The human mind as an engineered machine.

I want to describe how the human body is engineered and how first responders should look at their bodies as an engineered machine and how overloading certain circuits can shut the entire machine down.

I recently watched a documentary on Netflix called Cosmic Time Machine which talks about the deployment of the James Webb Hubble Space Telescope but specifically talks about Single Points of Failure (SPOF’s).  In engineering, a SPOF is a fatal flaw, if one component stops, the entire system crashes.

NASA engineers think of SPOF’s in terms of hardware, however, humans can also operate under similar structural risks. Unlike the body, which can sometimes compensate for a physical injury, the psyche often relies on hubs of meaning and identity.  When these hubs fail or are removed, a total mental health collapse can occur.  As first responders, what are our single points of failure? 

Have you built an entire identity around your profession where you define yourself simply by the uniform that you put on every day?  If so… how is this affecting you and your personal relationships?  How is it affecting your physical and mental health?

If your entire self-worth is tied to a specific profession or rank, a sudden retirement or loss of that role doesn't just cause a job change, it causes identity issues.  In relationships, if your emotional stability is 100% dependent on the approval or presence of one person, their departure, through breakup or death, causes the entire system to de-stabilize.

When chronic stress like PTSD or even moral injury overloads the hardware in your brain, your ability to regulate your emotions and make rational decisions can shut down. This is why high-performers in high-stakes fields often snap.  The single processor responsible for executive functions simply reaches its limit.  This can be seen as a human single point of failure.  The Huble Telescope had 344 single points of failure.  If any one of those systems failed, the mission failed and we don’t have an amazing telescope that shows us the secrets of the universe.  Let's talk about some common single points of failures that first responders commonly deal with.

Cortisol and Adrenaline

As a first responder, think about what your mission is every day… you are responsible for solving people's problems, you are responsible for people's safety, you often have to put yourself in dangerous and sometimes life threatening situations to accomplish your mission… so I ask you… how many SPOF’s do you have?  Most people's bodies are designed for fight or flight occasionally, however, first responders have to deal with this on a regular basis, sometimes a nightly basis, sometimes even numerous times during a shift.  Chronic exposure to cortisol and adrenaline leads to burnout.  Every first responder has experienced this.  It's a physiological shut down where your brain loses its ability to regulate your mood, your sleep and your metabolism.  The result of this is hypervigilance where the “off switch” breaks and you remain in combat mode even at the dinner table. 

Substance Use as a Faulty Patch

In engineering, a "patch" is a temporary fix that often causes more problems later.  For many first responders, alcohol or prescription drugs become that patch. Studies are showing that roughly 30% of first responders report problematic alcohol use compared to approximately 10% of the general population.  In many departments, "chopping it up" over drinks is the social culture.  The danger with this is that alcohol is a central nervous system depressant and using a depressant to "calm down" from high-stress trauma creates a chemical SPOF where the brain eventually requires the substance just to reach a baseline of "normal."

60-75% Divorce Rate

Perhaps the most visible single point of failure in this career field is your home life. While the national divorce rate hovers around 50%, for first responders, it is estimated between 60% and 75%.  Why??   The trauma, the missed holidays, and the "emotional numbing" required to do the job make it incredibly difficult to connect with a spouse. When your home ….your safe harbor…  your backup system…. fails… you are loosing a critical layer of security which leads to a rapid decline in your mental health.

Mental Health and the "Shadow"

The "Warrior Ethos" is a double-edged sword.  It provides the courage to run toward danger, but it also creates a SPOF of stigma.  The SPOF is the mask that first responders wear that tells everybody that they're fine and by suppressing their fear, grief or trauma to appear strong for their brothers and sisters.  They are creating a hidden crack, this crack will eventually give way resulting in PTSD or unfortunately even suicide ideation.  Sadly first responders are more likely to die by suicide than in the line of duty.

We are going to go through two exercises right now.  I want you to look at the following list and write down how many single points of failure you’re dealing with right now. This list is only meant to grease the wheel and get you thinking, I want you to make an honest assessment of your own personal single points of failure.   

Alcohol or any Substance Abuse

Relationship Issues / Divorce

Identity Issues – Wearing a Mask

Lack of Physical Exercise

Poor Diet

Parental – Are you a force in your children’s life?

Financial – Are you financially responsible? 

Spiritual – Do you have a spiritual or religious foundation that you practice?  

When you’re done with your list, I want you to think about a critical call you have been on.  A call where your tactics needed to be summoned immediately and your warrior ethos kicked in.  Maybe you were the first on scene, you were the incident commander and your backup officers are arriving and looking at you for direction. 

I want you to close your eyes and clearly visualize this incident.  Think about the time of day or night, was it cold, hot or rainy?  How did you feel in your vehicle as you were responding?  What did you do when you exited?  Where was your head in this moment?  How are you feeling right now thinking about this incident? 

There is no other profession like this where you are placed on the X and challenged regularly, so ask yourself as you recall this critical incident… were you as prepared as you should have been? 

Thinking about this incident most likely has a definite feel to it, you are recalling and hopefully feeling the emotion you felt at that time.  Now remove yourself from that incident, you’re here now, reading this article in a safe space.

Do not proceed until you have taken a deep breath and calmed and grounded yourself. 

When you are ready, go back to your list of SPOF’s and ask yourself the following questions.

How were my single points of failure affecting me? 

How did I feel after this call was mitigated? 

What could I have done better? 

It is normal for warriors to become critical of themselves.  At this moment, you may be feeling that you could have handled this situation differently, you may even be feeling some guilt, this is normal, but I need you to go back to your breath and ground yourself.  Remind yourself that you have chosen to operate in one of the most challenging professions period!  First responders account for less than 1.5% of this population and we are entering a period where no one wants to take on this challenge, so do not feel that you have fallen short, rather, be proud that you have been called upon to take on this challenge.  You are looking to improve and sharpen yourself, this process, if done correctly, is uncomfortable. 

As you look at your list of SPOF’s, what can you do to build resilience?  If you are coping with alcohol or identity issues at work where your job has become your identity or if you're isolating, maybe you're emotionally numbing it's time for you to take a step forward for yourself and for your family.  You owe this not only to yourself and your family but to the community that you serve. 

Contact me directly,

I can help you build the tools that you need to create physical outlets to look at yourself differently to think of things differently to regulate your war stories so you feel like you're being listened to and not judged you're going to learn different archetypes where you can integrate these shadows and become comfortable with them rather than tuck them away and bury them.