Somatic Exercises for Movement Therapy in First Responders

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In our fast-paced world, we have been become overburdened by many factors that produce stress and tension to the point it is almost impossible to avoid. Studies have shown that 85% of first responders have experienced mental health issues and approximately 1 in every 3 first responders develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) over the course of their career, as opposed to the 1 in 5 in the general population.

Many responders (including myself) tend to carry physical and mental burdens around that manifests into our bodies causing pain, stiffness, or discomfort. From the effects of sleep from shift work, running calls, and the physical and mental conditions the job as a whole contains, it will at some point take a toll on your body and mind no matter how much we try and think it won't.

Due to the nature of our work, it is important to "exercise" your body and mind to help rid these tensions to improve overall body awareness. By doing so, it will greatly impact your mental and physical performance on the job and in your everyday life off the job.

With that being said, I want to share a form of movement therapy I have been reading into a bit lately that focuses on internal physical perception called somatic exercises.

Traditionally, exercise routines place emphasis on external gains such as strength, speed or endurance - all integral for on the job performance as first responders. On the other hand, somatic exercises place emphasis on how your body is feeling from with, through slow movements with the intention of paying close attention to your body's senses. This type of exercise is comparable to the martial art, Tai Chi also known as mediation is motion, which is great for reducing stress, improving mood and improving balance. All of which is vitally important for overall well-being as a first responder and everyday life.

Here are some somatic breathing techniques to try out and can be done in 15-20 minutes to help work on balance, mood, stress and anxiety that is seeming to take a toll on your mental and physical wellbeing.

Centering Breath

Time: 2 minutes

Purpose: Connect with your breath and center your body.

How to:

• Sit or lie down comfortably.

• Close your eyes and place one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen.

• Inhale deeply through your nose, feeling your abdomen rise.

• Exhale slowly through your mouth, feeling your abdomen fall.

• Continue this deep breathing for 2 minutes, focusing on the sensation of your breath.

Pelvic Tilt

Time: 3 minutes

Purpose: Release tension in the lower back and improve pelvic mobility.

How to:

Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.

• Inhale and gently arch your lower back, tilting your pelvis forward.

• Exhale and press your lower back into the floor, tilting your pelvis backward.

• Repeat this motion slowly, coordinating it with your breath, for 3 minutes.

Cat-Cow Stretch

Time: 3 minutes

Purpose: Increase flexibility and mobility in the spine.

How to:

• Start on your hands and knees in a tabletop position.

• Inhale as you arch your back, lifting your head and tailbone toward the ceiling (Cow Pose).

• Exhale as you round your back, tucking your chin to your chest and tailbone under (Cat Pose).

• Move slowly and mindfully between these two positions for 3 minutes.

Shoulder Rolls

Time: 2 minutes

Purpose: Release tension in the shoulders and neck.

How to:

• Sit or stand with your arms relaxed by your sides.

• Inhale and lift your shoulders toward your ears.

• Exhale as you roll your shoulders back and down.

• Continue with slow, controlled shoulder rolls for 1 minute in one direction, then switch to the opposite direction for another minute.

Hip Circles

Time: 2 minutes

Purpose: Increase mobility and release tension in the hips.

How to:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart.

• Place your hands on your hips.

• Begin making slow circles with your hips, moving clockwise for 1 minute.

• Reverse the direction and move counterclockwise for another minute.

Somatic Stretch

Time: 4 minutes

Purpose: Lengthen and relax the entire body.

How to:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart.

• Inhale as you reach your arms overhead, stretching your body upward.

• Exhale as you fold forward, keeping your knees soft and allowing your upper body to hang down.

• Stay in this forward fold for a few deep breaths, then slowly roll back up to standing.

• Repeat the stretch a few times, moving with your breath.

Body Scan Relaxation

Time: 5 minutes

Purpose: Deepen relaxation and body awareness.

How to:

• Lie down comfortably on your back with your arms by your sides.

• Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths.

• Starting at your toes, slowly bring your attention to each part of your body, noticing any tension or sensations.

• Gradually move your focus up through your legs, hips, abdomen, chest, shoulders, arms, neck, and head.

• As you scan each area, consciously release any tension and allow your body to relax fully.

• Stay in this relaxed state for a few more minutes before gently bringing yourself back to the present.

The purposes of these exercises are to help improve body awareness (identify areas of tension or imbalance), reduce stress and tension stored in your muscles and joints, enhance mobility and flexibility to help improve posture and reduce pain and discomfort over time and assist with a better mind-body connection to help improve mental clarity and emotional balance.

Each purpose of these exercises is beneficial to being the best well-rounded version of yourself on and off the job. By taking care of yourself before shift or during down time can lead to great improvements in your job overall. We are humans and as Chief Tom Marchiano says the community expects us to be SUPERhumans. The only way to achieve that is to take a step back and take care of ourselves each day.

Until next time, work hard, stay safe & live inspired.

Benefits of Stretching

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Unlike athletes firefighters and other first responders don't know when "game time" will be. It could be at 7am or it could be at 11pm but in any case we need to ensure we are at our best when the alarm goes off. As we know, we cannot predict when runs will come in and when they won't but preparation of our bodies before and during shift is just as equally as important as preparing our gear, tools and apparatus. Further, being able to wind down after runs is just as important as preparing for the shift and the potential call volume. This will help prepare the mind and body for work.

So where am I going with this?

I'm going with a focus on stretching. That's right. Stretching.

