What happens when the people we count on to save us are themselves drowning in trauma? Mike and Pam Morrison offer a lifeline through their powerful story of survival, healing, and redemption.

After 28 years in law enforcement, Mike Morrison knows the weight of trauma first-hand. From his early days as a dispatcher and jail officer to his later roles as detective, sergeant, and lieutenant, each traumatic experience slowly transformed him. His wife Pam brings an equally profound perspective as a former RN, death investigator, and forensic autopsy technician who served with DMORT at mass fatality incidents like the devastating Joplin tornado.

Their raw honesty about career stress shatters the silence that often surrounds first responder mental health. "The danger is secrecy and the isolation," Mike explains, describing how the culture of silence becomes "almost cultish" in how it traps those suffering. Meanwhile, Pam reveals how trauma can build quietly until it suddenly emerges: "Cumulative trauma that you don't understand till later affected me."

What makes their story exceptional isn't just their struggles but their journey to healing. From EMDR therapy that helped Pam process traumatic death notifications to their therapy dog Luna, who instinctively identifies officers in crisis at trauma retreats, the Morrisons offer practical paths forward. Their formula for survival—"faith, family, and friends, in that order"—has sustained their 40-year marriage despite challenges that statistically end many first responder relationships.

You can learn about the Haymarket Center's (Intensive Supportive Retreat for First Responders & Essential Emergency Personnel). Mike and Pam have attended the program and fell in love with it so much that they now volunteer their time, talent, and treasure to walk along with other first responders going through the program. Information for the program is linked. https://haymarketcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1-2025-Haymarket-Retreat-Flyer.pdf

For those currently struggling, their message resonates with urgency and hope: healing is possible, but it requires reaching out. As Mike powerfully states, "One of the biggest lies is that nobody can help you." If you're a first responder or love someone who is, this conversation might be the permission you need to finally seek the help that could save a life, a career, or a family.

Contact 10-42 Project at 10-42project.org, email dan@10-42project.org or call 515-350-6274. Remember No one walks alone.

If you or someone you know is in crisis and at risk of self-harm, please call or text 988, the suicide and crisis lifeline.

To contact us directly send an email to Dan@10-42project.org or call 515-350-6274
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