Customer Reviews

Spiritual Survival for Law Enforcement

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On a daily basis, law enforcement officers see the worst that people can do. They are also 'first responders' in times of natural disaster or man-made calamity. Such routine exposure to extraordinary horrifics can and do wear down the emotional and spiritual well being of the men and women who are pledge serve and protect. The suicide rate among law enforcement officers is formidable, as are the rates of alcoholism and divorce. All too often good men and women simply 'burn out' and leave the profession no longer able to cope with the human tragedy and abuse that they are eye-witness to. That's why "Spiritual Survival For Law Enforcement" by Cary A. Friedman is so timely and so critically important. Here in just 90-pages are pack a wealth of spiritual exercises, tools, and insights that the reader can readily employ to develop and preserve inner peace and spiritual clarity so necessary to be able to continue to function in law enforcement. Simply stated, "Spiritual Survival For Law Enforcement" should be a part of every community library collection and read carefully by every law enforcement officer -- and their families.

When police officers are caught up in the everyday struggle of catching bad guys and saving lives, often they seem to forget that they are more than physical beings. They are spiritual beings having an earthly experience, and what they do down here counts for something up there.

In Spiritual Survival for Law Enforcement, Rabbi Cary A. Friedman reminds police officers that they are made of stuff beyond this existence, and when they see the worst of society, senseless beatings, child abuse, rape, and murder, the physical world will not help them cope. The physical world will not end their despair and hopelessness, but the spiritual world will. The oneness, the connection with God, will give them purpose and a reason for being. The why they exist will give them the inspiration to cope with and thrive in a world gone mad.

As the author of the police trauma/survival book, "CopShock, Second Edition: Surviving Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)," I know that every police officer on the planet will benefit and grow from reading this beautifully written book. They will discover who they really are inside and find peace and comfort.

A pretty good presentation of the hazards & pressures of law enforcement. Some helpful suggestions for those who serve the law enforcement community. A little too general for me, ie. too broad in its view of what "spiritual" means but I did receive some good insight nevertheless.

Coming from a Judaic perspective, but refreshingly ecumenical in scope, Rabbi Cary Friedman's Spiritual Survival for Law Enforcement attempts to apply Jewish pastoral counseling and social support traditions to the larger practice of police chaplaincy. Emphasizing the importance of a spiritual perspective in coping with both the daily stresses and destabilizing traumas of law enforcement, the book goes beyond platitudes and combines wisdom, compassion, hard-nosed reality, humor, and a little chutzpah to provide some refreshingly practical guidelines for spiritual counseling and self-help.
- Laurence Miller, PhD, International Journal of Emergency Mental Health

If you're like me, you're constantly reading about how to do perform your job as a Police Officer better and not taking the stress home with you to your family. I read this book after Dr. Gilmartin's and I recommend both. If you're like me then you'll find that a marking pen will come in handy. It was absolutely essential for building my faith as well. Good luck and stay safe out there.