- Break the Stigma, Mental Health, Mental Health Advocate, Mental Health Caregiver, Military Topics, PTSD, Suicidality, Suicide Awareness, Suicide Prevention, Suicide Statistics, Veteran health, Veterans
17.5 is the Number of Veteran Suicide Deaths a day in the U.S. & We Must Change what We are Doing to Make a Difference.
17.5 a day is too many.* Statistics: The Number of Veterans who Die by Suicide Daily 17.5 is the number of veterans who died by suicide each day in 2021.* 6,392 U.S. veterans total died by suicide in 2021.* When adjusted, the suicide mortality rate of veterans is still higher than what is observed in the non-Veteran population.* When adjusted for age and sex-subspecific suicide rates in the non-Veteran population, the % of Veterans dying by suicide is 12.4% higher than what would have been observed.* 12.4% more suicide deaths for Veterans than suicide deaths in the general population.* That is significant. All deaths by suicide are tragedies and leave…
- Choose Joy In the Midst, Coping strategies, EMDR, Fight or Flight Response, Mental Health, Not Alone, PTSD, Pursuing health and wholeness, Stress response, therapy, Trauma
How Can You Decrease Your PTSD or Trauma Response? It is, in fact, Possible.
You Don’t Have to Be Stuck in Your PTSD or Trauma Response. There are ways to decrease and dial down the response in the moment friend. There is hope. The intensity of your responses to trauma can be dialed down. How? The first step is self-awareness. Being aware of what is occurring and what specific things trigger you. (A trigger is something associated with the trauma memory. A trigger is not something you choose, but something your amygdala has connected to the trauma. An object, a similar situation, a sound, a smell, etc.) I know it’s likely not something you want to think about or focus on because avoidance of…
- Choose Joy, Choose Joy In the Midst, Coping strategies, Fight or Flight Response, Mental Health, PTSD, Pursuing health and wholeness, Stress response, Trauma
Choose Joy In the Midst of PTSD & Trauma Responses
You may be wondering how on earth can both phrases “Choose Joy In the Midst” and “PTSD and Trauma Responses” be connected? I believe we *can* in fact find Joy and choose joy in the midst of very difficult trauma responses we face. We can choose joy and fight for goodness in our lives by pursuing healing and finding ways to positively cope and decrease our trauma responses. Read on, friend. PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) can ensue from trauma and cause your body to go into a fight or flight response when switched on (or triggered) by something that reminds you of that traumatic event. ➡️ Triggers can be…
- Breathing technique, calming techniques, Coping strategies, Fight or Flight Response, Mental Health, PTSD, Pursuing health and wholeness, Stress response, Trauma
Use Breathing To Regulate Your Nervous System & Decrease Your Stress
Using our breath to help decrease our stress in the moment is incredibly helpful and important. Follow the prompts in this picture. Breathe in for a count of 3. Hold for 3. Breathe out for a count of 3. The breathing out slowly helps brings online the parasympathetic system (to rest & calm & settle the body & nervous system). This technique has a name called: Boxed breathing- a technique of breathing in for 3 seconds, holding for 3 seconds, and exhaling slowly for 3 seconds helps regulate anxiousness or triggered moments, stressful moments. You can do it multiple times as long as you don’t get lightheaded. I also strongly…
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Integrated Faith & EMDR Therapy for Holistic Healing
“There is no shame in mental health therapy, in fact, there is freedom.” Do you believe it? You are brave.You can do hard things. I’ve walked through intensive EMDR therapy to focus on my traumas and emotional pain.I also walked through spiritual healing through a focused Bible study curriculum at the same time in my Christian faith community. The therapist I worked with incorporated my strong Christian faith into our EMDR sessions which was an incredible source of strength for me. It used the strongest weapon I had towards my trauma and emotional pain healing. Through both my study in my faith community and my EMDR therapy, I began to…
