Social & Emotional Dialogue Games provide Resilience and Stress Reduction for Police Officers, Veterans and the Incarcer

1. Restorative Communication Empathy based, Compassionate dialogue

3. They fight what you fear, run into situations where others are running away. They deal with the worst, so you don’t have to. They do this at a personal cost.

12. Different people’s (or even animal’s) heart cells, will all beat in unison in a petriedish. Different people’s brain cells in a petriedish will not communicate with each other, and will die.

14. “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.” Helen Keller

15.  Keep It Real Diversity & Inclusion Game  Warrior Spirit Mission Homefront Reintegration & Resilience Games  Recharge Beyond the Bars Prison Reentry & Long-Sentence Games  In The Line Of Duty Police Dialogue Game

16. Social and emotional learning(SEL) refers to fundamental skills for life effectiveness, such as: • Managing emotions. • Developing caring and concern for others. • Establishing positive relationships. • Making responsible decisions. • Handling challenging situations constructively. SEL includes a self-awareness that relates to a belief in self, and a belief in others.

17.  Where along the way do we get feedback about our lives, and the complexity of how experiences have affected us?  Where are we taught about the power of emotions, and how they influence us?  Where can we share our struggles and know we are not alone?  Where do your prejudices and blind spots lie?  Where are your hurts and fears? Your strengths?  How do we connect with others in ways that matter, and sustain us?

18. “Their pictures look at me, but they do not see what is in my heart…I bore them, my daughters, but they are strangers to me. Me, who thought I really knew my children, and perhaps I do, but I don’t know how to reach out to them… to say “I love you” and feel they mean it back, because I… I cannot share my life, my thoughts with them. You see… mine is a secret world, never to be revealed. So… we must walk on through life as strangers.” Ethel Winter Robinson

19. “God, forgive me... Life rushes by and drags my life...Giddily into white water…Rise and fall…and dashed upon black rocks below… worse than before…With every jagged flaw exposed…I fall headlong…Onto the rocks below… I see, I see but cannot stop, my headlong flight…Into destruction.” Ethel Winter Robinson

22. Traumais an emotional response to a terrible event like an accident. Immediately after the event, shock and denial are typical. Longer term reactions include unpredictable emotions, flashbacks, strained relationships and even physical symptoms like headaches or nausea. Some people have difficulty moving on with their lives.

23. Alexithymia, the inability to know or to report what one is feeling can be a contributing factor to major illnesses. Without words to describe our emotions, communication with others and ourselves is blocked. Our body/mind is then more vulnerable to fluctuations in internal and external pressure.

24.  Trauma is the loss of relationalityto self and to others. By relationality, I mean the ability to participate in relationships.  Trauma is the loss of access to sources of vitality deep within oneself, sources that are brought to life in spontaneous and authentic relations with others, from families to strangers.

25. The idea of communication, following an extraordinary experience, trauma, or even a long separation,as in a combat deployment, is often the most difficult challenge for military personnel. What is conveyed is often purposefully superficial and often limited. An interruption in the ability to communicate thoughts, feelings, and beliefs, often results in a sense of profound isolation and exclusion. Warrior Spirit removes the challenge of subtle inquiry, by offering thoughtful, pre-designed questions,which can be used to elicit meaningful conversations with caring others and build trust and pathways for re-connection. Simone M. Dion, MPH, M.A., LPC Licensed Psychotherapist and Embedded Clinician CT Military Support Program

26.  Love and Intimacy are at the root of what makes us sick and what makes us well.  Connections with other people affect not only the quality of our lives, but also our survival.

27. The teacher who is indeed wise does not bid you to enter the house of his wisdom, but rather leads you to the threshold of your mind. KahlilGibran

28.  Thought-provoking questions which surprise.  Reflective questions which bring forth profound dialogue.  Outrageous questions which produce laughter.  Eternal questions which probe us to contemplate deeply.  Creative questions which challenge us to move beyond our limited experience and to see ourselves and others through new eyes.  Evocative questions which move us to new understandings.  Challenging questions which help us to grow.  Consequential questions which make us more fully human.

29. Quality relationships are the number one indicator of successful Veteran reintegration and of resilience. Research reveals that communication is the cornerstone of relationships and is 90% of what keeps relationships alive and strong. Communication is often challenging, even under “normal” conditions. For those who have experienced trauma, and long separations, it is much more difficult.

30. http://www.missionhomefront.com/

31. Warrior Spirit / Mission Homefront  Interactive card deck of 400 questions and interactions, about deployment, and life in general.  Designed for Service Members and Veterans to utilize with peers, families, friends, loved ones and partners.  Supports recovery with those who know and understand them, and as a result increases resilience.  Each of the questions in this deck is an opportunity to allow the Service Member to tell their story, build trust, let their defenses dissolve, and explore relationships with other participants.

