By Kimberly Clark
I recently discovered the transformative qualities of the emotion of awe and recognized that awe could be a powerful coping mechanism for the 9-1-1 telecommunicator. I am a frequent user of the word “awesome” but never thought too deeply about the meaning of the word. I knew the basics — awesome is a descriptive adjective, and the root of the word is awe. What I had not considered is the meaning of awe and, even more importantly, the impact of awe in our daily lives.
In a presentation to the Greater Good Science Center, Arizona State University Professor Dr. Lani Shiota explains that awe is an emotion that transforms the body and mind because it challenges our frame of reference. When we experience the emotion of awe, it shifts our focus from ourselves, enhancing our awareness of things around us and moving our thoughts from self-interest to the interest of others. Awe reduces our fight or flight response, diminishing anxiety and stress, having a calming effect. Awe changes our feelings and can increase our capacity for empathy and sympathy and reduce the impact of the difficult things we experience as we help others.
Many think that awe can only be found in things that are vast or complex. University of California Berkley Psychology Professor Dr. Dacher Keltner dispels this misunderstanding. He explains in his book “Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life” that people find awe in the Eight Wonders of Life, including:
- Moral beauty (kindness, bravery and courage)
- Collective effervescence (feelings that come from shared experiences)
- Nature
- Visual design
- Music
- Life and death
- Spirituality
- Epiphany (the discovery of finding a solution or figuring out a problem)
Dr. Keltner challenges us to “cultivate everyday awe” by recognizing awe-inspiring things in our presence. As public safety telecommunicators, we are positioned to experience three of these awe-inspiring wonders in our daily work life.
Moral beauty may come from the kindness of a stranger calling to report a vehicle collision or bravely giving aid during a medical or fire emergency. It may be observed in the courage shown by police, fire and EMS personnel during an active rescue or apprehension of an armed suspect. Or it can be seen in the kindness of a teammate who covers your shift or brings you a coffee. Maybe you are the source of kindness or bravery as you lead callers through traumatic situations, calming them while you send help. Moral beauty is in you and all around you.
The job of a 9-1-1 telecommunicator is a shared experience that results in collective effervescence. You are a part of a team of helpers. Whether you are in a one-person center where you take the call and dispatch units simultaneously or a larger center with a multi-stage call-taking process, you are working collectively to help people on their worst day. The collaboration of guiding a caller through CPR or delivering a baby or helping someone who has been abused or injured is awe-inspiring. Your work, collaboration and shared experiences result in saved lives and rescued individuals. You are the beginning of collective effervescence.
Every day, you face problems, and it’s your job to solve them. You create epiphany by finding solutions. Often, you are the solution. When a caller is in trouble and doesn’t know where they are located, you use your training, skills and resources to figure it out. When extra resources are needed on a major medical or fire incident, you find them. When a police officer is with someone who is giving false information, you put your investigative skills to the test, figuring out the identity and often finding a warrant in the process. You manifest epiphany every day in solving problems and finding solutions.
Awe is described in a New Scientist article as “The emotion that gives us superpowers.” Studies have proven that awe is a transformational emotion that can reduce stress, lower anxiety, deliver calm during chaos and reduce the impact of the difficult things we experience as we help others. By looking for and generating awe-inspiring situations, we can change our mood, outlook and perceptions, reducing the impact of work-generated stress while increasing our capacity for empathy and sympathy. As you focus on self-care and wellness, I challenge you to use your superpowers by experiencing the everyday awe that is with you and all around you.
Kimberly Clark is Public Safety Communications and Records Bureau Administrator for the Salt River Police Department in Scottsdale, Arizona.
