By Shauna Springer, PhD
“What’s the connection between childhood trauma and becoming a firefighter?” A firefighter asked me this question recently, and we had a rich conversation about the topic. I’m certainly not the first to observe that people with childhood trauma often pursue careers in the military or as a first responder (Blosnich et al., 2014; Katon et al., 2015; McDonald, et al., 2022; Roth, et al., 2022), so it’s only natural to get this question from time to time.
Differing theories
Some have argued that, on a neurobiological level, the brain changes in childhood due to repeated exposures to trauma (Begemann et al., 2023; Bremer, 2003; Cross et al., 2017). Based on this research, the idea is that people become used to a certain level of adrenaline and cortisol in their system. This becomes their personal neurochemical “set point.” To maintain this set point, they look for a lifestyle that replicates and provides the same amount of chemical release they’re used to.
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A high-hazard lifestyle like firefighting might be more manageable, or even neurochemically satisfying, for someone who is used to living in chaotic, kinetic situations. Perhaps the brain craves this kind of equilibrium. In other words, if you know chaos, then that is what you seek because chaos feels like “home.” I’ve seen plenty of cases where this seems to apply, but in my opinion, this is only one part of the picture.
Another idea is that people who have lived through a traumatic childhood learn implicit skills for dealing with high-stakes situations. For example, some studies show that children exposed to trauma become more perceptive of shifts in emotions signaling potential threats (Berube et al., 2021; Dalgleish, et al., 2001). This kind of adaptive hypervigilance may relate to skills like learning how to read the mood in the room or anticipating a threat before it surfaces. Honing these skills during childhood could theoretically elevate performance in a military or public safety profession. Through a process of self-selection and objective assessment, such individuals may rise to the top of recruiting pools. In other words, perhaps people with childhood trauma are the standouts — their intensive training just started well before most other candidates. I think there’s some merit in this argument as well, but, in my opinion, it’s still not the full picture.
A third argument is that when we have trauma, we try to replicate the circumstances of trauma in the hope of getting a better outcome (Levy, 1998). For example, people who date individuals who resemble an abusive parent may be drawn to a certain personality type with the subconscious hope of changing that person. Or a person who had an alcoholic parent might pursue people who struggle with alcoholism with the hope of helping their partner achieve a breakthrough and get clean and sober for life. This argument kind of collapses into the first argument, though, which is that people tend to be drawn to things that feel like home for them. In other words, if you grew up with someone who had an alcohol problem, then maybe you are drawn to people who fit that mold because that is your concept of a relationship.
One of two directions
There’s another possibility, though, and this is what I believe is most likely true. During my years at Harvard, I learned from the late, great Dr. Charles Ducey that children of alcoholics are not only more likely to become alcoholics themselves, they are much more likely to become adults who don’t drink alcohol at all. In other words, people who experience extremes tend to go in one of two directions. Either they repeat the same negative patterns they’ve learned, or they propel themselves in the opposite direction of what they experienced.
A call to protect
You might wonder how to square this theory for a firefighter who grew up around trauma. After all, aren’t they just repeating what they’ve experienced rather than propelling themselves in a completely different direction? Wouldn’t they be more likely to pursue a low-stress career instead?
No. They’re not and they wouldn’t be.
Here’s the distinction that people miss: Yes, they pursue a career that exposes them to further trauma, but when they become first responders, they become the protectors that they wish they had had when they were children. Their role in the unfolding of trauma is entirely different. Where once they were helpless in the face of trauma, now they’re the person who stands between harm like they experienced and those helpless to stop it.
When I consider the essence of the “warrior spirit” and the orientation to service among firefighters, the choice to pursue this career can help turn private pain into meaning. As I describe in my book “Warrior,” those with a warrior spirit are those who do what others can’t or won’t do because of an inner moral code — a “warrior code.”
In my view, choosing this path is not a self-focused act — the act of someone who is trying to “work out their own trauma.” For many with a history of childhood trauma, choosing a career as a firefighter is the act of someone who wants to prevent trauma for other people because they know what it feels like. I think many first responders are trying to create a better world than the one they know from childhood, not just for themselves but for others as well.
If we look at it through this lens, then the full picture makes sense. For example, this is why first responders often feel drawn to marry those in nurturing careers, like nurses (Van Dam, 2023), social workers and early education teachers. They are looking to create families that give their children a better experience, in the same way that they want to prevent children in general from experiencing trauma.
This also explains why child deaths and child injury calls hit so hard for first responders. They find the feeling of helplessness completely intolerable — because helplessness cuts right to the core of their identity as a protector. I’ve asked hundreds of first responders this question during trainings and keynotes: “Of these 5 emotions, which is the most intolerable for you: Anger, Fear, Loneliness, Disgust or Helplessness?” The resounding theme is that helplessness is the worst feeling for first responders.
Final thoughts
Many with a warrior spirit will find their way to this path, even in the absence of childhood trauma. Yet, when I think about the collision of early trauma and the warrior spirit, it makes sense that first responders find their deepest calling and purpose in becoming the protector they wish they had in their own lives.
Understanding the warrior spirit brings the picture into focus. The warrior spirit goes far beyond the act of going to war. It is the essence of being a protector or defender, the invisible force that fuels self-sacrificial service.
For those who resonate with this article, I would share this. People with a warrior spirit are often forged in fire. Your service to others is based on your warrior code, which is often shaped in the crucible of pain no one else sees, crystallizing your values and sharpening your iron will to adapt and overcome. Because of this warrior spirit, you refuse to stay stuck in a narrative of helplessness and trauma. As a person of action, you’ve made a choice to walk back into the fire repeatedly, not because you’re “working through subconscious struggles,” but because you want to prevent suffering and make the world safer for all of us. I hope this perspective helps you see your warrior spirit with clarity and overcome the mental warfare that comes with this path.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shauna “Doc” Springer is a licensed psychologist, best-selling author, Police1 columnist, award-winning Military Times podcast host, and a leading expert on psychological trauma, military transition, suicide prevention and close relationships. Through Thin Line Advisory, Springer provides specialized consultation and is a confidential ally and strategic advisor for public safety leaders and peer support teams on high-stakes topics that are critical to successful recruitment and retention.
REFERENCES
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- Van Dam, A. “The professions most likely to be paired up in marriage, and more!”, The Washington Post, June 16, 2023.
