Patty and I have our first public conversation about our careers with First Responders. We discuss our wish for policy and our hopes for the future of first psychological support. https://insightandconnection.com/

Season 1 is over! 12 of 12 episodes are complete; and I recap the highlights for you. I also have some ending thoughts about first responder psychological support for your consideration. I invite you to listen in for Season 2!

In this episode, I use $100 words that explain your brain structures and functions. I explain the brain’s process of taking in stressful, overwhelming, and/or traumatic experiences -and how human it is (aka how normal it is) to have a reaction to upsetting information/exposures. My dogs hijack us at the end.

I discuss how I initially started treating first responder traumas. I introduce my use of Francine Shapiro’s EMDR/AIP Model, as well as other therapy processes. Resource: emdria.org for more information and a national registry of EMDR therapists.

In this episode, I describe how I assess you & your trauma. I define 3 categories of trauma, including: complex trauma (under 21yo), PTSD (critical incident or potentially traumatic event) and trauma (repetition compulsion/reliving or recreating trauma).

This podcast discusses the sensitive and controversial topic of how you cause your own suffering by not being conscious of repetition compulsion. Humans make several seemingly unimportant decisions that amount to us reliving our traumas.

In previous podcasts, I provided a vocabulary for identifying how first responders are in pain, and how I have noticed they react to pain. This episode provides an introduction for how to respond to pain.

I remind you that you have everything you need to succeed. I explain you have two sources of knowledge (head and heart) that must be aligned; and I discuss how time & mental health are relevant to each other. This podcast starts the explanation for how to cope with everything (yes, everything) in life.

After the intro podcast and sharing signs & symptoms, I wanted to plant the seed for how we “Make it Safe” in your department to have a psychological support culture. I also review what should be in your resource folder on a shared drive for everyone to have access to at your department.

Some of the repeat-experiences/observations in the therapy office and on ride-alongs are discussed. Categories include: cognitive, emotional, physical, behavioral, social, and spiritual.