A state-of-the-profession update of the pioneering guide for peace officers and other first responders - and those who care about them
Suicide, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress injury (PTSI), substance abuse, and many more emotional and stress-related problems plague the first responder community. Hundreds of thousands of these brave public servants have unwittingly become victims of the professions they once loved. However, the suffering that results from a professional life of sacrifice and service can be prevented and mitigated.
As a thirty-year law enforcement veteran, retired police captain, and police academy instructor, Dan Willis has witnessed the damage of emotional trauma and has made it his personal mission to safeguard and enhance the wellness and wholeness of police officers, firefighters, EMTs, soldiers, and other first responders. Bulletproof Spirit offers field-tested expertise designed to be used by all first responders - and their families - to heal themselves and continue serving with compassion and strength.
Revised and expanded with the latest on post-traumatic stress and organizational health, plus links to online training videos
Dan Willis served as a police captain, homicide detective, wellness unit coordinator, and SWAT commander. He currently instructs nationwide on trauma, PTSI, and the process of healing. He lives in San Diego.
firstresponderwellness.com
"Captain Willis spent 25 years as a police officer in La Mesa, CA. He and his colleagues suffered along with their victims, witnessed senseless violence, and gradually slipped into the hole of misery and defeatism. Willis offers this manual to help first responders maintain emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual fitness in order to take care of themselves, their loved ones, and the people they serve. He relates real-life stories along with strategies for such things as overcoming hypervigilance, cultivating relationships outside of the workplace, and creating a specific program geared toward wellness, rather than mere survival. Verdict: An excellent guidebook for first responders of all professions, their peers, and their families."
-Library Journal (starred review)
"An excellent, lifesaving book. The tragic psychological impact of traumatic events can be avoided and prevented, and this book is a powerful and effective illumination of these vital methodologies."
- Dave Grossman, US Army Lt. Col. (ret.), author of On Combat and On Killing
"Essential knowledge not only for all emergency first responders but also for families and those who support these brave individuals who protect and defend us every day."
- Nick Popaditch, author of Once a Marine
"Having suffered from post-traumatic stress as a police officer, I know what can happen when we are exposed to unthinkable traumas. This book and the wellness strategies it describes have helped to save my life."
- police officer, Davenport, Iowa
"In my twenty-five years as an officer and now part of command staff, this book and the training offered by Captain Willis are the most meaningful and useful I have ever experienced."
- police captain, Jefferson Parish, Louisiana
"Clear, compassionate, and to the point, this guidebook is an excellent resource for the newest academy graduate and for the longtime veteran. . . . Captain Willis conveys the importance of health, wellness, and departmental support, and he openly explains the hazards of the job and how to maintain career peak performance. This book is now a first choice for all the emergency first responders I work with."
- Sara Gilman, MFT, psychotherapist and president, Coherence Associates, Inc.
"Any police professional with a serious commitment to understanding and mitigating the professional and personal stresses of a police career knows well the names Violanti, Kirschman, Gilmartin, and Grossman. The name of Captain Dan Willis c
