Post Traumatic Strss Disorder - Scarborough Public Forum

I awoke yesterday to windows I could see through. The freeze was over. I had my coffee and then I went out to start my car. My baby started with barely a hiccup. Just in time. I was running out of vegetables and fruit. I managed to drive out of the driveway carefully and then got my baby used to being on the road again. I was quite pleased because there was a Public Forum on PTSD at the Scarborough Civic Centre and I was not sure if I was going to be able to go. The TTC was out of the question. It was too far and I do not like walking around in the darkness in areas of town I do not know. Scarborough I know only by reputation and I have to admit I was quite aware of it when I stopped at Tim Horton’s to be leared at by a creepy old man and by another creepy young man. It is beyond me how someone can just sit there and stare at you with creepy stare. My biases were coming true. I sat beside a man who was coughing and talking loudly to himself. The coughing was disturbing and now I know why I found an empty seat. It was not a pleasant experience and I was glad my baby was not too far away. I looked around me in the packed Tim’s and also saw students and segments of families. The cougher left and I relaxed. I had ordered soup again, my staple food for when I am sick. I guess I like it now when it is cold out, though it was warm compared to the freeze. I didn’t even bother covering my head. I left and was happy to see my baby. It was frustrating trying to find parking at the Civic Centre, because I wasn’t sure which one it was in the mass of buildings. I saw a different side to Scarborough, a new side, a quite beautiful side. The public architectures were inviting to me. They were modern, strong, and bold with windows allowing the sun in. Once I found parking, I tried to get into the building, which was another challenge. The outside was very well lit and there were people skating on a nice, unexpected arena. I regretted getting rid of my skates. Once I was let inside by a woman walking by the interior of the building, I was warmly welcomed by security and the outdoors had come in. The area was spacious and I could only imagine the sun during the day reflecting within. There wasn’t as many people in the room as I had expected and I had to remind myself that this was not meant for therapists, but for a particular public. I did not advertise the event, because of who had informed me of it. I did not learn anything new about PTSD. The psychiatrist had a slide show and one part which I wrote down exactly but my pet is sleeping on now and so I will not disturb her, indicated that 75 % of the population has experienced trauma. The reference was not cited which I found a tad annoying because I always like to know how the research was conducted. I am used to percentages being thrown at me. What I did learn during the evening however, how strong a community Scarborough is. There were also a few representatives from different emergency response personnel and I was impressed by their concern for the men and women they work with. I also saw a segment of the population depict concern for people who they know who suffer and wanted to know how to help them. There was also the press there apparently and once it was announced and they were asked to be mindful if someone did not want to share their stories outside the forum that it would be respected. The man behind me nodded solemnly and sincerely. That was nice to see and I looked down at his pad and wondered if that was short hand or another language. I did approach a few people but was mindful that I really wasn’t invited as a therapist. There were a few people who asked questions about themselves and what they suffered and it was clear to me that they should see someone to talk about that. What the event clarified for me, more so, is that there is a need for OHIP to cover mental health outside the realm of the hospitals. I wondered why I haven’t been learning anything new lately. I had to reflect with this because I need to grow as a therapist. Psychology was always repetitious. That is how it was instilled within me. The psychiatrist did say that within the next five years there will be more effective drugs and some would be specific for PTSD. I pondered what my practise has been like, what has my practicum been like. I have worked with people who have sustained physical, sexual, financial, and emotional abuse. Some have been traumatized numerous times and sometimes by more than a few at the same time. I have worked with adults who have suffered at the hands of pedophiles who are still walking out there unnoticed. I have worked with people dying, suffering with cancer and HIV. I have worked with people suffering from grief and complicated grief. I have worked with people with disabilities and who have suffered because they have felt that they were not valued. I have worked with people suffering from sexual, alcohol and gambling addiction. I have worked with other addictions that were denied. I have worked with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Schizophrenia etc…..I have learned so much from my clients. I have also learned how they have felt failed by the system. I have learned from the politics and I have learned from Insurance Companies who want to know too much about their clients which should be Confidential. There is much that needs to be done for people who are suffering. So I am not too worried that I did not learn anything particularly new about PTSD, because I did learn from the suffering audience. In my own experience I have found that the sooner a person finds a therapist after a traumatic experience, the sooner the person is able to heal. The longer someone suffers, the longer a person has found an unhealthy coping mechanism, and the longer it takes to deal with not only the trauma but the addictions. I find that each person who comes to me with their stories needs to find some normality to what has happened. They need validation and they need to be believed. With some, their spirituality is very important and that cannot be ignored. There is no one remedy. Each person is different with a different history, a different support system, a different pain. Every person who comes to me is an individual. Think of a canvas. It is void, but slowly a picture is painted with different colours and tones etc….Slowly a vision is seen, a story told. Each is similar to another, but each is also an individual. There are also people out there who do not know that they have a problem. They do not know that something that they have seen has effected them. They do not get help because they are unaware. Then there are those who years later reflect and ask do I have a problem? For those who asked that question last night, I hope they have answered their own question, because that comes from within. I hope that regardless of the answers they were provided with, they seek out help for themselves. What do you think?