I just returned from 3 days of a 4 day conference in La Jolla, California that focused on dealing with trauma and violence in multiple forms. I was able to present about workplace bullying from the organizational systems perspective a room of over 100 military, VA and state employees working in mental health. It was a real honor and privilege to offer a new perspective to many nodding heads in the room. I was also honored to present with Jackie Garrick of Whistleblowers of America. We know that all whistleblowers are bullied, stalked and harassed despite the Whistleblower Protection Act. That is why I remind people that even if we have an anti-bullying law, compliance will always be an issue -- so we must continue to educate.
But more than that, the IVAT (Institute on Violence, Aggression and Trauma) provides practical as well as conceptual lessons on how to deal with trauma resulting from various forms of violence around the globe. I want to share an easy tool for helping yourself with stress and PTSD that I learned in one of the first sessions that I attended. This tool is called EPIC and there is a podcast that supports it.
EPIC stands for ENERGY, PASSION, INSPIRATION and CONNECTEDNESS. The goal of this tool is to flood your system with oxytocin to counteract the toxic stress that is building up in your system due to bullying. The processs is the develop a list of EPIC Moments using key words or phrases, lines of music, poetry, or events that have inspired you, filled you with energy, passion, and connectedness. Whenever you are feeling stressed out, you start repeated these words as you breathe.
The conference also practices what it preaches with the participants. There is morning yoga, therapy animals (ponies and doggies were in the bookstore area for us to pet and feed), reiki, collage making, and poetry sharing. All of these activities help us relax when we are stressed. I went to the collage workshop to make something that reminded me of my garden -- a place I often go when I need to de-stress. These are all important pieces of making a self-care plan for ourselves. In today's world and when dealing with bullies, that is one very important thing we can do to help ourselves.
Here is the link to the EPIC podcast where you can learn more about it from the creators, Dr. David Mathews, LSCW and Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist Raquel Buchanan: