Tattoos and Trauma

The Healing Power of Tattoos for Emergency Responders

By: Dr. David Griffin

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

As I travel in a metal cylinder going about 500 miles per hour, living in hotels, eating strange foods, and meeting hundreds of thousands of emergency responders, I’ve noticed something. Tattoos are increasing on us; including me. I’ve also noticed something else. Many people have little knowledge of the historic correlation between tattoos and mental health. But not just mental health, the many different reasons people have been getting tattoos for thousands of years. Considering this, "Tattoos and Trauma" is a book to help educate others about how tattoos can assist emergency responders in healing from traumatic incidents, traumatic careers, or traumatic life experiences. To do this, numerous examples from military personnel, firefighters, police officers, and emergency medical service personnel are presented in an easy to read and enjoyable format. No technical jargon here. Real talk for us, emergency responders. I wanted to go deeper though. So, to provide even more information, 148 current or former emergency responders expressed their perception on tattoos related to trauma via a 10-question survey. Over eighty-seven percent of the 148 participants had the opinion that tattoos help individuals heal after traumatic incidents, traumatic careers, or traumatic life experiences. But that’s just the beginning. Wait until you read their actual words, feel their passion, learn of their heartbreak, embrace their thoughts, shed tears with them, and most importantly, learn from people that were brave enough to express their feelings to help others. Remember, judging is easy. Understanding is harder. See you on the inside…if you’re brave enough to think differently.