A big part of the mission of Desert Waters Correctional Outreach (www.desertwaters.com) is to draw attention to the high incidence of secondary traumatic stress and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in the corrections ranks.
After talking with corrections staff and their family members for over 9 years now, I can say with reasonable certainty that a good number of correctional workers, especially security (custody) personnel, are struggling with symptoms of secondary traumatic stress or PTSD due to their exposure to horrifically violent incidents on the job. Read more…
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ctudor Corrections Fatigue, PTSD corrections officers, traumatic stress
Years ago I was told that the only way I was going to get though life sane was to do one day at a time. Being someone who likes to plan ahead and cover the bases for all kinds of possibilities (including worst-case scenarios), I found the statement ONE DAY AT A TIME at first to be naïve, overly simplistic. Yet looking back on my life now I see how putting this principle to practice was the only way I made it when faced with undertakings that intimidated me and made me shake in my boots. Read more…
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ctudor Sanity Tips attitude, happiness, self-care
Whether you are an agnostic, an atheist or a believer, the email below, sent to me by a veteran CO, is bound to be intriguing. This is not the first time I’ve been approached by corrections staff about their sensing an invisible evil presence at work that made their hair stand up at the back of their necks. If such encounters actually happen, how prepared are COs to deal with that type of force?
I wanted to tell you about an experience I had at work last night. I think I saw a man who was truly possessed by a demon. Read more…
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ctudor Spiritual Moments corrections officers
Have you heard the saying, “It is more blessed to give than to receive?” It’s true! It’s really, really true! I can attest to the fact that giving has gotten me out of funky moods, expanded my perspective, and enlarged my heart. There is even a study that used a brain scanning procedure called fMRI which showed that giving money to a charity activated pleasure-related regions in people’s brains. Read more…
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ctudor Sanity Tips attitude, happiness
At the age of 29 I had a radical spiritual encounter that drove the importance of forgiveness home to me. I’d barely come out of an atheist mindset, so spiritual realities were new to me. The message I received was that if I wanted to heal from a recent divorce, I needed to forgive.
Not knowing how to forgive but desperately wanting to recover, I decided to go for it. That day was the kick-off of a process that lasted many, many, many months. I am absolutely convinced I am saner for it (and for “forgiveness rounds” with other people since then).
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ctudor Sanity Tips attitude, overcoming
A while back I got a call from a dear friend, a CO. I picked up the phone casually, expecting a run-of-the-mill conversation. What I heard on the other end left me speechless, my heart aching for my friend and his wife, who is also a CO. (I’ll call them Vic and Christine. Even though what I am about to describe is public record, I still feel more comfortable not using people’s real names.)
Vic got to the point right away. “A few days ago I was viciously stabbed—totally unprovoked—by an inmate on my shift. It’s only by the grace of God that I survived.”
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ctudor PTSD corrections officers, PTSD, traumatic stress
While growing up my grandma repeatedly quoted to me the ancient Greek saying, There is nothing bad without some good mixed in with it. (The way you say it in Greek is, Outhen kakon amiges kalou.) The English equivalent is, There’s a silver lining in every cloud. So since early on in my life I was taught to identify positives in the midst of negatives. This practice has contributed greatly to my sanity to this day.
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ctudor Sanity Tips attitude, happiness, Positive Psychology
Oh, the outdoors! Sunshine, moonlight, birds chirping and squirrels squawking, flowers exploding with indescribable color, the wind whistling through trees, rain, snow, mountains, lakes, roaring rivers, the saltiness of the sea. I’ve always felt refreshed by being outdoors—whether it’s stepping outside for 15 minutes or going away for five days. There is something about the sounds, sights, smells and tastes of nature that refreshes my soul. Whether a faraway place or a city park—even a walk around the block—put me in touch with something bigger than me, something majestic and amazingly complex. Even insects can be fascinating. I often spend time watching ants go about their business. And I find myself breathing more deeply and relaxing, sometimes even smiling, and getting refreshed before I go back to the grind.
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ctudor Sanity Tips Corrections Fatigue, Refueling
Recently two correctional workers and I were discussing what helps staff stay “sane.” Without hesitation both said, “Correctional workers must be able to switch their mindset from work to home.” One added, “I learned how to live in two very different worlds and still not lose ‘me’.”
Indeed, corrections personnel live in two worlds. These worlds are like two sheets of music. Daily staff is asked to switch from one tune to the other. These two worlds involve very different assumptions about what is expected, how people must behave, and what constitutes a “good day.”
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ctudor Smart Living corrections officers, happiness, self-care
Thanks to Desert Waters’ 24/7 hotline, the Corrections Ventline (phone 866-YOU-VENT and email youvent@desertwaters.com), we get priceless communications from the trenches, like the one shared below (reprinted with permission). Even if we do not agree with everything this CO has to say, it will challenge us to stop and think. What is it like to work the front lines year in and year out? How does it shape the worker? How can the corrections system invest in COs to keep them functioning professionally and to help them maintain healthy lives on the outside? May we always remember that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Here is my rant, my vent, my rambling, my words…
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ctudor Corrections Fatigue corrections officers, stress
