Serving Clients Across Canada | Virtual Clinic | Vancouver HQ
If you’re located in the US, visit FreeMind Therapy US
Serving Clients Across Canada
Virtual Clinic | Vancouver HQ
If you’re located in the US, visit FreeMind Therapy US
Serving Clients Across Canada | Virtual Clinic | Vancouver HQ
If you’re located in the US, visit FreeMind Therapy US
Serving Clients Across Canada
Virtual Clinic | Vancouver HQ
If you’re located in the US, visit FreeMind Therapy US
If you are a first responder, you have likely seen more than most people can imagine, and may be avoiding acknowledging how PTSD in first responders impacts your life
You’ve attended violent scenes like life-threatening fires, sudden violent deaths, or even disaster scenes, and you’ve held it together amazingly! As I write this, I can honestly say you are truly a gift to us all.
First responder experiences can leave a long-lasting psychological impact. However, people forget those moments don’t disappear once the shift ends.
While many people are relying on you in moments of crisis, because of that, it can feel like you have nowhere to turn
Maybe you have told yourself to “just deal with it” or you’ve buried what you have seen because it’s the job. At the same time, saying something is impacting you, supervisors might take you off duty, send you to counselling, or move you to desk duty. So you learned to develop a thick skin.
Ultimately, understanding your emotional and physiological reactions to the occupational stress you’ve endured, is empowering on its’ own.
Researchers widely recognize PTSD in first responders – veterans can get a lot of support now. But there are now advanced therapies now help you heal faster and help you return to your work, or move on with peace.
First responders face more than just one traumatic event on the job. In fact. there are often years of trauma stacked on top of one another. If you have responded to violent crimes, fatal car crashes, suicides, fires or any other kind of incident, you’ve been exposed to multiple traumas – it’s reality of being a first responder. This is why PTSD in first responders is a reality as a result.
As a first responder, it’s easy to minimize the impact of these events because they are “just part of your job”. Often, you may be telling yourself to “push through” and that “it’s not a big deal”, but the effects of trauma may not show up immediately. Post Traumatic Stress can show up slowly. Over time, it can also change the way you think, feel and function on duty and off duty.
As a result, this exposure can affect your body and brain in ways you might not even realize until someone else tells you about it.
Sometimes, the trauma may not even be your own. Secondary trauma for police officers and firefighters is real. You can absorb the pain and suffering of others. This often includes strangers or loved ones you are trying to help.
Maybe you find yourself deeply impacted by what someone else has gone through. For instance, it can be a memory of someone who wasn’t able to be saved, or a grieving parent that you comforted, or something that hit too close to home. Ultimately, the impact doesn’t have to be personal to leave a mark.
Other times, it can sneak up on you, and you may notice feeling emotionally numb or disconnected, having flashbacks or avoiding certain calls or locations.
Even if you were not directly involved as a first responder, your mind and your body can still carry the weight of that experience that can develop into PTSD in first responders.
If you’ve been wondering whether you are experiencing PTSD, you are not alone and you are not imagining it. The symptoms of PTSD in first responders are real and are complex. In fact, It can show up in various ways that you may not expect.
Furthermore, trauma affects your mind and also changes your brain, your body, and your relationships and environments.
After spending so much time taking care of others as a first responder, it’s time to take care of yourself. You’re not broken for feeling the way you are – you’re just human.
Support exists and you can access it anytime and is tailored to your unique needs. A therapist who truly understands trauma and PTSD in first responders can make the biggest difference.
FreeMind Therapy is uniquely situation to provide the latest brain-based therapies to get you results in a more effective and efficient way.
I invite you to book a free 20-minute consultation today to find out how trauma therapy for PTSD in first responders can change your life.
Support is just a message away.
