How Light & Sound Stimulation Helps Police Officers Cope with Stress

How Light & Sound Stimulation Helps Police Officers Cope with Stress

Police officers face life and death situations. They must perform their duties to perfection or face discipline – from higher-ups, from the community and sometimes from both. It is a tough job and it is filled with stress. How do they cope?

That is a question I asked the head of the psychological services division of a major metropolitan police department. It appears light and sound stimulation plays an important role as an adjunctive modality to the treatment utilized for various symptoms and also for the office staff, as described by the head of their psychological services: “At Behavioral Science Services Section, the in-house psychological services unit of the (Major Metropolitan) Police Department we see a lot of officers suffering from overwork, burn-out and post-traumatic stress. We also council many officers who are experiencing difficulty with shift changes interrupting their sleep patterns and officers studying for promotional exams. It is wonderful to have access to light and sound stimulation!

Not only have we found it helpful for clients, but our office staff has had days where they use the unit in their workspace for themselves. I have found the stress reduction programs to be especially useful for clients suffering from chronic pain and post-traumatic stress disorders. The officers report that it helps them to relax, to focus on tasks and to sleep.

As you know our client population is a skeptical one. It takes real results for them to accept brainwave frequency stimulation for use in a stress management program. These units have helped many of our clients and office staff.”

Several Police officers and Deputy Sheriffs who own light and sound units for personal use have found themselves and family members using their units in a number of ways. One reply, from a Deputy Sheriff in Southern California, pretty much describes how light and sound has become a welcome addition for those in law enforcement that use this technology: “I don’t know how, but it works was a comment made by a Sheriff’s sergeant who had been injured on duty. His right shoulder caused almost constant pain. I loaned him a small light and sound machine and an audio recording on pain reduction to help ease the torture.

I have found this technology very useful. As a speaker and consultant on court security I often travel. I have never been able to sleep while traveling. Nor could I catch up when I arrived at my hotel room. Because of this, I often arrived to conduct classes and security assessments in a less than alert state. Groggy from lack of sleep and attempting to substitute caffeine for energy, I’m sure I sometimes made less than an exemplary presentation.

The first time I tried a light and sound machine I listened to a twenty minute relaxation program with some soft, non-invasive music playing in the background. I found myself awake, alert and relaxed. I bought the machine and took it home. My wife and I started experimenting. We found that a twenty minute session with the light and sound machine in the early afternoon ‘charged our batteries’ for the evening. When traveling, by setting my machine to induce sleep, my travel insomnia was solved. I would awaken, turn the machine off, and settle back for several hours of uninterrupted slumber awakening in the morning refreshed and ready to go.

My wife swears that using the light and sound machine for a couple of weeks prior to a Las Vegas vacation increased her winnings. We are going to try that experiment again!

One deputy told me that using a light and sound machine helped him to learn to be less self-conscious in front of audiences. Another said it gave him the greatest experience of relaxation he had ever had. I would love to see the day arrive when every police building had a small, private room specifically dedicated to the use of light and sound technology. Officers could use it to relax, help with stress, gain energy for physical exercise, study for promotional exams, focus for duty and so much more.”

My sergeant buddy is permanently disabled. He still uses his light and sound machine if his shoulder pain becomes too uncomfortable. And he still says I don’t know how, but it works.”