research
& publishing
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Recent technological advances have made it possible to use biometric measurements, such as Heart Rate Variability, to assess autonomic health. For police officers in the 3-month POWER Training Program, researchers found a trend toward increased Very Low Frequency HRV after 3 months. This finding implies improved health and correlates with participants' anecdotal remarks regarding their experience of better sleep, a reduction in headaches, and decreases in blood pressure. Research also demonstrated that their HRV pattern became more coherent. Read more about this novel research in a peer-reviewed article published in the Journal of Community Safety and Well-being.
download the full research reports
Click on the report images below to access and download the PDF report.
POWER Training Program
Jacksonville Sheriff's Office
July 2022
POWER Training Program
LAPD
Jan 2022
(CICR) Council for Insight, Compassion & Resilience
July 2022
Inmate Council Program (now CICR)
2019
POWER Training Program
Jacksonville Sheriff's Office
July 2022
Validated Measurement Scales for POWER training program
see the latest research news
The FY2025 Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act (LEMHWA) Officer Wellness Grant Program is Open
New Study Confirms Beyond Us & Them’s POWER Training Improves Officer Health, Mindfulness, and Social Connection
books
Where Compassion Begins: Foundational Practices to Enhance Mindfulness, Attention and Listening from the Heart
Where Compassion Begins... is an invitation to build the muscle of compassion, through exercises and practices that enhance our capacity to listen from the heart and, in so doing, take care of ourselves and those around us.
This book is intended to provide a resource for anyone who has had an opportunity to sit in a council circle, or whose curiosity has been ignited by what the practice of council may have to offer. It offers explanations, definitions and distinctions that are part of the Introduction to Council Workshop and that have been culled from many years of council practice in many settings. It also includes material created to encourage and support extending the teachings of council into one's life, outside of the council circle. The core intentions of listening and speaking from the heart can unfold in every facet of one's life, well beyond the experience of the council circle. This book provides a roadmap for the journey of discovery along this rich path.
The book is available in all good bookstores to order: Buy English Version (opens in a new window) & Buy Spanish version (opens in a new window) and Purchase audiobook here (opens in a new window), and available to purchase special edition for incarcerated persons (opens in a new window)
Leaving Prison Behind: A Council Before I Go
Leaving Prison Behind: A Council Before I Go is an illustrated novella created from the words and stories of system-impacted individuals, and those who support them.
The book grew out of Beyond Us & Them's prison and reentry programs, with the intention of supporting and resourcing incarcerated individuals preparing themselves for the journey home. The book tells the story of the last night of one man's incarceration, as he creates an imaginal council in his cell to call in the important voices from his life, those stories he knows he needs to hear. Some will recognize the practice of council that the characters enact in this story -- and others will encounter it for the first time
Compiled and edited by Jared Seide, Leaving Prison Behind includes a robust resource section with ideas, references and practices intended to be of support to those preparing for and embarking on the challenging journey that lies ahead.
Buy or gift a copy to an incarcerated individual or donate to the Leaving Prison Behind campaign.
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