I Am A Criminal Justice Major And May Have To Do Internship At Police Dept.

[PerfectlyFlawed]

I am extremely nervous about this, considering I shake everytime I am near a policeman. Police are related to my trauma in many ways.

Police are supposed to be 'safe' But it just makes me nervous that they will take advantage of me, or yell at me, considering some of them are cold, and none responsive. I guess I should not take it personally when they are cold towards people, but it bothers me.

PerfectlyFlawed

 

[Ted Moen]

Police were a trigger for me too. Then at one point in my military career I ended up in the military police (national guard), surrounded by people who were police in one department or another in civilian life and military police in the military. Being surrounded by them was a constant trigger. It never went completely away, though I did get used to them to some degree. Like any trigger, the challenge is to not turn the intrusive thoughts and feelings into inappropriate behavior, and to keep in your current situation and behave the way you would if you weren't experiencing the intrusive thoughts and feelings. Self-monitoring (keeping aware of our thoughts and feelings) and self-talk (reminding ourselves of what we want to do to get our needs and goals met in our current situation) are our best tools. Sometimes a small dose of medication can help by bringing the anxiety/panic and depression down to a manageable level.

Ted

 

[TheLost]

Im glad you brought this up as I have the same problem. Police, police cars, blue lights bring me out in a cold sweat and I get the "shakes" sometimes aswell. I recently had an incident with them and reacted badly. Two young cops really didnt behave appropriately I felt and kinda smirked at my explanations of my PTSD and reactions towards them. I put it down to them being young and inexperienced. Another two older ones were more sensible and seemed to understand though. I think if you speak to some of the older, more sensitive ones, they will understand and maybe help you out. I sometimes take a small dose of diazepam just so I can get through situations which are triggering. If I have to deal with them I tend to just speak away imagining them dressed as fairies or something else amusing like that. Just dont what I do and openly laugh at them as they wont have any idea youre visualising them in tutu's and tiaras!! Good luck with your internship.

 

[PerfectlyFlawed]

Thank you for your replies. I am thinking about going on some ride-alongs when I have the time. Do you think that slow exposure to police can ease the anxiety? I did my first ride along in August. I was shaking during breifing. And in the car, I was shaking. It was the first time I had been alone with a man since my DV

 

[Kris1984]

PerfectlyFlawed, you can do this! I was in your situation a few weeks ago, I am a nursing major and I had to treat the same type of criminals that hurt me on a state forensics unit. They were all what I consider animals who were found NGRI. I really had to learn to separate myself from the job. I talked with my professor and a few of my classmates and they turned out to be a really great support system. I got through it, even earned an A in the class. If you need support I am always willing to chat. Stay strong!

 

[PerfectlyFlawed]

Thank you, Kris! That would be stressful.

 

[PerfectlyFlawed]

I'm debating on if I should tell my teacher about my PTSD. Should I? There is a good chance I will be patrolling with some officers during my internship.

 

[The Albatross]

Is there any chance you can reframe it into a challenge and adjust your focus to the educational aspect of your situation? You are gonna be there to observe and it could be a good desensitizing challenge. Yeah, I might seriously consider a discussion with my instructor, but I'd push to meet the challenge.

I'm sort of doing that myself at a lay person level, I'm in my local Citizen's Police Academy, then in line to do my County Sherrif's training and then the hardest part, Sexual Assault Victim's Advocate Training.