Normalize PTSD

54_Matt Domyancic a Medically Retired Officer, SWAT, and Chaplain

January 15, 2024 Jonathan
54_Matt Domyancic a Medically Retired Officer, SWAT, and Chaplain
Normalize PTSD
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Normalize PTSD
54_Matt Domyancic a Medically Retired Officer, SWAT, and Chaplain
Jan 15, 2024
Jonathan

Matt Domyancic is a Medically Retired Officer, SWAT, Chaplain, Former Police Officer and Strength Coach, Police Chaplain, Spiritual Director, & Peer Support and Wellness Advocate.

Social Media:

Matt Domyancic is a medically retired police officer that worked patrol, Peer Support, SWAT, and as full-time police academy instructor for fitness and officer survival. While a police officer he was also concurrently a D1 strength and conditioning coach at Yale and Georgetown universities and led campus ministry for athletes. After his retirement, he was a strength coach and sports psychology consultant for professional and Olympic athletes at Velocity Sports, including NFL combine preparation for top round draft picks. 

Now Matt is also a Chaplain and Peer Support for various nonprofits that proactively support first responders dealing with stress and trauma. Police psychologists refer officers to Matt to do wellness activities along with peer support such as cold plunge, sauna, breath work, and sensory deprivation float tank. His approach integrates fitness, nutrition, sleep, self-regulation, and holistic self-care as a path to proactively grow mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually - rather than the common reactive-only approach to after someone has begun experiencing breakdown with PTSD, addiction, divorce, or suicidal ideation. 

This is a cool story. I’m so grateful to have been connected to Matt. His father challenged him academically and athletically growing up, leading to him developing discipline and structure that would become the core of what is Matt. This led him to be a D1 football player at the Air Force Academy, later graduating from Colgate. Then forensics, SWAT, strength and condition coach at Yale, chaplain and now a mentor and advocate for our first responders.

I love it when I meet someone who has a life I admire. I want to know how they did it. What cheat code did they use? The more people I talk to that have lives I admire the more I realize the cheat code is simple: Being disciplined, prioritizing mental and physical health, being mindful of what you fuel your body with, and having a goal. The other little commonality is how they view challenges. The cheat code is to see challenges as a positive thing - don’t fear failure. If you fail, you still learn, you still grow, and you become more enlightened or knowledgeable. Chase those dreams. The more I talk to the amazing people, the more that I’m only afraid of living an unchallenged life.

Resources Mentioned:

  • Meditation
  • Discipline, consistency, and passion in the things you do
  • Have goals
  • Working out
  • Journaling
  • Having someone you trust to talk with
  • Therapy or a spiritual leader…have an objective perspective to check you and tell you when something seems off or is off
  • Train your unconscious competence
  • Have the tools to endure rough waters in place before you find yourself in rough waters. Be proactive.
  • Artwork
  • Dancing
  • Get outdoors
  • Fast from technology 
  • If something resonates with you, write it down and do more of it tomorrow
  • Breath work


We would really appreciate a share and like on IG, FB, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Twitter. I am always looking for veterans or first responders who have PTSD to share how you have raised the quality of your life t

Show Notes

Matt Domyancic is a Medically Retired Officer, SWAT, Chaplain, Former Police Officer and Strength Coach, Police Chaplain, Spiritual Director, & Peer Support and Wellness Advocate.

Social Media:

Matt Domyancic is a medically retired police officer that worked patrol, Peer Support, SWAT, and as full-time police academy instructor for fitness and officer survival. While a police officer he was also concurrently a D1 strength and conditioning coach at Yale and Georgetown universities and led campus ministry for athletes. After his retirement, he was a strength coach and sports psychology consultant for professional and Olympic athletes at Velocity Sports, including NFL combine preparation for top round draft picks. 

Now Matt is also a Chaplain and Peer Support for various nonprofits that proactively support first responders dealing with stress and trauma. Police psychologists refer officers to Matt to do wellness activities along with peer support such as cold plunge, sauna, breath work, and sensory deprivation float tank. His approach integrates fitness, nutrition, sleep, self-regulation, and holistic self-care as a path to proactively grow mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually - rather than the common reactive-only approach to after someone has begun experiencing breakdown with PTSD, addiction, divorce, or suicidal ideation. 

This is a cool story. I’m so grateful to have been connected to Matt. His father challenged him academically and athletically growing up, leading to him developing discipline and structure that would become the core of what is Matt. This led him to be a D1 football player at the Air Force Academy, later graduating from Colgate. Then forensics, SWAT, strength and condition coach at Yale, chaplain and now a mentor and advocate for our first responders.

I love it when I meet someone who has a life I admire. I want to know how they did it. What cheat code did they use? The more people I talk to that have lives I admire the more I realize the cheat code is simple: Being disciplined, prioritizing mental and physical health, being mindful of what you fuel your body with, and having a goal. The other little commonality is how they view challenges. The cheat code is to see challenges as a positive thing - don’t fear failure. If you fail, you still learn, you still grow, and you become more enlightened or knowledgeable. Chase those dreams. The more I talk to the amazing people, the more that I’m only afraid of living an unchallenged life.

Resources Mentioned:

  • Meditation
  • Discipline, consistency, and passion in the things you do
  • Have goals
  • Working out
  • Journaling
  • Having someone you trust to talk with
  • Therapy or a spiritual leader…have an objective perspective to check you and tell you when something seems off or is off
  • Train your unconscious competence
  • Have the tools to endure rough waters in place before you find yourself in rough waters. Be proactive.
  • Artwork
  • Dancing
  • Get outdoors
  • Fast from technology 
  • If something resonates with you, write it down and do more of it tomorrow
  • Breath work


We would really appreciate a share and like on IG, FB, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Twitter. I am always looking for veterans or first responders who have PTSD to share how you have raised the quality of your life t