Bulletproof Spirit, Revised Edition : the First Responder's Essential Resource for Protecting and Healing Mind and Heart

Suicide, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 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, emergency-room personnel, and soldiers. 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. "Consistently being immersed in violence, tragedies, danger, and evil often scars the spirits of our emergency first responders, resulting in PTSD, depression, suicides (the number one cause of death for police officers), substance abuse, broken families, and emotional pain. Firefighters, police officers, soldiers, medics, and emergency room workers are vulnerable to feelings of helplessness and suffering, and many do not know where or how to find help. It's a crisis in our first responder communities, and these men and women need training to protect, nurture, and sustain their spirits. Based on 25 years of service as a police officer, Captain Dan Willis's unique handbook presents essential keys and time-proven approaches to emotional survival and well-being. This innovative and practical resource provides dozens of effective methods for first responders to protect and heal their minds and hearts based on lessons learned in the line of duty. Topics include warning signs and self-awareness; sustaining one's spirit; wellness practices; understanding the psychology and mitigation of trauma; tapping into support from home and peers; and faith in service. These principles - plainly outlined by a police captain who has himself suffered and healed - act as a bulletproof vest for the mind, heart, and spirit"-- Provided by publisher - Each year, more police officers die by suicide than in the line of duty -Winner of the Books for a Better Life Award - Soldiers, fire fighters, ER personnel, and law enforcement officers suffer from severe PTSD and other mental and emotional issues due to the work they perform each day - First book to offer assistance and support from a spiritual perspective to first responders and their family and friends - Captain (ret) Dan Willis teaches at various police academies around the country, including the National Command College, which trains police captains and chiefs, and the International Academy of Police Safety - Bulletproof Spirit has become required reading at many police academies and is a textbook in 2 classes at the FBI National Academy - Revised edition will include a new chapter on PTSD and healing as well as updates throughout the book - Foreword by Supervisory Special Agent (SSA) Donald Bostic is an instructor in the Executive Programs Instruction Unit at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Academy at Quantico, Virginia If you are a police officer, firefighter, EMT, ER nurse, or soldier, or you love one . . . This book can save your life Suicide, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 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 law-enforcement veteran, police captain 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, emergency-room personnel, and soldiers. Bulletproof Spirit offers field-tested expertise designed to be used by all first responders {u2014} and their families {u2014} to heal themselves and continue serving with compassion and strength "Suicide, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance abuse, and many more emotional and stres-- related problems plague the first-responder community. Hundreds of thousands of these brave public servants have unwittingly become victims of the processions they once loved. However, the suffering that results from a processional 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, emergency-room personnel, and soldiers. 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."--Back cover ""Advice for soldiers, firefighters, police officers, EMTs, emergency room nurses, etc. about PTSD, depression, insomnia, panic attacks, alcoholism, and domestic violence, divorce, and suicide. Topics include spiritual wellness, the psychology of trauma, and finding support and motivation. Author is a police captain and former SWAT commander"--Provided by publisher"-- Provided by publisher