Warning: Portions of this post may be triggering for some. Mentions violence, death, and suicide. I take it with me wherever I go. The red blanket. It is a small 4’x5′ patch[…]
As I wrote previously, one of Jamie MacWhirter’s triggers is getting stuck behind a slow driver. This is not surprising as he served a tour in Afghanistan as a truck driver with the 1st Service Battalion, and being[…]
We have been talking a lot about peer support, its benefits and what it can look like. The Department of National Defence and Veterans Affairs Canada work in partnership to deliver Operational Stress Injury Social Support (OSISS). The[…]
I just finished reading Empty Casing: A Soldier’s Memoir of Sarajevo Under Siege by Fred Doucette. We previously reviewed his book, Better Off Dead, which was about OSI in the Canadian military and his decade as a peer[…]
This post appears off-schedule our usual publication schedule for two reasons. One, it’s Memorial Day in the United States. For many, it’s a day of grilling and picnics. IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) is encouraging[…]
Returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan today are scores of warriors who are dealing with the effects of operating in a war zone. The mental health institution is suffering from a deluge of patients who[…]
I’m sometimes asked whether peer support is treatment. I always answer “no,” though others may not. In my mind, treatment seeks to cure the disease, rehab the injury, or slow the progression of symptoms. Peer support helps[…]
A recent article in Military.com reported that the US Navy is testing brain-stimulating technologies with the SEALs. The device looks like a set of chunky headphones, and they work by applying an electrical stimulus through the skull. The company[…]
The open road conjures images of freedom, adventure, and possibility. Unfortunately, for some people with PTSD the possibilities are dark. The road, other drivers, and even the dark of the night can trigger stress, anxiety, or other PTSD[…]
Asking yourself whether you have PTSD or post-traumatic stress disorder is a difficult question to answer. It’s an emotionally loaded question, and so it’s difficult to answer. It’s even difficult to get to the point of asking[…]
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