Overcoming the Darkness: Shining Light on Mental Illness, Trauma, and Suicide in Law Enforcement

How do you survive working in law enforcement without killing yourself? Those in uniform keep our world safe and often pay a high price for fulfilling their duty mentally and emotionally. Sgt. Eric Weaver (Ret.) can attest to this as he lives with mental illness and struggled with the issue of suicide on numerous occasions, including multiple hospitalizations, while serving as a police sergeant. Now he is a nationally recognized expert, speaker, instructor, and advocate on law enforcement mental health issues, including Officer Wellness and Crisis Intervention Team training. In Overcoming the Darkness, he gives a raw accounting of his own experiences coupled with knowledge and pragmatic advice gained from 20 years of instructing literally thousands in law enforcement about mental illness, cumulative stress, trauma, substance use, PTSD, and suicide.With cries of defunding police, the attacking of our profession, and so many other factors in our society, we often forget or put aside our emotional well-being. It is our sincere desire that this book is one of those resources that provides a practical approach to understanding the value and importance of our emotional wellness.