Holding Space for Nurses: The Hidden Impact of Compassion Fatigue
Yesterday, I found myself in A&E with sudden pain. The experience moved quickly assessments, scans, procedures but amidst the clinical urgency, one nurse left a lasting impression.
Her presence was calm, steady, and deeply grounding. It wasn’t just her efficiency that stood out it was the way she created a sense of safety in a high-stress environment. In that moment, I was reminded of what nurses truly do: they don’t just treat symptoms they hold space for human experience.
The Science of Holding Space
What we often describe as “holding space” has roots in neuroscience and psychology. It's the ability to remain present, regulate your own nervous system, and co-regulate others a form of emotional labour rarely acknowledged in medical settings.
Nurses, especially those in high-stakes or emergency care, engage in constant emotional processing:
Reading subtle shifts in behavior or tone
Responding to trauma with composure
Navigating patient fears, family dynamics, and systemic pressures often all at once
Over time, this emotional labour takes a toll.
Understanding Compassion Fatigue & Empathic Overload
Research defines compassion fatigue as the physical, emotional, and psychological impact of chronic exposure to others’ suffering. It's closely linked to secondary traumatic stress and is prevalent among healthcare workers, especially nurses.
Key symptoms include:
Emotional exhaustion
Reduced empathy or detachment
Difficulty sleeping or concentrating
Increased irritability or numbness
In parallel, empathic overload occurs when highly sensitive professionals (often empaths or intuitive caregivers) take on others' emotional states without effective energetic boundaries. This isn’t just "burnout" it’s nervous system dysregulation caused by cumulative emotional strain.
Why Energetic Recovery Matters
While self-care is often recommended in broad terms, what many nurses need is structured recovery for the nervous system especially for the parasympathetic system, which governs rest, repair, and emotional resilience.
This is where energetic beauty and theta healing come in:
Rebalance the nervous system
Discharge accumulated stress
Restore a sense of autonomy and internal clarity
Reconnect the practitioner to their own energetic baseline
In my work, I support frontline healthcare professionals particularly women in releasing what they’ve absorbed, re-establishing boundaries, and reconnecting with the parts of themselves often lost in caregiving roles.
You Deserve to Feel Like You Again
To the nurse who helped me yesterday thank you. You reminded me that presence itself can be healing.
And to every nurse or healthcare worker reading this:
If you feel emotionally depleted, chronically fatigued, or disconnected from yourself you’re not alone. These symptoms are not a weakness. They’re a normal response to the extraordinary demands of your role.
You deserve space, too not just to rest, but to restore.
If you're a nurse or healthcare professional experiencing the weight of compassion fatigue or empathic overload, you're not alone and you don't have to carry it alone.
Explore how I can help you restore your nervous system, reconnect with yourself, and reclaim your vitality.
Learn more about remote Energetic Beauty sessions
Your care is essential. So is your recovery.