Wellsprings Resilience Technique

Daly narrowly missed a su***de bomber attack that blew up the guesthouse (in Herat) where he was planning to stay. This made him realize that not enough was being done to equip workers for facing the stress of crisis situations, especially over the span of longer-term assignments. Through in-depth interviews with experienced humanitarian workers about how they stayed motivated despite the challeng

es they face in their work, it became clear that the people who stayed most productive in challenging circumstances drew on a wellspring of personal resilience, even though it was different for each person and was not necessarily deliberately or knowingly developed. The need for a practical, systematic and universally appealing approach to developing resilience became apparent. An individualized technique to inspire workers and improve resilience was devised involving a concentrated empowerment memory bank. Practical aspects of brain-science were incorporated to maximize effectiveness. Feedback from focus groups and review sessions was incorporated in the development process of the WRT training. The technique offers a foundation for humanitarian workers where no training currently exists. Bureaucratic, technological, and financial obstacles are avoided by focusing individuals on their own ability to use memories for empowerment. In the medium term, incorporating aspects of positive psychology and mental health awareness into humanitarian culture will mean less professional attrition, a more experienced community, and more effective missions. In the long term, the technique can be adapted for broader audiences, including students and emergency workers.