Jean-Guy

 

During a time of reflection and personal growth, the idea of reaching out with a Facebook page and peer support group was born.

 

My journey with PTSD and mental health began in the winter of 2016.  After an eleven year stint with a rural Fire Dept in Southwestern Ontario things were starting to take a drastic turn which would wind up being one of the most difficult times in his life.  What started as symptoms with anger, rage and memory loss turned out to be the early onset of PTSD.  It wasn’t until late in 2016, when after a difficult morning at home, I experienced what can only be described as an “aha” moment.  Something had clicked and it was then that I realized something was seriously wrong and he needed help.  After several appointments with professionals, I was diagnosed with PTSD in the spring of 2017.  After diagnosis things started to become much more real and prevalent in my everyday life.  Getting through each day was getting more and more tough.  

 

Things really came to a head in September 2017 and this is when I found myself in deep reflection and personal growth.  It was time for an attempt to “right” this ship.  I needed to speak with others who were dealing with PTSD.  I needed to know what they were feeling and how they were dealing.  I needed to surround myself with others that were in my situation.  Then it happened…In a dark, quiet room in the wee hours of the morning it came to me.  A Facebook page.    A page where I could reach out to others in the community and share what I was feeling and allow others to approach me and do the same.  On a sheet of paper, written in pencil crayons it came to me… PTSD The Truth Behind The Smile.  A name that said it all. The true meaning for people suffering with mental illness.  Nobody really knows how we’re feeling simply because of how easy it can be at times to hide behind a smile or a different face.  

 

I got to work right away reaching out to other sufferers that needed the same support as I did.  If I was going to open up to others about my mental health then I was going to need to step outside of my comfort zone and so I did.  I began what would become my weekly Facebook Live’s where I would communicate with others who were struggling and at the same time explain what it was really like to be battling yourself with a disorder within your own mind.  The more I became comfortable with telling my story the more I shared.  I shared so that others would see that it could be done and hopefully follow suit alongside me.  

 

In the summer of 2017 I was beginning to see something rather unsettling.  I was noticing more and more people that were suffering with this mental illness and their background was not from the emergency field or first responders.  This was puzzling to me…where were these sufferers getting the much needed help that they deserved?  Were they falling through the cracks of our health system simply because their trauma wasn't a result of their employment?  This was an issue that I needed to tackle.  After studying the area and speaking with others within the mental health community, it was obvious to me that this was a serious issue that wasn’t being dealt with.  I became aware that there wasn’t such a support group for sufferers of PTSD.  

 

In October 2018 I launched the area’s first peer support group for PTSD Sufferers.  Once again I had leaped out of my comfort zone with a topic that I had simply known by experience and not by educational practices.  The group was a hit!  Within less than a year we were in need of a larger meeting space.  A problem that I never anticipated that I would ever have.  A humbling experience to say the least.  I was beginning to have a presence within the community and those who knew about the group were sharing their experiences at the same time.  It became known within the community what was happening here and this allowed me time to express and speak about PTSD on local radio shows, newspaper articles, mental health events and even a segment on TV news.  The word was really getting out there but was it enough?  Could I do more?  Of course I could.  What I had learnt in a short time was how to set goals and achieve them.  What also came as a surprise that the more goals you set and achieve the bigger your goals become.  

 

In May 2019 I held what would be known as my first mental health event.  We were welcomed with a crowd of over 100 people eager to listen to what we had to say about mental health.  I had assembled a vast array of guests which included, mental health professionals, motivational speakers and supporters of PTSD who were experienced with their own journey.  

 

Shortly after the event in 2019, I experienced another traumatic setback. I experienced a feeling that was never before known to me.  I lost a parent.  I lost my father.  Cancer had taken him in only 8 short months.  This set me back in unmeasurable ways that I cannot describe even to this day.  I thought that everything I had learnt prior to this would help me get through this difficult time.  I was right and wrong at the same time.  I would need every tool imaginable to pull me out of this but at the same time this was going to require more.  I reached out to others who had experienced a loss such as mine.  I was in need of more resources that would help me to succeed.  It was only because of my prior successes, willingness and resources that I was able to pull through and bounce back.  

 

Along came COVID-19… need I say more?  During this time we experienced a drastic decline in membership because of moving our weekly meetings from “in person” to Zoom calls.  This created a real issue for those who no longer felt comfortable and needed that “in person” connection to work through their struggles.  Nonetheless we pushed forward for two years until we were once again able to host our meetings in person.  COVID-19 presented an issue that we are dealing with today.  A mental health surge from people who not only suffered from COVID but people that couldn’t handle the lack of personal relations and associations.  As a group we push through, we face our issues straight in the eyes and tackle them the best way we know how.  One at a time, together and with the tools and resources that we have come to know and learn.  

​

Christine 

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I am married, a mother, a grandmother and love our pets. It can be a very daunting situation sometimes as they grow older but everyday is a new lesson. I love my entire family and friends unconditionally. 

 

In my mid teens in the 1980’s I was diagnosed with C (complex) PTSD, Bipolar II, generalized and social anxiety, and depression. This has been a 30+ year battle of living and learning as I worked with my doctors, therapists and psychiatrists. I have learned that I have been emotionally, physically and mentally abused on many levels. This has led to a whole new lifestyle of trying to change my path from mental illness to mental wellness. 

 

When I separated from my first husband, it was hard but sometimes you have to make the hard decisions. I was an addict, drugs, alcohol, caffeine, and smoking. It was my escape method and I had been doing this for many, many years and I struggled to stop. I finally was able to end it all and move forward in a healthier situation. It was a true battle. 

 

I had lost both my parents at 33 in just under two months apart. Being born late in my parents life, I missed out on missing a lot of my family. I got extremely ill with several different conditions that I still fight today and always will in my life. This all started around 2013. I had been homeless in my teens, witnessed horrific scenes in my life, made horrible decisions to make money and those are just some of the small things. 

 

In 2018 my second husband spotted a name and number advertising PTSD The Truth Behind the Smile and I quickly took the information and reached out for more information. Approximately 4 months after speaking with the person who had started this group, I chose to see what it was all about. One thing I had never found was a Peer Group. It was an interesting concept knowing that I wasn’t dealing with anyone in the medical field but others who were on their own journey with PTSD. It felt like a camaraderie and I felt comfortable with this new group. 

 

I still to this day attend this group, share my story, have become a person who helps in the background and always try to take new chances and still tell more and more each time. Of course that comes with days that I just need to sit quietly and know that it’s okay too. There has never been any pressure to share or to not share, to share as little or as much as I wanted. 

 

Now that I am in my midlife, lots of things always change. I still can’t work and that will be forever, homelife has changed, friends have come and gone and my circle has become much smaller. I know that I am fortunate to have what I have, I am grateful for the tools I have learned to deal with different situations. Gratitude is going a long way in my life and I do have to thank the group for so much help.