The image of a water drop is meaningful to me. You will see it on my business card and letterhead. In my trauma work with first responders in the past decade, I’ve come to believe that it isn’t what happens to you, it's what happens after. It isn’t the trauma itself — the water droplet — it’s the ripple effect that is so harmful.
It isn’t the shooting; it’s not having the support of administration for example. It isn’t being assaulted by a violent patient that is upsetting, it is the way the community has turned on EMS providers that is so painful. It isn’t the technical rescue of the overturned minivan that is upsetting to a firefighter, it’s the city budget that eliminates the needed equipment after this fatality.
To demonstrate the power of changing one small thing at a time, I have a rock in my office. If you have ever hiked near a waterfall, you have seen this type of rock formation. One water drop at a time the rock is transformed.
I might say to a patient, this represents small changes you are making in your life that may not seem like a big deal but over time you will see the light shine through the rock. There will be space in your life again for little things.
In therapy we can work together to use the power of the water droplet to create a positive ripple effect that reaches your friends and family, that changes your physical, spiritual or financial health.
