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Trauma and Stress

A Few Words About Stress

Stress comes from how you interpret or think about what is happening to you. It’s not necessarily what’s happening–or even what has already happened. It’s the meaning your mind has assigned to the stressful event that causes the burden to amplify. Stress reactions are unique to the person experiencing them, so what causes stress in one person won’t necessarily cause stress or the same level of stress in another.

General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)

General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) was originally identified by Hans Selye.21 GAS is otherwise known as the “stress response.”21 Dr. Selye has written numerous works discussing the components of the GAS stages and some supplements that could be beneficial in reversing the harmful effects of a stress response.21 The three phases of GAS are the Alarm Phase, Stage of Resistance, and Stage of Exhaustion.21

The 3 Phases of General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS).21

What happens when your body engages its “fight or flight” response.22

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Valor Officer Safety and Wellness Program, Bureau of Justice Assistance

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This project was supported by cooperative agreement number 2016-VI-BX-K001 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and the SMART Office. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report was prepared by the National Police Foundation (NPF). The National Police Foundation is the oldest nationally known, non-profit, non-partisan, and non-membership driven organization dedicated to advancing policing through innovation and science.

The internet references cited in this publication were valid as of the date of publication. Given that URLs and websites are in constant flux, the NPF cannot vouch for their current validity.

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