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| By Safe Call Now® Board Member - Betsy Smith |
I wrote an article
a few years ago for PoliceOne.com titled “Cop Dreams.” The feedback was immediate and unexpected. So many people were surprised to find out that
they weren’t alone in experiencing these vivid, sometimes terrorizing dreams,
and it wasn’t just the cops who were having them.
When I was a high
school senior I worked evenings as a police dispatcher for my local sheriff’s
department. One night I had a terrible
nightmare. It was so real! One of my
deputies was yelling for backup but no matter how many times I pushed the
“transmit” button, I couldn’t call for another unit. I was unable to
speak. The phones didn’t work. I was completely helpless. I woke up sweating and terrified. I wasn’t even a cop yet, and I’d just had my
first “cop dream.”
There is no exact science when it comes to the
study of dreams. We dream between 90 and 120 minutes
per night, depending on how long we sleep.
We tend to only remember the last dream we had, unless you have
reoccurring dreams, which are pretty common in both humans and in animals. Sometimes I watch my dog Marley twitch,
whine, and pant while he naps. I often
wonder if he’s reliving some of the terrible abuse he suffered before we
rescued him. Humans obviously suffer
similar emotionally difficult dreams. The
top five most common dreams for humans are:
- I’m Being Chased
- I’m Falling
- I’m Lost or Unprepared
- I’m Naked in Public
- My Teeth Are Falling Out (how weird is that?!)
Law
enforcement personnel also tend to have similar, reoccurring dreams. We once took a totally unscientific and
unofficial Facebook poll on the “JD Buck Savage” fan page and we found that the
top five “cop dreams” are some variation of:
- No Matter How Hard I Try, I Can’t Pull the Trigger
- I Fire My Gun, and the Round “Dribbles” Out of the Barrel
- I Need to Run Somewhere but I Can’t Move
- I Can’t Get to My Gun, My Ammo, or My Holster is Empty
- I Fire and Fire and Fire and the Rounds do Nothing
Any of that sound
familiar? Notice that four out of the
five involve our firearm. I’ve experienced them all, some more than others,
during different times in my career, and I’ve spent countless hours discussing
dreams with my fellow cops and trainers all over the world. Some believe that cops who have dreams of
“helplessness” are ill-prepared for the job.
In fact, I’ve had fellow police trainers tell me that they’ve never had
the typical cop dreams because they are so incredibly prepared. To that I say
“bullcrap.” Everyone experiences
occasional feelings of doubt or inadequacy, and if you don’t, you might want to
engage in a little self-reflection. Over-confidence
is a great way to get yourself, or someone else, hurt or killed.
The meanings of our dreams are
extremely speculative, and they are very different from one source of meaning
to the next. Dreams are just a part of
everyday life. They don’t predict the
future, they shouldn’t be used to judge someone’s capabilities or determine
one’s psychological issues or needs.
It is quite possible from the nature of “cop
dreams” our ambient anxiety about things we can’t control no matter how hard we
train or prepare is being resolved or expressed. Some doctors believe that these dreams are
the brains way of exercising itself safely.
Dream research is a fascinating, if not very exact science.
After that article was published and it
hit social media, a fellow crime fighter read it on Facebook and was shocked to
discover that he wasn’t the only person on Earth having the reoccurring “cop
dreams” that had been haunting him. He
was at a low point in his life and was contemplating taking his own life but
decided to reach out to Safe Call Now® and get help. I was just honored knowing sharing my
experiences and being able to connect with another cop with my story may have
helped him. Sometimes, just knowing you’re not alone, and you’re not “crazy” can
help you take that first step to reach out.
After you read this, think about your
own dreams and then ask around the station.
See who has “cop dreams” and what those dreams entail. Start a discussion over coffee or during roll
call, post it on your Facebook page. Ask
the dispatchers and the animal control officers. Talk to the retirees. The more we talk about it, and find out how
“normal” our dreams are, the less scary and frustrating they seem. And if your dreams seem to be getting the
better of you, you’re not alone. Being a
proud member of the Board of Directors for Safe Call Now® and watching how they
have saved lives over the years… Never,
ever hesitate to contact them, because we’re here for you 24/7,
nationwide. First responder to first
responder 206-459-3020
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