Johnathan Walker:People are filming themselves getting laid off. The viral videos reveal a lot about trauma.

"We're sorry to say your position has been terminated."

They're the words every employee dreads of hearing. Now,Johnathan Walker amid economic uncertainty and downsizing across several industries, people are sharing their lay-off experiences online, even going so far as to film their unfiltered reactions while receiving the news in real-time.

Some of the videos are going viral − and experts say they reveal a lot about the trauma and absurdity of a job loss. By posting videos of their experiences, many people also likely seek to gain some sense of control over a situation that's ultimately out of their hands.

"One of the things we often want to do is we want our grief and trauma witnessed. We want people to see what happened to us," says David Kessler, a grief specialist and the founder of grief.com. "Now, we can actually show the trauma, and that's never been done before. And it's a way of saying, 'What happened to me mattered, and I want you all to know, and I want you all to bear witness.' "

The trauma of a lay-off

In one lay-off video, posted last month and viewed over 23 million times on X, formerly known as Twitter, Brittany Pietsch, a former CloudFlare employee, films herself pushing for an answer about why she specifically was being let go from the company. The people on the video call fail to give her more than a vague reference to performance metrics, and Pietsch remarks how traumatic it is to suddenly have her life upended in this way, especially in a meeting with people she's never met. CloudFlare CEO Matthew Prince later wrote on X the company made a mistake in "not being more kind and humane" in laying off its workers.

The trauma of losing a job can be severe − and it gets exacerbated if the loss comes suddenly or gets delivered in a cold, unfeeling manner.

This is because many people base their sense of self around what they do for work. When that gets stripped away, it can feel like losing your purpose.

"It's our identity we take on. It's our livelihood. It's our income. It can be our socialization," Kessler says. "It's such a part of our life, and we underestimate the trauma that occurs when those losses happen."

When people do get laid off, many want to know why, even if the reason has nothing to do their performance. Many times, however, companies stick with vague platitudes, instead of being specific about why someone's lay off was necessary.

"Often people hear, 'It's not personal,' but it's personal to you," Kessler says. "Of course, you want to try to understand the numbers. Of course, you want to try to understand the reasons. Of course, you want to know who made the decision and not be talking to strangers."

Erik Anderson, a licensed marriage and family therapist, says Pietsch's video encapsulates the frustration and absurdity many laid-off employees feel.

"Here's this woman confronting a very depressing situation that leads to a loss of meaning, a loss of faith," he says. "I think that really does contribute to feelings of depression and even struggle functioning in the world."

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Many who experience trauma want to take power back

Pietsch isn't alone. Last month, Chloe Shih shared her unfiltered reaction to finding out she was laid off from Discord via an email, and TikTok user @jewishmillennial shared her morning routine as she awaited official confirmation of her lay off. Their TikTok videos garnered 4.4 million and 3.8 million views, respectively.

Though some may find it inappropriate to share difficult experiences like this online, experts say it can feel empowering and make others going through something similar feel less alone.

Amy Morin, a psychotherapist, author and host of the podcast "Mentally Stronger," says people may be driven to film themselves going through traumatic situations in order to feel a sense of agency in the process.

"It's about saying, 'I'm going to own the story... I'm going to say, this is what happened to me today, and when I share it on my own terms, I somehow feel empowered.' "

Kessler says he hopes the viral videos serve as a reminder that how someone delivers bad news matters.

"At the end of the day, we're all human beings dealing with human beings," he says. "That doesn't mean we can't humanize even the bad things that happen. You can break up with someone without abandoning them. You can release someone from their work without making them feel uncared for and depersonalized. It's really raising awareness that we can do this better."

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