by Jim Marshall, MA, Certified EMDR Therapist

The psychological impacts and demands of living and working in a 911 center are huge in the lives of dispatchers. Daily, emergency telecommunicators experience trauma as they assist the public during their most tragic moments. This traumatization can produce fallout in the telecommunicator's personal life including increased risk of depression, anxiety, addiction, and personal relationship problems. And if we "stuff" our emotions resulting from highly stressful experiences (such as dispatching suicide calls) we may be at increased risk of physical disease. (See my related articles exploring the role of trauma in the lives of  911 professionals.)

Fortunately, there is a form of psychotherapy that is incredibly helpful in "clearing" the nervous system of the residue left by psychological trauma. It's called EMDR (an abbreviation for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). This treatment was originated by Francine Shapiro, PhD. In 1990 and 1991 I pursued training with Dr. Shapiro in EMDR and completed both Levels One and Two. In the years since then, EMDR  has been recognized by the American Psychological Association as one of only a small handful of "Highly recommended treatments for post traumatic stress disorder" (PTSD) .

To watch a CBS video clip of how EMDR helped heal a First Gulf War Veteran, click here.
In my clinical practice, I have found it to be the most effective treatment for resolving panic attacks, critical incident trauma, severe PTSD, and many other problems. (To learn more about EMDR and its effectiveness, click here.) Bottom line: there is solid support for my recommendation that the nation's PSAPs consider EMDR as the First Choice in treatment for First Line Dispatchers.

In the course Survive & Thrive in the Emotional Terrain of the 911 Center, dispatchers gain insight about their experience of secondary traumatization and compassion fatigue, and how these conditions can lead to depression, anxiety, chronic stress, and increased self medication (e.g., with alcohol, drugs, and other compulsive and self defeating patterns). Since I began training within the 911 Community in 2005 I have urged more than 2,000 dispatchers to visit www.emdria.org to learn about EMDR and to seriously consider seeking the help of an EMDR therapist if they are struggling. 

Yet, much more needs to be done to get the word out about EMDR to the 911 professional community. First, all 911 telecommunicators need to know that unresolved trauma accumulates in the nervous system and can result in:

• Increased risk of mental illnesses (as noted above) and physical diseases

• Impaired job performance and and increase in lost work days fueling greater financial costs to agencies
• Increased personal relationship problems leading to unstable family life promoting even greater difficulty functioning in the workplace (especially amidst the high-stress demands of the 911 center!). 

Then dispatchers and call-takers need to learn how trauma therapy and stress reduction skills and lifestyle can resolve and prevent such toxic fallout from trauma. And they need to be encouraged to seek help and access funds for counseling from their departments'  Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs).

Summary and Recommendations
Research has established the effectiveness of EMDR in the treatment of critical incident trauma similar to that which dispatchers experience in call taking.  I believe we could greatly reduce the effects of workplace trauma on the personal lives and professional functioning of dispatchers if they received two EMDR sessions at regular intervals through out their careers. Toward this goal we are spearheading...

The EMDR FOR 9-1-1Campaign
 In the months to come, I will seek the support of my fellow members in the EMDR International Association, leaders from NENA, APCO, NAED, and each state's 911 Directors Association to launch a nationwide educational campaign for dispatchers. The objective will be to educate every emergency telecommunicator in the United States about EMDR as the First Choice in treatment for First Line Dispatchers. 

Next steps...
1. Formation of the EMDR for 9-1-1 Task Force, comprised of representatives from the above groups joined by local dispatcher center leaders (front line,supervisory, and management). The task force will seek to...
2. Gain the support of dispatch authority administrators in doing the following:

• Disseminating EMDR for 911 brochures to all dispatch staff in their PSAPs
• Hosting presentations by area EMDR Therapists on site for dispatch staff, to establish relationship and de-stigmatize psychotherapy and encourage dispatchers to seek help.
• Recommending that all center dispatchers use their Employee Assistance Programs (where offered) to pursue 2 EMDR sessions during every 2 years of service throughout their careers

We need your help to assure this effort is wisely designed and successfully implemented. Please call me to tell us what you think of these recommendations, and to register your support. Also consider lending your expertise as a member of the EMDR FOR 911 Task Force. The time commitment  will be small but the benefits to the 911 Community will be enormous.

You can reach me directly at 231.881.1434 or by email to Jim@911Training.net. And let me urge you to  visit www.Emdria.org where you will find fascinating and helpful information about trauma and EMDR, including a list of EMDR-trained therapists through out the United States.

EMDR is good news for emergency telecommunicators
and they deserve to hear about it.

Thank you for helping us to get the word out!