How Does The Body Remember Trauma?

Fire Ambulance and Police Car

Re-experiencing past trauma as physical symptoms that manifest in the body can be alarming. When someone experiences physical symptoms of post-traumatic stress (PTS), the body does not remember the event as something in the past. These symptoms can intrude visual, auditory, and other bodily functions causing the body and mind to feel as though they […]

How Does Compassion Fatigue Affect First Responders?

Man with sunset

A first responder’s work can be rewarding, but over time, it can also take its toll on an individual and lead to emotional exhaustion. This exhaustion can result from high emotional involvement, such as working with traumatized individuals in the community without adequate support.  In the emergency services community, compassion fatigue can often be thought […]

The Burdens That We Carry

The Burden We Carry Drawing by Ella McCurdy The Burdens That We Carry

This article is courtesy of Patrick McCurdy, Retired Sergeant/Deputy. — Being a First Responder is difficult. You see and experience things on a regular basis that would send most people reeling in shock. Most people cannot even begin to imagine the depths of sorrow, tragedy, evil and darkness that you witness and deal with. Despite […]

First Responder Grief During the Holidays

A police officer returns to his patrol vehicle

This article is courtesy of Patrick McCurdy, Retired Sergeant/Deputy. — “I sat with my anger long enough until she told me her real name was grief.”C.S. Lewis It was Christmas Eve. We were looking for a domestic violence assault suspect. It was a pretty bad assault, and we were determined to find him. Everyone inside […]

Creating and Keeping Healthy New Year’s Resolutions

family program at beach

After the flurry and liveliness of holiday festivities comes a time for quiet reflection, as many look back on this past year and prepare for the next. This desire to continue improving oneself as we make our New Year’s resolutions is a healthy intention. It is admirable to make goals for ourselves continually, but when […]

Understanding mental clarity in recovery

Woman experiencing mental clarity on the beach

First responders who have stayed sober for extended periods are privy to the mental health benefits of experiencing peace of mind. However, any long-tenured recovery alumni can attest that these moments of clarity, feeling content in sobriety and life in general, often lack their portability.

Four signs a first responder may be suffering from post traumatic stress

A first responder battling post traumatic stress avoiding loved ones by laying in bed for hours

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), over 30 percent of first responders suffer from a mental health condition, including post-traumatic stress (PTS). 

With the rise in critical incidents against civilians and towards our men and women in uniform, first responders must be able to identify PTS. 

Four effective methods you can utilize to assist a first responder in recovery

Man in addiction recovery garnering support from his wife

The role that friends and family take on when a loved one struggles with addiction almost resembles the job responsibility of a first responder. 

The feeling of being “on-call” for a person who has the potential to go into crisis at any moment and constantly remaining open to the prospect of intervening for your loved one requires both empathy and vigilance, the same characteristics that first responders use to do their jobs.

Three mental health benefits you can reap by disconnecting from technology

Woman putting her phone down so she can healthily converse with her husband.

First responders are always plugged in and constantly on the go, so it’s essential to occasionally put your phone down and allow yourself to live in the present. 

Think back to when you didn’t take your phone with you into the restroom or converse with your loved ones at the dinner table; you allowed yourself to be present and not multitasking 24/7.