Police and other emergency response persons - conference - PTSD

I attended a conference I found, not associated with any of my regular conferences/seminars. As you know I have an interest in emergency response persons. I did reach out to this organization however I was asked to see a person once a month for free and then to refer the person. I cannot do this. It is contrary to the expectations of my college and to my own values. I do see people for consultations and charge them. However, I was interested in knowing more and so I attended a day long event which did prove interesting. They did have a therapist with a doctrine in education speaker talking about PTSD. The therapist talked about PDSD and used fluffy toys to demonstrate the parts of the brain. This probably has something to do with her working with children. In one of my undergrad courses I had to memorize every section of the brain, its’ function etc. There was actually many more courses with a focus on the brain. It was not until I graduated and attended seminars that I always marvel at how the brain is discussed. I have heard the term big brain and little brain and now fluffy toys. Just saying. It is no wonder people get confused. I normally just cringe. What I did not hear that day is that PTSD is a physical response. The speakers were all retired, ex -civilian police who have PTSD. I had to marvel that each could speak to an audience and tell their stories. I will not reveal who they are or what forces they belonged to. It was not asked that we not reveal anything, but I want to respect that just the same. I will tell you that who I met that day were various emergency persons from rural and urban areas. One person in attendance came from Manitoba. I am always amazed at how far people will travel for one seminar or conference. However, that just tells me how much we need to expand services more. One policeman spoke of being shot three places; suffering PTSD, He spoke of going to another police force which he said is common, but with that transfer, one loses support from where he comes from. He indicated that there is no actual support for police as there is for veterans. Another from an urban area talked about how he responded to a call indicating a suspect was armed. The suspect was killed and though he knew he had followed procedures, he struggled with his faith, being a Catholic, “Thou shalt not kill.” He cursed God. He left policing but returned after not feeling fulfilled in another occupation. Another was a policeman investigating the abuse of children. He had to view it all, two to three thousand images of children being abused and tortured. He self medicated. He was convinced that the God he had forsaken had stopped him from killing himself. He had been full of hatred and rage. There was a quiet room at the conference where one could go if he or she felt the need to go there. One of the men spoke of having to shoot to save himself and he is now suffering from PTSD. I will write more of this next week….This week here in Toronto we had a tragedy where a person killed ten people and injured others. There is a lot of praise for the emergency response persons in this tragedy and for the arresting officer. My heart goes out to all who are suffering as a result of this tragedy. Too many lives were taken. This hurts everyone but it also depicts a city who unites and support each other. For all of you I again thank you for reading my blogs. If you ever wish to ask a question, feel free. www.redigondapsychotherapy.com

I do not endorse anyone or accept friend requests

I sometimes get a request for a job placement which is quite legitimate. However, if I ever accept any offer it must be very interesting to me. I have an interest in helping emergency personnel but I cannot do it for free or refer. There are charity locales for that. There are charity organizations who raise money for that. I have no interest in working for any business unless it is in the scope of psychotherapy and the business must be legitimate. I do not accept "friends" requests unless the person is a colleague or actual friend. I also do not endorse any company or accept any fees what so ever. I do not recommend any spa like facility in the States to anyone. So, save our selves time and cross me off the list as a potential for directing any one anywhere. For people who do seek therapy do check that the persons you see or seek services from are legitimate. I was watching a program a few months ago (market place?) where they were showing that degrees were being sold including degrees for PHD's from non existent universities. It is all a scam. So it is important that you check the sources. This is why the news is so important. They expose what others try to keep hidden. It is part of our democracy. The information I write here is mostly from my notes from undergrad and grad and conferences. I believe I am caught up with all the conferences. I believe some pages are missing from my last blog, but it will show up if that is so. At this point I am also writing some exercises for some therapy books. Last week I was at a hospital and talked to a volunteer who seemed young for the type of work she was doing. Normally, I see elderly women. I asked if she was working for hours. In Ontario high school students require so many volunteer hours before graduating. Initially I thought this was another way of getting people to work for free. However, I now see the benefits of a students growth and empathy. It teaches. The student said she was not working for hours but was forcing herself to get away from her studies for four hours. I noticed she was reading a book regarding 101 something or other regarding self care. She began instructing me on the benefits of self care. I did not tell her I was a psychotherapist. I did not want to deter from her willingness to share. She is an undergrad at a university (one I went to). "You want to be a scientist?" I inquired when she told me her field of study. "Yes" she replied. She was quite pleasant and I always marvel when I see such determination and wit. So, as you see I also write just about anything. I am now organzing my writings about therapy so I can produce an easy to read book about therapy. People seem to want it. However, that does take away from my joy of writing for fun which you can find at www.silvaredigonda.com. I like to write so everyone can read it. I believe in "KISS" (keep it simple.......). So, I am not here for anyone else to endorse. I am not here to accept friendships. I am here because of my work. My fun time is separate though I may write about it. I sometimes share for a purpose to demonstrate self care or other. I welcome questions regarding psychotherapy. So, since I am caught up with conferences I shall get back to my notes next week and begin alternating between my psychology notes I have not completed and theology notes. So have a good week, remember to have fun. Try to balance your life. Talk to people. You do not need to know them. Enjoy the weather and discover yourself and your place in the world. What do you think?