32. The Warrior Spirit / Mission Homefront System  In the process of struggling with Who am I now?, helps them to figure out who they have become.  Introduces and invites joy, spontaneity, creativity, intimacy and pleasure in interacting with others in a positive, non-confrontational, unobtrusive way.  Nurtures a positive and affirming identity that surrounds the Service Member’s war experience with meaning, compassion and comradeship.

33. The Warrior Spirit / Mission Homefront System Provides the opportunity for Service Members to break the military stigma of speaking about issues they may be facing. Through fellowship and talking things through, especially moral dilemmas, Service Members are able to find relief.  Presents an opportunity to prevent and/or delay issues of mental health among Service Members, as well as to prevent suicide.

34. “Asking ourselves how we think and how we feel are the two fundamental ways human beings approach life. Frankly, most of us are not in touch with either. Warrior Spirit is a unique game (tool) that explores self-awareness. I cannot imagine a better way for soldiers and family members to begin to understand each other and themselves.” Chaplain (COL) David Colwell, Commandant of the Chaplain School (Retired)

35. Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced. James Baldwin

36. It is our ability to think reflectively that integrates our mind and keeps us sanely in balance. The habit of reflection is achieved through the use of language; talking and sharing our thoughts with others. But if we do not develop the ability to pause and reflect, our emotions can evade the light of our intelligent reasoning.

37. “Every Service Member needs to deal with their deployment. This game pushes these questions towards an empathy based conversation, and if you can show and demonstrate true empathy with your Service Member who has returned home from deployment, you are going to get them to open up. This game kept that on track – of an empathy based conversation. I absolutely loved it. Eric Maddox -Since 9/11, Eric conducted over 2,700 interrogations while deployed eight times in support of the Global War On Terrorism, to include multiple tours in Iraq, Afghanistan, South America, Southeast Asia, and Europe. Eric is the Recipient of the National Intelligence Medal of Achievement and Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) Director's Award.

38. "Military couples struggle to connect after years of separations and misunderstandings. Often left to unproductively fight over whose experience was more significant, couples need a way to slow down their conversations andfind respectful ways to connect again. Warrior Spirit- Mission Homefront is afantastic tool for couples to have difficult conversations in a safe, playful, and fun way. It removes defensiveness, provides scripted questions and gives couples a chance to finally experience a moment to connect in a powerful way. I recommend Warrior Spirit Mission Homefront for those who have not been able to have tough conversations about deployment and combat, for those who struggle to share or describe difficult memories, and as a way for couples to mutually understand the experiences they both had." Corie B. Weathers, LPC, Licensed Professional Counselor 2015 Armed Forces Ins. Military Spouse of the Year Host of Lifegiver Military Spouse Podcast

41. “I absolutely love playing Warrior Spirit with my significant other. I spent almost seven years as an Army Medic. Although I loved nearly every minute of it, the results after service manifested in the forms of depression, anxiety, reclusiveness, angered temperament, and other stereotypical forms of “post traumatic stress”. Very quickly, the Warrior Spirit Reintegration game has provided an intimate connection between my significant other and I that I personally have never shared or felt with anyone. Vulnerability is not easy to submit to, but with Warrior Spirit that level of personal exposure has become sought after. I have shared some of my most fond and least favored memories of deployment, not with reluctance, but with security and confidence. We are able to share some of our innermost thoughts, fears, passions, and experiences in a safe environment at a fluid pace. Warrior Spirit has opened us to new levels of connection and I fall deeper and deeper into love, security, support, understanding, empathy, and trust. Dave Ramos, 7 years Army Medic

43. • 88% stated that they preferred the peer to peer interaction rather than being spoken to by an expert. • 82% felt Warrior Spirit helped them to express themselves in helpful ways. • 82% felt they were more open to listening and understanding. • 82% felt playing Warrior Spirit was beneficial for them. • 80% felt utilizing Warrior Spirit made them feel more willing to reach out. • 85% stated that they would recommend Warrior Spirit to others. • 82% stated they would want to participate again.

44. http://www.missionhomefront.com/

45. There is a consensus among people who treat PTSD that any trauma will have longer-lasting and more serious consequences if : There has been no opportunity to talk about the traumatic event. To express to other people emotions about the event, and those involved in it. Or to experience the presence of socially connected others who will not let one go through it alone.

46. People bounce back in two ways: 1. Draw upon their own internal resources. 2. Encounter people, organizations and activities that provide them with the conditions that help the emergence of their resilience. ⇒ These buffers are more powerful in a person’s life than trauma or stress. They fuel the movement towards healthy development.

47.  The capacity to manage strong feelings and strong impulses.  To have relationships that provide care and support, create love and trust, and offer encouragement both within and outside of the family – Social Support.  Developing communication skills  Capacity to make realistic plans and goals.  Self-confidence and a positive self-image

48. Relations with others are very important for trauma survivors. Social support is one of the best things to protect against getting PTSD. Relationships can offset feelings of being alone. Relationships may also help the survivor's self-esteem. This may help reduce depression and guilt. In fact, trauma experts claim that receiving love from others is the most important factor in PTSD recovery.