favor of the automatic responses of the more primitive, reactive Limbic system or emotional brain.
In the case of Compassion Fatigue, these repetitive shocks often occur “under the radar” of conscious awareness. When there is no specific mechanism to fight or flee the traumatic stress all the body can do is “freeze”. The freeze response is the psychological mechanism most associated with PTSD and is comparable to gunning your car engine in gear while stomping on the brakes. Repeatedly, over time your body will suffer the same fate as your car – mechanical breakdown and eventually, complete systems failure.
Wired and Tired
The new research on traumatic stress strongly suggests that the cumulative effects of this repeated freeze response is what some experts in the field are calling “energy residue.” Over time, the body becomes habituated to this condition of chronic over-stimulation and simultaneous exhaustion; a state I call “wired and tired”. As a result the body stores this energy residue resulting in greater sensitivity to stress and trauma, causing the release of more adrenaline in a repetitive emotional short-circuit. Breath of Relief is a simple, mind-body exercise that breaks this emotional short circuit by transforming energy residue into harmonious fluid motion.
Breath of Relief
To begin Breath of Relief: stand with your feet a little wider than shoulder width apart as shown in the picture below. Keep your back straight and your knees slightly bent. As you draw a slow, deep, even breath in from your diaphragm allow you center of gravity to slowly sink as you bend your knees while keeping your back straight. Slowly bend your knees to sink your center of gravity in harmony with your in-breath to a slow count of three.
Simultaneously pull your hands into your chest as you breathe in and bend your knees. DO NOT BEND YOUR KNEES ANY FURTHER THAN YOU ARE COMFORTABLE. The depth of the knee bend is not as important as synchronizing your movements with your breath.
Do this movement slowly, consciously, with intent. Allow your attention to hover in your core center (an imaginary point in the center of your body, the fulcrum of your balance.) Visualize that you are drawing into your body fresh energy with your hands as you breathe in slowly, fully and deeply from your diaphragm.
Imagine enlivening oxygen being drawn into your lungs and circulating through your entire body as you slowly allow gravity to pull your center gently towards the earth. Surrender to the energy of the earth as you absorb its life-giving force.
When you have breathed in as much oxygen as you can without strain allow the momentum of your movement to gently bounce as you begin exhaling your spent oxygen out through your mouth with a sigh of relief. As you slowly release your breath to a count of four begin to straighten your elbows and knees so that you return to the position you originally started from as shown below.
Straighten your elbows and knees in rhythm with exhaling your breath. Visualize pushing out and releasing all of the frozen, stagnant energy of stress and exhaustion. Allow yourself to sigh a deep breath of relief as you discharge the last of your breath. With continuous momentum, allow your body to begin the cycle again as you slowly breathe in, simultaneously bending your elbows and knees allowing your center to sink towards the earth.
Getting into the Flow
With each slow, fluid repetition of the movement, surrender to the flow of the motion. The basics of Breath of Relief are very simple; keep your back straight and aligned as you draw in, circulate and exhale the vital energy of your breath in flowing harmony with your movements.
As you master the mechanics of the movement allow your attention to sink into your core center again and again. Continually align your attention and your intention to sense the release and transformation of energy residue. Each time that you can align body and breath with energy and motion, you are transforming compassion fatigue into the energy and engagement of flow.
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[(]Ó Karl D. LaRowe 8/2006