"Helping" professionals can suffer from burn-out and compassion fatigue from the nature of their work, but that may be only the tip of the iceberg. What about those in the silent grip of unexplained and debilitating problems like depression, obesity, immune disorders, addiction, or anxiety? It could be vicarious trauma. Every time you interact with those you help, you are putting yourself at risk for it; particularly if you experienced childhood trauma. The authors explore the subtle and covert way that absorbing others' trauma while controlling empathy gradually alters the structure of the brain, negatively affects the mind and can ultimately desnsitive, numb and cause these disturbances.