Working at the Edge of Trauma

A reflection on forensic nursing, vicarious trauma, and the role of Advanced Integrative Energy Healing.

Forensic nurses are present in the immediate aftermath of trauma

What is less visible is what they carry.

In 2013–2014, I had the opportunity to participate as a research intern for 8-months supporting a forensic nursing team in collaboration with Fraser Health Authority. It was a formative and quietly profound experience—one that continues to shape how I understand trauma, resilience, and the unseen impact of caregiving.

This experience was part of a broader clinical research initiative exploring how Advanced Integrative Energy Healing could support those working at the frontlines of trauma care.

Forensic nurse examiners work in environments that most people never encounter directly. They support individuals in the immediate aftermath of violence—conducting examinations, offering care, and often accompanying patients through the legal process, including providing testimony in court.

Their role requires clinical precision, emotional steadiness, and an extraordinary capacity to remain present in the face of human suffering.

What is less visible is the cost of that presence.

The Accumulation of What Is Witnessed

During my time with the nurses, I began to understand something that is now well-supported in research: trauma is not only experienced by the individual—it can also be absorbed by those who bear witness to it.

Forensic nurse examiners are at particularly high risk of vicarious trauma and secondary traumatic stress. In both research and field observation, signs of burnout can begin to emerge within the first 6–12 months in this highly specialized role, with many practitioners experiencing moderate to high levels of cumulative stress.

In practice, this can show up as:

• Emotional exhaustion and persistent fatigue

• Intrusive thoughts or residual imagery

• Sleep disruption and physical tension

• A diminished sense of safety

• Compassion fatigue, and at times, consideration of leaving the field

What stood out most was not only the intensity—but how quickly this accumulation could take hold.

Trauma is not only experienced–it can be absorbed

Why Endurance Is Not Enough

In many healthcare environments, there is an unspoken expectation of resilience—of continuing on, maintaining professionalism, and “holding it together.”

But the body does not operate on expectation. It responds to experience.

Repeated exposure to trauma can keep the nervous system in a state of hyperarousal. Over time, this affects emotional regulation, immune function, and overall well-being.

Without a way to process or release this activation, the system begins to hold it.

This is where approaches that include the body—not only the mind—become essential.

The Body does not operate on expectation. It responds to experience

Introducing Advanced Integrative Energy Healing (AIEH)

As part of this work, Advanced Integrative Energy Healing (AIEH) was introduced as a complementary, exploratory modality.

AIEH works holistically—supporting the physical, emotional, mental, and energetic systems of the body. Rather than focusing solely on symptoms, it supports the system in reorganizing and returning to balance.

In practice, this meant creating space for nurses to pause, reconnect, and release what had been carried—often without needing to revisit the details of their cases.

Key elements included:

• Nervous system regulation

• Somatic awareness

• Energetic rebalancing

• Restoration of internal safety

What I observed was subtle, but meaningful. Breath deepening. Posture softening. A quiet return to presence.

The Responsibility of the Practitioner

One thing became very clear to all of us working as AIEH research interns: we were not separate from the environment we were supporting.

Our work took place on-site—in close proximity to the forensic unit. This meant we were moving within a clinical space where patients were being supported in the immediate aftermath of sexual and physical trauma.

There was an atmosphere to it. Not always visible—but deeply felt.

At times, the nurses we worked with would share aspects of what they were carrying. Not in detail, but enough to feel the weight of their work.

Because of this, our own self-care was not optional. It was essential.

We needed to:

• Stay grounded within our own bodies

• Process what we were exposed to

• Maintain clear energetic and emotional boundaries

• Recognize what was not ours to carry

In many ways, we were practicing the same principles we were offering.

This created a level of integrity in the work—it was lived, not applied.

What the Body Reveals

Emerging research now helps explain what we were observing.

Chronic trauma exposure is associated with nervous system dysregulation, elevated stress hormones, and reduced resilience markers such as heart rate variability.

Practices that support regulation—including somatic and energy-based approaches—are associated with improved recovery, emotional stability, and resilience.

In simple terms, the body shifts from a state of survival into one of repair.

A Moment That Stayed With Me

One nurse I worked with over time was considering leaving her role. The cumulative impact of the work had become difficult to sustain.

With consistent support, something began to shift. Not suddenly—but steadily.

Instead of resigning, she chose to remain—and began exploring new, trauma-informed ways of supporting both herself and her patients.

It was a quiet but powerful reminder:

When people are supported, they don’t simply endure—they adapt, reorient, and find new ways to continue.

Rethinking Self-Care in Clinical Practice

One of the most important insights from this experience is that self-care in trauma-exposed professions cannot be secondary.

It must be:

• Integrated into the work itself

• Supported at an organizational level

• Grounded in both clinical and somatic understanding

There is a growing shift toward structured support—debriefing, mindfulness practices, and trauma-informed policies.

Modalities like AIEH contribute to this landscape by addressing not only what can be processed cognitively, but what is held beneath awareness.

A More Complete Understanding of Resilience

Resilience is often described as the ability to endure.

What I witnessed was something different.

Resilience is the ability to return.

To come back to a regulated state.

To release what is not ours to carry.

To remain present without becoming overwhelmed.

And this capacity is something that can be supported and developed over time.

Resilence is not endurance. It is the ability to return.

What I Carry Forward

My experience working alongside forensic nurses continues to inform my work today.

It reinforced a simple but essential truth:

Those who hold space for trauma must also have space to release it—and the capacity to do so begins within themselves.

Because sustainable care is not built on endurance alone. It is built on restoration.

This work continues to inform how I support clients today—particularly those navigating stress, burnout, or the cumulative impact of caregiving roles. Services page

This experience was part of a broader clinical research initiative exploring how Advanced Integrative Energy Healing could support those working at the frontlines of trauma care.

Tags:

• Trauma-informed care

• Forensic nursing

• Burnout & resilience

• Somatic healing

• Energy healing

The following references offer additional context for the research and observations reflected in this work.

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References & Clinical Context

Vicarious trauma and burnout in forensic nursing

Newman, C., Roche, M., & Elliott, D. (2024).Vicarious trauma and health outcomes in forensic mental health nurses. Journal of Forensic Nursing, 20(2), 87–94.

Newman, C., Jackson, J., Macleod, S., & Eason, M. (2020).A survey of stress and burnout in forensic mental health nursing.Journal of Forensic Nursing, 16(3), 161–168.

de Looff, P., Didden, R., Embregts, P., & Nijman, H. (2019).Burnout symptoms in forensic mental health nurses: Results from a longitudinal study. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 28(1), 306–317.

Conceptual frameworks: trauma exposure in caregiving roles

Kennedy, S., & Booth, R. (2022).Vicarious trauma in nursing professionals: A concept analysis.Nursing Forum, 57(5), 893–897.

Dickinson, T., & Wright, K. (2008).Stress and burnout in forensic mental health nursing: A literature review. British Journal of Nursing, 17(2), 82–87.

Theoritical framework: biofield

Somatic and Trauma-based Integrative Energy Healing, Integrative Energy Healing Certificate Program, Langara College (2011-2020.)

Clinical note

Additional insights in this article are informed by direct clinical observation and field experience within a forensic nursing research setting.

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Author

Mara Hagglund, CAIEHP did her undergraduate work at Langara College. Upon graduation she became a senior research apprentice at the Integrative Energy Healing Program at Langara College under Dr. Ruth Lamb. She went on to become and instructor and faculty in the Health and Human Services Department at Langara College, and founded her own holistic health practice, Vancouver Energy Healing, and is a member of the Natural Health Practitioners of Canada.