I would like to begin by introducing myself. I grew up in Chattanooga and I love this city. As a child, the space program and lunar landings were in full swing. I dreamed of a progressive city. I grew up reading books about space, travel, and superheroes at the Bicentennial Library. I am the only son of a local pastor and businessman.
When I graduated from East Ridge High School, I went to UTC, studied criminal justice and went into the Army as a military police officer. I loved the Army and I wanted a chance to impact people at a deeper level. I went back to school at Lee College and the Seminary. I received my master of divinity degree and went back in the Army as a chaplain. I served in the United States and Asia. I lived in Japan in a Northern Wintery city. My wife and I learned to speak Japanese and we began playing Contemporary Christian music, singing, and bringing over artists. Creative skills that I learned in our beautiful scenic city. This inspired our entire city as we did concerts and recorded with the Yamaha Gospel Choir. The city leaders commended us for our impact upon the life of our Japanese city. I later served in the First Cavalry Division and retired.
When I returned to my hometown, I was happy to see progress downtown, and at the Hamilton Place area, but I was discouraged about the crime, poverty, and drug use. I used my G.I. Bill to go back to the seminary in Cleveland and get my master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, and my Doctorate. I did my dissertation in Psychoeducation and Neuromorphology. At night, I worked as a bail bondsmen, doing my homework next the Hamilton County Jail and fighting crime by catching fugitives.
I now teach Psychology at a local college. My goal is transform the way people think. I am now very concerned about the violence my city. The violence is a two pronged problem with the same progenesis. First, there is the demand for drugs that keep gangs and violence funded. Without this demand, there would be no business for this criminal activity. Secondly, family dysfunction and poverty are concordant.
Individuals who grow up in poverty with unstructured families experience chaos, confusion, and a lack of understanding of self. This leads to an inability to express oneself in a healthy manner and furthering extreme emotional pain and the inability to regulate one's emotions. This environment has a causation in brain development. The brain develops dopageneric neural pathways that inflame the amygdala (the flight or fight mechanism) and lesson the ability to control one's emotions and impulses due to the lack of proper setrogeneric developed pathways (the executive and personal control mechanisms.) This phenomenon produces a neurochemical “flora” that is prone to violence and the need to self medicate with illegal drugs. Further, this situation can eventually lead to psychosis. This leads us to gang leadership. Once leaders resort to senseless violence and terror, they have crossed the line into being psychotic. This is the same behavioral presentation of Adolf Hitler. He grew up in a violent home, his wounded ego turned to the abuse of amphetamines. This degrades the setrogeneric functioning and causes the brain to rely upon the dopamine and limbic functions which leads to psychosis. Adolf Hitler was a violent psychotic leader. This is also the behavioral presentation of Terrorist and in the extreme case, serial killers. Further, this is why the psychopharmaceutical intervention for psychosis is to reduce dopamine through neuroleptics, and increase the executive function of setrogeneric pathways through selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.
As a result then, the violence of our city cannot be corrected until psychoeducation and mental health care can be instituted in our community and become a natural companion of law enforcement and local initiatives. It is not within the parameters of my character to describe a problem without offering a solution. I am more than willing to go to work and design programs that will make our law enforcement, mental health, and community initiatives more effective, innovate, and vibrant. We can break down these concepts where the rubber meets the road, and get out city back on track to a positive and progressive future. We can transform neighborhoods into safe places that capitalizes upon human potential instead of the waste of human life. We can create paradigm shifts that transform the wolves of our community into shepherd leaders. Further, we can also more effectively litigate the pathological crime with a clearer understanding of possible remedies.
Dr. Edward L. “Butch” Varner