No problem. I should have been clearer in my post about a term that has differing meanings to different folks.hheremtp wrote:Excaliber,Excaliber wrote:Hherempt, you and I are on the same page here, and I should have elaborated that the term "warrior" isn't exclusive to those who work with weapons.hheremtp wrote:Excaliber, While I agree that the ability to compartmentalize ones emotions while under great stress is a special gift, It is not one that is unique only to warriors. Those of us that work in the medial profession must be able to to do the same thing. In fact, anyone that works in a high stress environment where you see the worst that society and life has to offer must be able to control and suppress their emotions during the event. I have seen what happens when someone does not have the ability to suppress their emotions, and it aint pretty.Excaliber wrote:The emotional experience aspect is a bit different. LEO's see a great deal of trauma of all types. Most of us learn to reflexively suppress our emotional responses during an incident because allowing them to spill out would seriously interfere with doing what we need to do right then. If we're lucky (like when we can talk about these things with trusted people like our spouse, close coworkers, etc) and have other non work related interests we engage in often, we're able to deal with the feelings soon afterward when we can afford to sort them out and decompress. When this sequence takes place, in most cases we'll bounce back pretty well. There's nothing wrong with remaining mentally and spiritually healthy while doing things that would tear up many folks for good with one exposure, and doing them over and over during the couple of decades of a police career. It's a special gift to be able to do that, and one that's unique to warriors.
Voice of Reason,
To answer your question directly, yes that is normal. The suppression of your emotions is what allowed you to do your job without hesitation. I wouldn't worry about not being emotional during an event, I would worry if you cant decompress those emotions afterwards. You have to have a medium to release those bottled up emotions and feelings, otherwise they will start to consume you and tear you apart.
In my view it includes all those who knowingly and repeatedly go into harm's way for others and those who handle the immediate aftermath of tragedies such as paramedics, firefighters, trauma surgeons and nurses, SAR teams, medevac pilots, and others in similar professions.
I see what you mean now. Sorry about the misunderstanding.
For those who would like to explore the concept of warriorhood further, Loren Christenson has an excellent book called "Warriors (Expanded Edition) - More on Living with Courage, Discipline, and Honor." It's a collection of writings on what it means to be a warrior by some of the truly elite warriors of our time. It's a really good read - available from Paladin Press.
OMG thats great!