Stretching, even a short routine, added to your daily routine is a great benefit for overall health and wellness and pays off large dividends. It could be used as a pre-workout or a post-workout routine or both. Stretching can help unwind and release tension after a hectic day or even a long duration run as well as assist in increasing energy levels.

Here are some health benefits to stretching that help can keep you on the path for a long shift in the firehouse and overall better health.

1. Improves flexibility and agility which is important for all firefighters
2. Helps keep a decreased resting heart rate. A health heart is vital for all firefighters
3. Increases the circulation of blood and oxygen to the muscles
4. Helps remove waste from tissues such as lactic acid which is built up during intense exercise. Sometimes causing painful, sore muscles.
5. Helps prevent injuries
6. Increases overall mood and well-being.

Stretching at its best could be used a form of exercise for the body and mind. Keep in mind to only stretch as far as your current level of flexibility and over time the range of motion will gradually increase.

6 Stretches to do everyday to help improve flexibility, blood circulating, oxygen levels, relieve stress and tension. Do all 6, three times for 15-30 seconds each.

  1. Quadricep stretch

  2. Hamstring stretch

  3. Calf raise

  4. Spinal twist

  5. Kneeling hip-flexor

  6. Chest opener

Always remember, before beginning any type of exercise program to consult with your primary physician first.

Side note: As per the 2018 NFPA Journal on firefighter injuries, there was an estimated 58K plus injuries estimated in 2018 and also the lowest since the NFPA has been analyzing this data in 1981. In this report it was noted that the major type of injury during fire ground operations were strains and sprains, which accounted for 38% of all injuries while it accounted for 59% of all non-fire ground injuries.

Until next time; work hard, stay safe & live inspired.


What Are You Telling People?

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I say “Good afternoon!How are you doing?” I am stopping to getodds and ends at a supermarket. It is atypical day during the summer here in Maryland;so being inside provides a bit of relief from the heat and humidity. The cashier is who I give this standard greeting. He is tall, lanky, and young. My guess is that this is probably his Summer job. Admittedly, I ask the question about his day out of rote practice. I just heard the conversationbetween the cashier and the person before me. I already know his answer. His response?“Oh, I can't complain.” That’s not the answer he gave the other guy.

In speaking with the person just before me, this is the response I hear him say: “Man it’s hot in here. It feels good at first, but then, it’s hot again.” Now, this is a supermarket, not a court of law. I will not prosecute him for telling me one thingand another person something else. And given that he and the other person are wearing the same uniform shirt, it makes sense. He is more comfortable with a known, coworker than anunknown, customer. We all have things that bother us. We are just not up front about telling everyone about them. And that’s fine, until you aren’t fine.

Everyone has problems.Whether or not someone will talk about them is another story. Over the last few months,firefighters in nearby jurisdictions have taken their own lives.An article from CNN article last year* states “Last year (in 2017), 103 firefighters and 140 police officers committed suicide, whereas 93 firefighters and 129 officers died in the line of duty, which includes everything from being fatally shot, stabbed, drowning or dying in a car accident while on the job.” In a discussion I had shortly after that, a question was posed to me; if I had a problem, who would I tell? Who would I tell what I felt, versus what the pre-canned answer of “Oh, I can’t complain.”

There are many people better qualified than I to speak on mental health. What I give you then, is not vast knowledge, but perspective. One that focuses on just on aspect of the problem of mental health in the fire service. Many people wouldn’t know who to tell their problems to if their life depended on it. If you had a problem, who would you tell?Not just any problem, but the kind of problem that would make you question being alive. How much trust you have in another person is proportional with how much would you revel to him or her. Who do you trust enough to tell that kind of problem?

I don’t feel like fire service culture makes it easy to talk about weakness, mistakes, and problems people tend to face. In order to have a conversation on that level, there has to be a sense of closeness between 2 people. A sense of trust.Listening to the comments of the young cashier and the guy he was talking to, they are obviously closer to each other than to me. They know each other. They have history. I'm just some dude picking up some odds and ends. No need to trust me with a problem statement.

As leaders, I ask we all take a look at what we are doing to make it easy for people to talk about problems. To find the common places and build bridges of trust and safety. Part of leadership is figuring out what that is for each individual. That's a pretty tall order. I've had a fewsuccesses and many more failures throughout my entire career.I don't know that I have a set answer. I will tell you what life has taught me so far. Keep saying “Good morning! How are you doing?” If I go back to that same store on a regular basis and interact that same cashier, eventually, we will get to know each other better. Eventually, we will talk about more things. Eventually, he’ll let me know when the heat is getting to him. Eventually, he’ll trust me enough to tell me what he really feels. Relationships are a lot like planting fruit trees. It takes a while to nurture the progress, but in the end, the fruit that is produced is worth it. As a leader, make trust your everyday order of business. Make trust ordinary, and you will see extraordinary impact.   

*From <https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/04/11/officers-firefighters-suicides-study/503735002/>

 About the Author

 NICK BASKERVILLE Nick has had the honor of serving in the United States Air Force for 10 years, followed by 4 years in the United States Air Force Reserves. He attained the rank of Technical Sergeant (E-6). Nick also has 18 years of fire service time, with 15 years of that being in a career department in Northern Virginia. Nick has had the opportunity to hold positions in the Company Officer's section of the Virginia Fire Chief's Association (VFCA), The Virginia Fire Officer's Academy (VFOA) staff, and as one of the IABPFF representatives to the Fire Service Occupational Cancer Alliance. Nick is one of the many trainers for Firefighter Cancer Support Network (FCSN) to offer awareness and prevention training about cancer in the fire service. Nick has the honor of being one of the many contributors for The Firehouse Tribune.