Thin Blue Mind / Smokey Heroes

Police Psychology:  Dehydration by Gary S. Aumiller, Ph.D  ABPP My head was beating, one of those really bad headaches that only come every once in long while.  This one was different though.  I had a little vertigo when I stood up, so much so that I was having trouble standing and needed to lie back […]

Police Psychology:  Emotional Extortion by Gary S. Aumiller, Ph.D.  ABPP   A baby cries in her bed.  The parents run in and comfort her.  She cries again, and they comfort her again.  She never experiences crying alone because when she cries – she is comforted.  The parents may even stay in her room or move […]

Police Psychology:  The Accused by Gary S. Aumiller, Ph.D. ABPP This column has been known to cause some stir for the politics being read into it, but mostly the column is apolitical.  However, I am very nervous and followed the senate confirmation hearings for Brett Kavanaugh closely.  It started for me after the allegations of […]

Police Psychology | Christmas by Gary S. Aumiller, Ph.D. ABPP     Site Administrator:  Gary S. Aumiller, Ph.D. ABPP Please share this article from down below. Please join the email list on the top of the sidebar and you can get these sent to your email.  Also follow me on Twitter (https://twitter.com/ThinBlueMind) for other articles […]

This is a PTSD technique used by a colleague of mine from Detroit, Michigan using a work of art from Francisco Goya found in Museo del Prado in Spain.  I have seen this work of art live a couple of times in Madrid and never would have made the connection LaMaurice did: Police Psychology:  The […]

Police Psychology:  Why Protests Occur? by Gary S. Aumiller, Ph.D.  ABPP   The past few days there was rioting in St. Louis.  It may have started as a protest but moved quickly to a riot.  Riot [RAHY uh t} – a violent disturbance of the peace by a crowd.  The subject was a judge’s decision […]

Police Psychology | Is Technology Turning Us Into Time Zombies?! Gary S. Aumiller, Ph.D. ABPP This is a small excerpt from my new Keeping It Simple with Anxiety: A Guide for the Road and Home video course which will be out soon.  We are waiting on approval for POST credits.  Look for it!   Site […]

Police Psychology:  Anger!! Part 2  Seeing Red by Gary S. Aumiller, Ph.D.  ABPP   There are many that believe the expression of “seeing red” comes from when a Matador wants a bull to charge, he waves a red cape at him.  The theory is the bull “sees red” and gets really angry and charges.  Humans […]

Police Psychology:  Anger!! Part 1 by Gary S. Aumiller, Ph.D. ABPP Police Psychology is always dealing with how to keep officers less emotionally reactive, in particular, not reacting out of anger.   We all experience moments of frustration—moments where we just feel like lashing out at everyone and everything around us because things aren’t working out […]

Police Psychology | “Inside the Mind” of an Anarchist by Gary S. Aumiller, Ph.D. ABPP There are the guys seen dressed in all black with black masks that are crashing chairs through windows and ripping up cars alongside of the road at the recent demonstrations.  They are destruction-oriented and do not tend to favor either […]

Police Psychology | If I Can Just Get Through This Month by Gary S. Aumiller, Ph.D.  ABPP “…and I in my cap, had just settled our brains for a long winter’s…” fight!  Perhaps if Clement Clarke Moore would have written his poem in 2016 instead of 1822, this may have been the line in “Twas […]

Police Psychology | 12 Greatest Hits by Gary S. Aumiller, Ph.D.  ABPP My brother contacted me a few months back and said he was writing his “Greatest Hits.”  I said, “Roy, the problem is you don’t have any major hits, in fact you stopped playing guitar in college.”  Roy was a country crooner with a […]

Police Psychology | Brain Eaters By Gary S. Aumiller, Ph.D.  ABPP In Telugu language, the second most popular language in India, they have a phrase that is highly important in police psychology – burra tinoddu. Not to be confused with the “Lion King’s” Hakuna Matata which tells you not to worry and be happy eating […]

Police Psychology | Emotional Pinball by Gary S. Aumiller, Ph.D.  ABPP  

Police Psychology | Where Has All the Laughter Gone? by Gary S. Aumiller, Ph.D.   Cop humor is iconic but it is disappearing and we should try to figure out why.  In fact, those in police psychology understand the importance of laughter and laughing to our overall well-beings (particularly in helping cops deal with stress). […]

Police Psychology | The Myth of Emotional Opposites:  Video Post by Gary S. Aumiller, Ph.D.  ABPP A myth that holds people back from having a good time in life if in a crisis.  

The theory of relativity explained in simple terms and for first responders.  

Police Psychology | Anger! Nancy K Bohl-Penrod PhD, Director of the Counseling Team International and The Southern California Critical Incident Stress Management Team I am angry right now.  I am seething and boiling.  I am sure many of you feel the same way.  First there is Dallas and now Louisiana.  Cops getting killed.  I am […]

Police Psychology | Managing Differences in a Healthy Marriage by Doug Gentz, Ph.D. – Tulsa, Oklahoma   All marriages start, and in some cases, end in court houses. This is because the state officially recognizes marriage as a legal business partnership. The partners in a marriage, just like in any other formal business partnership, share […]

Police Psychology | Appreciate the Limits of Your Cerebral Cortex When It Comes to Managing your Emotions by Doug Gentz, Ph.D Guest Blogger – Psychological Services, Tulsa, Oklahoma People have at least three distinct levels of anatomy and function inside their heads. The top layer, less than a quarter of an inch thick, is the […]

Police Psychology | I Can’t Stop Now!   Police psychology has to deal with numbers of issues, but one that we often misdiagnose follows. “Hey! HEY !!! What the hell are you doing?” “I’M CLEANING OUT YOUR DRIVEWAY. What’s it look like?” “Tim, there is a 50-70 mile an hour wind. The snow is still […]

Police Psychology | Locked Away in Your Cell Police psychology has had a new enemy these days, and it’s not typical ol’ police stress. The Cell Phone. You ever hold your cell phone up at a concert to demand an encore? That means you are cool! Scan a document into you cell phone. That’s really […]

The Police Psychologist and the BFD   Those in police psychology must learn about the BFD. The cops used to use that acronym regularly.  Bad F—ing Day.  I am not sure what the “F” means in the acronym, but I don’t think it is too nice. (Let’s not have a bunch of you writing in […]

Toxic Games From police psychology to basic chemistry:  If we wanted to make a very good cleaner, we would mix two decent cleaners and the combination would make something great. Doesn’t take a genius to understand, does it? So go home and mix ammonia and bleach and see what you get (actually don’t ever do […]

The Myth of Emotional Opposites   In therapy, while working in police psychology, I have learned that very negative people tend to suffer from “Shit City Syndrome,” meaning that their cynicism and view of life cause them to see all the bad parts of a situation.  Then they complain that they aren’t enjoying life.  Realize […]