Code Blue: The Unlikely Bonds

Trauma bonding is often thought of as the relationship between a victim and their abuser, but it is also a bond that people share when dealing with trauma.

For example, those that work in an Emergency Department are exposed to challenging cases and they create bonds with people that have been exposed to those traumatic events.

It's not a normal experience to care for victims of crimes, cardiac arrests, or traumatic injuries. The healthcare workers that work in the ED see all of these and worse. Abuse cases, sexual assaults, human trafficking, domestic violence and suicide attempts are other cases we care for. This takes a mental toll on us and only those sharing in the care of these patients truly understand the secondary trauma we face every shift.

We share secrets early in our relationships, become lifelong friends, and discuss bodily functions with our fellow ED peeps. We feel comfortable because we establish a level of trust and bond with people that share those traumas. 

Witnessing such intense and tragic cases take a toll on healthcare professionals, leading to compassion fatigue, burnout, and the almighty trauma bond. Many ER workers learn to compartmentalize their emotions to continue proving care. ER workers might walk into one room with a patient coding or passed away, and 15 minutes later walk into their next patients room with a smile, ready to provide care.

I am sure you can imagine how emotionally exhausting this can be.

ER work is intense, unpredictable, heartbreaking and filled with both wins and losses

Many of us are reminded every shift how fragile life is and how important it is to have a strong support system, so where trauma bonding in a traditional sense might be thought of as a relationship between a victim and an abuser, for the special few that call the ER home. 

Trauma bonding might just be what holds it all together and moves us forward.