Being a Spy Can Be Pretty Stressful. The CIA is Trying to Help. (Rebroadcast)

In Episode 82 of his podcast "In the Room with Peter Bergen," New America Vice President and ASU Professor of Practice Peter Bergen returns to a prior episode on how the CIA handles stress and trauma.

The job comes with all sorts of risks and responsibilities plus exposure to a lot of violence and trauma — whether that’s out in a war zone or in the office, where analysts may work on cases involving horrific human rights abuses. All of that can take its toll. CIA Director William Burns has acknowledged the agency needs to do more to “take care” of its officers. You’ll hear how stressful and crushing intelligence can be from former intelligence officers who did it and from the CIA’s top psychologist and the CIA’s new wellbeing chief, about what can be done about it. (Originally published 1/20/2024.)

Listen to the episode on Audible