Courses

I began to create eCourses because I found myself repeating the same stories. Stories are a way we loan words to our experiences. When we share the same stories, we share the same experience. This library of words and stories are only borrowed. There comes a time and place where they need to be returned. Once we learn how to use words, our own experiences need to be told in our own way, not through the words of others.

What’s new?

After I had spent a lot of money and time developing the first project, I noticed that people would begin them but not finish them. What’s happening? I learned there are two problems. The first is that digesting the content was the equivalent of eating a 20 lb Twinkie. The second problem was people who experienced flashbacks and drama were so stirred up and overwhelmed they were lost before they could find words. I then decided it was best for us to explore the course together so people could journey together and find/be supportive of each other. At least if we wander together, we won’t feel so isolated, and we can encourage each other to get through to the end.

Flashbacks

Thus, in 2019, I created an e-course called “Why do I keep having all these haunting flashbacks?” It was a course designed to decode flashbacks in such a way we recognize what triggers them, why they are triggered, and how to defuse them. Over the years, I have developed a working definition of flashbacks. A flashback is an incomplete experience in which we have been emotionally intruded upon. Consider it a break-and-enter crime. When such an event happens, the unconscious takes a picture of everything in the scene and associates it with the pain.

We determine what is crucial and irrelevant when we tell ourselves a story. Those leftover pieces are stored and become triggers. Since we naturally increased our capacity, the story we told about what happened changed, and what we didn’t think was important was, and we updated the story. There is no boogie man, no walking zombies ready to eat you, just a memory with an emotional impact that wants to be completed.

I have designed this course so we can walk through it together. However, I realize three categories of people may be interested. For the person who has flashbacks or is in a relationship with a person who has them, the standard course was made especially for you. Our small group will take you through decoding and resolving flashbacks. For the therapist who professionally deals with people who suffer flashbacks, the course content is similar, however the discussion will be on a professional level and we will ask more the clinical questions which arise in walking with someone through this journey. I also recognize, as a fire department chaplain, that there are those who tend to a group which suffers this way, and you may wonder how to manage the whole group and its residual effects. Again, the course is similar, but the discussion will focus on how we, as helpers, can figure out what the heck is going on, what to expect next, and how to lead or be an effective consultant.

Drama

In 2024, I created the eCourse “How Do I Manage All This Toxic Workplace Drama?” It was based on years of people seeking to figure out how to exist with a really bad boss or with bosses who seek to figure out how to manage difficult employees. Covert Workplace Aggression (CWA) happens in any environment, not just with first responders. I have seen several volunteer fire departments self-destruct when the leadership has been to too many calls and refuses to stop coming to alarms. The symptoms of Critical Incident Stress, Post Trauma, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder spill over the crew, creating a toxic work environment. The e-course uses some of the great firefighting techniques incorporated into managing the emotionally hazardous material of the workplace. Large organizations have hired me to deliver this course to the boardroom of for-profit and non-profit organizations to help them create excellent work environments. COVID has naturally changed the timeline and dynamics of this. In the meantime, I am available by phone if you need individual or corporate consulting. (902) 678-0538. You can contact me through Facebook or LinkedIn. Initial 1/2-hour consults are free.

The courses are designed to be fun and educational, and more importantly, they are meant to be viewed more than once. I promise you, you will not get it all the first time through. I wanted to make these courses available for anyone, so I priced them like two counselling sessions. What a bargain. These courses will be offered at selected times for selected groups.

As in the first course, this, too, is designed for three different levels of participants. Some of you may be in a toxic workplace and wonder how you can survive this. This is the General Edition. Some of you may be managers and wonder what the heck is going on around here and how to get control of it. This is the Manager’s Edition. Some of you may be executives or franchise owners who want to design a management system where you eliminate drama before you start. This is the Executive Edition.