C4 Challenge #32 - Contribution
Getting granular with gratitude
Wizening faces looked at me. Some expressions grim, others devoid of all emotion, but one or two with the faint resemblance of a smile. Around the room, a collection of men from the ancient professions of law enforcement, fire fighting, military, and medicine. All highly experienced. Each a proven warrior. Amongst the ten men seated in a circle facing me, more than two centuries of professional experience collectively shared.
And so began my talk on “why not me”. I spoke to my belief that the common unifying characteristics amongst all of us in that room were compassion, disciplined minds driven to provide and protect by being the first in/last out, and wounded souls from our experiences with tragedy and death. Speaking from my own personal struggle with PTSD, I knew the traumatic toll on mind, soul, heart, and body that a professional career on the front line could exact. Cumulative traumas and moral injury may be encountered. Symptoms of PTSD may manifest, and the feeling of an ever present darkness on the mind and soul might ensue. These men knew that. They were here, off work, away from loved ones, battling their own darkness and working to regain control of their lives.
So began my involvement with the ten men of Cohort 66 in their 5.5 day intensive experience with Project Trauma Support (PTS). This is a program targeted towards first responders (law enforcement, corrections, fire, paramedics, and military) that have given everything in their service to others and are currently battling the symptoms of PTSD. It’s a rich, mentor assisted, and physician led program to rediscover strengths, regain purpose, develop an understanding of the PTSD journey, and forge a connection with the vibrancy of life.