Trauma Dumping

Let's start this topic off with this statement: Before you trauma dump on anyone , it needs to be completely mutual between you and the ...

Let's start this topic off with this statement:

Before you trauma dump on anyone, it needs to be completely mutual between you and the other person(s) you share this information with.

In the online creator space it is all too common that a viewer from time to time will trauma dump all of their grief or problems onto a content creator during a live broadcast. Don't get me wrong, I totally understand that sometimes your favorite content creator may be the person YOU personally feel like you can share experiences with. However, please understand that the creator is not just there to entertain you, there is an entire community of other people interacting with the streamer. What you share with the content creator is also shared with everyone present during a live chat. 

First, let's break this down a bit by giving some insight on how the content creator may feel. Most of the time before a streamer goes live, there are steps they go through mentally. I can guarantee you that, majority of live content creators have a special process or regimen they must perform in order to prepare themselves mentally and physically for a live broadcast. Unless the creator shares these details with their community, no one sees this process before they go live. This could be anything! Saying a prayer before the stream. Doing a wellness check on their family. Heck, some even meditate before they open themselves up to other people online. It can be challenging on the other side as a content creator because there is a balance required. Mental preps before going live is important! The mental state of a content creator is so crucial in how they bring their personality and big energy into their streams. Most importantly, a content creator deals with IRL things. They too have to be careful how they may trauma dump on their communities.

Now imagine telling the streamer while they are live, you are unhappy and dealing with a great loss when the energy is high and positive. 

 [ "I just lost my bestfriend to covid today" ]

You my friend have just drastically put the creator in the hot seat while also shifting the energy for everyone involved in the live broadcast. 

This type of event is so broad that it effects everyone mentally on every spectrum. In my opinion, content creators and viewers both need to learn how to manage this type of occurrence when a person trauma dumps. Of course you don't have to agree with me, I am not an expert nor a licensed therapist. In other words I hold no credibility in the subject matter. However, my belief is that if someone shares trauma it should be treated with care as mental illness. When a person is deeply depressed, angry or suicidal in an online space they may feel that the only way they can seek help is by speaking publicly. If your a content creator, this unfortunately could happen in your live broadcast. 

Please, be careful how you address people who may share trauma during your live broadcasts. Trust me, I know it can be mentally taxing but there are ways to handle these situations vs just telling a person to stop trauma dumping in your streams directly. 

I reached out to a few creators who always had valid points to me and asked them: How do you respond to someone who trauma dumps in the chat?    

Moh_Mili

https://www.twitch.tv/moh_mili

You have to deescalate the situation quickly with a peaceful situation or redirect it to another location. Ask the person to shoot you a DM in discord and that you'll have a chat later. It's a time and place for everything.                                                                    

Cebeis

https://www.twitch.tv/cebeis

For me it's all based on the headspace I'm in. If I'm not really in a good space to offer a lot of advice I'll give a generic sorry to hear that, wish them the best, and try to swing topics so it doesn't get heavy. If I'm in a better mindset I tend to just give an ear cause sometimes people just want an ear for just for a moment and they bounce right back. It's all case by case for me. I have a regular who pops up every 3ish months to trauma dump and leave which can be iffy. But other times I could be saying something that touches someone and they open up a bit and I made a new friend and made them feel safe. My general rule is to just be respectful of their feelings while also not hurting mine. 

JeroniSauce

https://www.twitch.tv/jeronisauce

The last time I’ve dealt with it (not that long ago) I just told them that I was sorry for whatever was happening but now wasn’t the best time to share that. It makes everything so awkward right after and you start feeling like trash when you continue to have fun after reading something so traumatic that they are going through.

 

OdinHighwind

https://www.twitch.tv/odinhighwind

I hadn't had to respond to a trauma dump since back when I streamed Dissidia. It was so awkward for me because I knew what was happening but in my head I was like "I ain't got nothing for you bro", and wound up giving the deadpan "I'm sorry to hear that" and redirected attention to the action. It wasn't that I couldn't relate to it, because I did.  But it's a time and place to talk about and or connect like that. Not while I'm technically at work. Live time isn't a invitation to a open therapy session...  unless I'm in "Just Chatting" and I open the floor for it. Few exceptions apply, because life is dynamic. We know stop drop and roll but if we actually on fire, there's a window of "oh shit" that you have to address.

 

Overall as a collective, it seems that we all agree it is a time and place for expressing your trauma. Be courteous to the content creators you share this with. Not everyone is the mental headspace to deal with trauma news. 

Here are some suggestions I put together that I believe can help on both sides:

Creators

1. Try adding new commands like !Resources !help or !wellness. No it is not your responsibility to provide these tools, but if you identify yourself as a content creator that provides a safe space for your viewers, it wouldn't hurt. Give your viewers that trauma dump an outlet they can utilize to help them vs revealing them on a twitter post about how it effected you. Going to social media does nothing but repeat the cycle of trauma on both sides.
2. Block key words that may filter out trauma responses. This may sound crazy but names/words like Grandma, died and so on may help moderate messages. In response, posting those !commands to redirect them to help can go a long way. At least this way your not put in the position where the entire chat sees the message or you have to address it right away. 
3. Redirect the person to another online location such as discord and twitter dm's if you feel inclined to.
   

Viewers

1. Before posting anything in the chat, ask the content creator if its okay to share the details of your trauma. It allows the creator to warrant a response by also asking their community if they are prepared as well to hear it. This at least gives everyone in the community a choice to hear what you want to share. It also shows that you have respect for everyone's mental state as well.
2. Seek professional therapy or join a share and support group before dumping all of your trauma on your peers. Most hospitals offers share groups. There are also local groups which can be found online by state at www.missfoundation.org. You need to understand that not everyone is built to handle all the grief that you want to share. Sometimes the best help is professional help. 
   

 

At the end of the day the goal here is to ensure that when trauma is shared we're not negatively impacting the mental health of others in the process. I really hope that this post provided some insight as well as useful information for everyone. If you have anything else to add please feel free to share your thoughts and be sure to check out the creators that were featured in this post. 

With Love,

Kaylee