By Sean Riley
“RANT ALERT” – Only happens about once a year
About a year ago I was contacted and severely chastised by a nationally known scholar who sits in their “Ivory Tower” and writes a lot of papers and books on the mental health of first responders. Mind you, I’ve never heard them on the phone with a first responder that had a gun to their head getting ready to kill themselves at 2:00 am. Your opinions, books and papers mean nothing to me during those moments.
The reason for the discourse with this highly educated scholar is that they were upset I was offering other modalities of therapy besides EMDR (which is fantastic and I love it but not one modality of therapy is the “cure all”). I advised this old wise person that not one form of therapy works for everyone. In today’s world of trauma informed care you may need multiple therapeutic modalities for the same person in order to resolve their presenting life issues.
Needless to say, this crazy old “nut” kept harping on me about providing the option of (RRT) Rapid Resolution Therapy for first responders as there is/was no data behind it, even though hospitals and the military have been using it for years. I didn’t feel like battling wits with an unarmed person so I listened to their babbling drivel. The now very much angry scholar kept pushing the issue on (RRT) and having no scientific data backing it up like the drone of scratching fingernails on a chalkboard. I advised the cranky crank that there was no scientific data on EMDR when it first started either so should we have let that go too? Besides… Who am I to play “God” and make the determination on what works for whom? There is a “tool belt” of therapeutic modalities out there and we’re going to give them “ALL” to you and fill that tool belt up.
Yes, I’m skeptical of (RRT) for myself but I’ve seen it work for others and I’ve seen it save lives, so guess what… The first responders are going to be provided with it as a therapeutic option. The scholar with big letters after their name then moved from cranky crank to just “pure a$$hole” and advised me they could no longer associate with me if I continued to offer this modality of therapy without scientific data (which of course there is) but I told the scholar it can be very difficult to see the data when you sit in your “ivory tower” and your eyes are covered by your own self-absorbed agenda.
Our communication broke down a little bit at that point as I was confused about the arrogance of this “dips%*t” (now I crossed over the line). After I had enough of the broken record being repeated to me over and over, I stopped the scholar and asked them one question. I asked… there is absolutely little to no scientific data on AA and it’s kept me sober for 13 years so should I never provide that as an option to someone? The phone went silent on the scholar’s end and I then advised, said educated person… I just get to help people, I don’t get to judge them for the way they get help. Oh and by the way… “Kiss my a$$” as I laid the phone down gently. Needless to say we haven’t spoken since that day.
Bottom line… different things work for different people. Don’t judge others just because they sin differently than you. Get help anyway you can. Whatever it takes to save your life or someone you love, it’s worth going for it. #ArmorUp #CatchingHell #FirstIn #changethenarrative #iflunkedpoliticalcorrectnessclass
Sorry for the swear words “Pop” Tim Riley but you taught me sometimes “ya just gotta fish or cut bait”
If you, someone you love or someone you know needs help, call:
Safe Call Now: 24 Hour Confidential Hotline: 206-459-3020
For more information on the First Responders program: Click here
Or call Shannon Clairemont at 661-466-6352 or Vanessa Stapleton at 304-651-3008
Right on.
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