Using Spiritual and Religious Interventions when treating trauma survivors as Spiritual Care Practitioners.

tid bit: Budhism is no longer a religion but a philosophy. I remember having this argument with a Budhist retired physician, before I got the memo at a lunch at Pelee Island. Now when I say argument it only means a discussion with opposing and sometimes non opposing views. Nothing like a mini holiday to get the blood juices going. Enough of tidbit. I attended an Annual Conference with CASC at North York Hospital and my highlight for the day was listening to a Chaplain, Shawn Lucas from CAMH providing a talk about Assessing Transcendent experiences vs. mental illness in Spiritual Care. In 1990 the APA issued guidelines directing their members on how to deal with religious clients. Research on the benefits of religion was conducted in the 80’s and 90’s and is still continuing. Researchers have found that participation in organized religions has many benefits. Religion can increase one’s sense of security. It can increase meaning and purpose in the world. One can live longer and have lower amount of stress and more resilience in marriages. Religious Delusions: usually long; negative; you have a special purpose which is okay. Most religions have a long discernment process for priests etc….. Receive less support from religious community. Transcendence - beyond the limits of -ordinary experiences. -initial experience (hallucinations) is very brief (few seconds to minutes). However it is important to allow that some experiences may be longer. But, at least we can say that experience is transient. Experience is usually very pleasurable and peaceful (not always). People want more of these experiences - usually helpful-life transforming as well as wanting to be a better person. It is often difficult to put into words. Some have some specific insight into themselves and the world. Three different types: cultivated - prayer or meditation. Substance - when hallucinogenic. 10% to 25% of the population have a Transcendence experience (Shade and Bental 1988).

I owe you a good blog. Today it is tid bits.

Goodmorning. I know I am behind providing you with my school notes; my bad. I have one more conference notes for you regarding transendance and for sure you will get it next week. I am now examining what conferences I am thinking of attending this year. My college requirement is 40 hours every two years and I already exceeded this amount which I will report to them in September. I cannot accumilate hours and that is ok. I need to keep growing and learning for the benefit of my clients. This is a year where so much is being offered and so I am keeping my options open until early deadlines. One of the reasons it is so hard to leave Toronto and begin a private practice in Niagara Falls is simply because everything is here. I have two very good universities right here and I have received a degree from both. I have teased with the idea of continuing to a PHD but it will cost a lot more money and time. I do need to use my brain though it is good to have a rest as well. I hope you all have a place where you can find solace to replenish your soul. Mine is in nature, in exploration in being nurtured and just being. I am fortunate that I have had parents who taught me how to work hard and play. I realize that growing up I was involved in so much. I worked part time since I was 13 years old, because I loved it. I also liked earning my own money. I went to dances, I took swimming lessons and I ice skated. I was reading a journal I had to write for school (as you know I am reading everything I have and discarding it after I type it out for blogging or other writing) and I was amazed at how much I was doing. It is no wonder that I believed sleeping was a waste of time. It is now in this phase of my life that I ensure I sleep enough each day. Fortunately, I have never not suffered from not being able to sleep which served me well in my first major career. How many careers can a person have? How long can I live? Balance is the trick and I do it well. I have and am very socialized. I can talk to anyone and consider every human being an equal. If it wasn't for my present profession, I probably wouldn't be on the internet at all. That is how much I like being with people in real life. I think it is important for people to be able to see other people's point of view. In families there can be much turmoil when one thinks differently than another and all too often there are little cliques where it is felt there is moral support and therefore it is accurate against a parent or sibling. Children need to be protected and children also need family time and fun. They need to be children. They need to have positive people in their lives so they can build up a resilience when they encounter saddnes in their lives. One of my biggest concerns right now is the amount of bullying that exists which is not being handled efficiently right now in the school systems. Every child who goes to school needs to feel that she is safe. Every teacher or staff member should ensure she is. There is a lot of controversy about children on the internet. However, there are also many parents indulging, taking time away from their children though they are together. Yesterday I happened to be in a mall watching a baby smiling at her mom who was emersed on her media. I wondered if the mom would look away, and see such a cherishing moment. I know that though some parents, especially separated or divorced feel that just being with their children is enough. It is not. If the parent is constantly on the phone or texting or looking at her social media, than the parent is not present. I have heard this complaint from children. Sometimes parents also think it is good for their children to just sit with their computer away "from negative influences". Reality check - who is your child speaking to? It is beyond me why parents are not encouraged to take courses to learn how to rear children. I remember one person telling me that he learned normality from television family shows. What show would a child watch now to see another healthy way of life? Oh well. If you are reading my blog and have a child just think a bit of what I typed. Are you really present with your child? Do you find that you provide lots of attractive gifts to make up for the time you do not spend with your child? Do you tell your child to stay indoors so you know where they are? I see addictions to video games and internet viewing at such a young age. So this is my tidbits for today. If you ever want me to write about anything of interest to you let me know. If I know something about it, I will share. In the meantime have a good weekend. Be kind to yourself and give yourself a treat. Become more focused on how you react to others, and how others react to you. How is your family system? Do you spend quality time with your child? Do you have fun? One of the questions I ask parents is where is the fun? What do you think?