Review Of Kevin M. Gilmartin’s ‘Emotional Survival For Law Enforcement’
Kevin M. Gilmartin who is the author “Emotional Survivor for Law enforcement” wrote this to help people with a desire to become a police officer and also to provide advice for those close to them on how they can emotionally survive their job, both on and off the clock. They begin by presenting an average beginner officer. Most rookie officers are enthusiastic, optimistic and hardworking. The positive influence soon fades, and the inspiration becomes more emotional. These behaviors can deteriorate over time if they are not corrected. This will cause mental and physical changes. Gilmartin shared his experiences as a police officer and throughout his 20 year career. His personal tales help to relate his topic to a wider audience. Officers experience dramatic situations much more than the average person. Gilmartin explains in detail the physiological effects such incidents can have on officers. Anyone can become affected by the traumatizing situations they are faced with. This can cause them to begin to feel like the victim.
Gilmartin explains hypervigilance, the most extreme physiological experience. Officers on duty or not could experience this. Hypervigilance may be defined as the ability to take a worldview based on threats and the mentality necessary to treat situations as harmful. Gilmartin introduces hypervigilance’s biological rollercoaster while expanding on some of its problematic features. He depicts the on-duty policeman as energetic, quick-witted, and alert. Off-duty officers are tired and irritable. Gilmartin emphasizes that officers must maintain a high emotional status both personally as well as professionally. To achieve a high level of status, it is important to take into consideration the individual and professional life and learn ways to cope with or overcome traumatic experiences. He starts by saying that police must realize they only have a few things in their control. Officers who master emotional survival will be experts once they have achieved this. When you are on duty measure your professionalism and integrity. You can create healthy goals and maintain them when off duty. Hypervigilance’s long-term effects can be fatal or ruin careers. Officers that are unable to escape the cycle of hyper-vigilance may start to experience depression. A police officer who is unable to cope emotionally will eventually suffer from physical ailments. Officers can suffer from headaches, digestive disorders, hypertension and sleeping disorders. Gilmartin has outlined the most important points of his book. If they want to remain healthy, they’ll need the right emotional and mental skills to help them through their work. This book shows the inner- and outer-attacks that police face individually and at work. This book offers tips and tricks to help prepare officers for the attacks they will face, including how to think of themselves as victims. Gilmartin has provided a wealth of information, including his personal experiences and ideas on how law enforcement officers can apply emotional survival techniques to their own situations.
Kevin M. Gilmartin’s bestselling book, Emotional Survival for Law Enforcement, is designed to help officers and their families understand how values can be undermined on and off the job and what happens to their lives if these values are ignored. The book provides strategies to reduce the negative emotional and physical impact of this profession. Gilmartin describes specific techniques to help reduce the negative physical and mental effects of this profession.
