If you ever work in a role where you have to move toward events that other people are moving away from, you want a well-read copy of Autonomic Triage in your emergency kit.

Using the framework of the Autonomic Nervous System, Autonomic Triage is a manual for first responders that teaches you to read and support the deepest nervous system needs of people confronting overwhelming experiences. In the face of overwhelming events, humans move into defensive survival responses. But someone you are helping who has shifted into a fight response needs totally different kinds of support than someone who has shifted into a shutdown response. Your ability to differentiate primary autonomic states in the people you are serving, and understand what kind of inputs they will need to return to safety can be the difference between triage that enables full recovery versus triage likely to worsen post-traumatic stress.

Designed for responders of all kinds, from paramedics to fire to police to nurses to coaches to camp counselors, this handbook will teach you efficient ways of reading the deep nervous systems of people you are trying to help, and open your eyes, and your heart, to how to meet the deepest needs of people coping with distress. Simple, practical, to-the-point guidance for helping you triage those in your care, from one of the world's leading guides to the Autonomic Nervous System. And at 4 x 6 inches, small enough to fit in your pocket.