As a former police dispatcher, Ryan Dedmon knows the trauma that those of us in emergency communications experience on a daily basis. Instead of just talking about the general types of trauma we encounter, Ryan makes this session personal and shares the story of his trauma, the catalyst that broke the barriers he thought were protecting him, and his journey out of the dark despair that had engulfed him.

“My job as a public safety trainer now is to do two things, touch your heart and challenge your mind. Sometimes the best way for me to do that is to tell a story,” said Dedmon. “But I don’t want you leaving here thinking about my story; I want you to think about your story!”

Using an audience volunteer, Ryan demonstrated some cost-effective (AKA free) strategies to reduce stress. The first being Heart Focused Breathing (HFB) that assists you with bringing your brainwaves and heart rate in line with each other. The second is known as the Quick Coherence Technique (QCT) in which you remember the feeling of a joyous time. Together or separate, these techniques can be used to quickly reduce your stress level, no matter the location.

Ryan says that it is important to remember that resilience is not about bouncing back to the same place you were at before your trauma, but instead, resilience is about adapting to overcome.

Covered by Zachary Dykes