Video about Gita Ward helping an ex-soldier with PTSD. Please see full article here. “Gita gave a damn. My life was saved. My life was spared. ‘Thank you,’ is very small in words, but the meaning in my world is vast.”
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Welcome to True Living Counselling & Coaching, where we specialize in providing compassionate, evidence-based therapy for those impacted by trauma. If you’re struggling with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), you’re not alone. We’re here to help you understand PTSD, explore ways to manage its symptoms, and regain control over your life.
Most of us have or will experience some type of trauma in our lives. You do not need a PTSD diagnosis to be affected by your trauma. With therapy we can file away our trauma and not have it impact us in our daily lives.
What is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an illness where a traumatic event occurs and symptoms of trauma continue to occur and persist after one month of the incident. Sometimes symptoms can show up years after a traumatic event. Commonly, people associate PTSD with war veterans, but PTSD can occur to anyone who has experienced a trauma such as work place accident, near death experience, car accident, natural disasters, sexual abuse, rape, etc…
Symptoms of PTSD:
- Intrusive memories such as: Flashbacks, Nightmares, Re-current and distressing memories of the trauma
- Avoiding people, places or things that remind you of the trauma and/or avoiding discussing the trauma
- Negative thoughts
- Hopelessness
- Memory problems
- Lack of interest in activities
- Difficulties with relationships
- Overwhelming feelings of guilt and/or shame
- Easily startled
- Irritable, angry outbursts
- Hypervigilant for danger
Treatment for PTSD and Trauma
Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) is a form of psychotherapy with roots in existing evidence-based therapies but shown to achieve benefits much more rapidly (usually within 1-5 sessions). The client is always in control of the entire ART session, with the therapist guiding the process. How it works: Accelerated Resolution Therapy incorporates a combination of techniques used in many other traditional psychotherapies. ART works directly to reprogram the way in which distressing memories and images are stored in the brain so that they no longer trigger strong physical and emotional reactions. ART accomplishes this through the use of rapid eye movements similar to eye movements that occur during dreaming. Although techniques similar to these are used in other types of therapies. ART’s very specific and directive approach can achieve rapid recovery from symptoms and reactions that may have been present for many years. ART can also be used for anxiety, panic, phobias, depression, substance use and many other concerns.
Learn more about ART: acceleratedresolutiontherapy.com/what-is-art/
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is another leading treatment for trauma and PTSD. EMDR is an integrative approach that includes mind, emotions and body. This type of therapy does not include a lot of talk during therapy and can help decrease the intensity of traumatic memories. EMDR can also be used for anxiety, panic, phobias, depression and complicated grief.
Learn more about EMDR
Watch a video on EMDR
Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE) is one of the leading treatments for PTSD. PE is based on cognitive behavioural therapy that helps to gradually look at the memories and people/places/things that you have been avoiding. It is a systematic approach to confront the avoidance of thoughts, memories, feelings, people/places/things. By confronting what you avoid you are able to see your PTSD symptoms decrease.
Learn more about Prolonged Exposure Therapy
Why Choose True Living Counselling & Coaching?
At True Living, we believe that healing from PTSD is possible with the right support. Our therapists are trauma-trained, compassionate, and experienced in helping clients process their experiences without judgment. We provide a safe, empathetic space for healing and tailor our approach to each individual’s unique needs, pacing, and comfort level.
Book a no fee 15min phone consultation or get started with an initial appointment.
Article about Gita Ward and a Previous Client
Former soldier Dene Graskie says he has spent the last few years fighting “a different war” — this one with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
“It’s a lot worse when (the war) is inside your own head and it’s with yourself,” he says.
Graskie is grateful he had Gita Ward, an Alberta Health Services social worker with a huge reservoir of toughness and compassion, battling alongside him.
Their story is the subject of a new Because You Cared video from Alberta Health Services.
“There’s Gita; she’s a girl with a big stick. When I say, ‘girl with a big stick,’ I mean she doesn’t back down,” Graskie says. “So you’re accountable to somebody in your life for the first time when it comes to PTSD.”
Graskie grew up in South Africa and joined its military at 17, dealing with the turbulence that rocked the country for more than a decade. He tried to put the past behind him when he and his son moved to Canada in 2005 but, despite living in a peaceful country, he was not at peace himself.
“(I had) serious bouts of feeling sad over the slightest thing, sometimes for no reason. But real sadness that would linger and hold,” says the 52-year-old Calgary steelworker.
He began distancing himself from his wife Donna and son Terrence, now 24. The fear of losing his family was enough to push Graskie into seeking help from his family doctor, who referred him to Ward at the South Health Campus.
“He was very isolated,” recalls Ward. “He had lost his job. He would avoid bridges, he would avoid walking down certain streets, he would avoid crowds.”
According to MyHealth.Alberta, PTSD is a mental health condition brought on by experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. Its symptoms include changes in behaviour, including isolation, relationship and work problems, depression and panic attacks. Most treatments for PTSD involve counselling and medication.
And although Graskie knew he needed counselling, it was not an easy process.
“It’s very difficult answering very, very personal questions to somebody you don’t know,” he says. “Things you put away for decades that you’ll never speak about again for the rest of your life. Now you must bring them out to the light.”
Nor was the process easy for Ward.
“When I was hearing Dene’s traumatic stories, on the inside, it was awful,” she says. “But I knew that Dene had to feel confident that I could hear these stories. So it was really important for me to try to regulate myself, keep myself calm and take care of myself after the session.”
Graskie’s recovery involved facing his fears.
“Part of his homework was he was going to have to put himself in situations that made him feel very uncomfortable,” says Ward, saying she would accompany Graskie to the grocery store and urge him to speak with strangers.
“I was horrified,” says Graskie. “I would greet people and ask just mundane questions; 99 per cent of people are pleasant and have no idea why you asked them a question.”
Graskie and Ward held their last session this spring after two years of counselling. He’s mending his relationships with his family, he’s working again, and he’s able to be around people without being overcome by fear.
“It’s been a different fight. A different war,” Graskie says of his battle with PTSD. He’s grateful to the woman who helped him win it.
“Gita gave a damn. My life was saved. My life was spared. ‘Thank you,’ is very small in words, but the meaning in my world is vast.”
Former soldier Dene Graskie says he has spent the last few years fighting “a different war” — this one with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
“It’s a lot worse when (the war) is inside your own head and it’s with yourself,” he says.
Graskie is grateful he had Gita Ward, an Alberta Health Services social worker with a huge reservoir of toughness and compassion, battling alongside him.
Their story is the subject of a new Because You Cared video from Alberta Health Services.
“There’s Gita; she’s a girl with a big stick. When I say, ‘girl with a big stick,’ I mean she doesn’t back down,” Graskie says. “So you’re accountable to somebody in your life for the first time when it comes to PTSD.”
Graskie grew up in South Africa and joined its military at 17, dealing with the turbulence that rocked the country for more than a decade. He tried to put the past behind him when he and his son moved to Canada in 2005 but, despite living in a peaceful country, he was not at peace himself.
“(I had) serious bouts of feeling sad over the slightest thing, sometimes for no reason. But real sadness that would linger and hold,” says the 52-year-old Calgary steelworker.
He began distancing himself from his wife Donna and son Terrence, now 24. The fear of losing his family was enough to push Graskie into seeking help from his family doctor, who referred him to Ward at the South Health Campus.
“He was very isolated,” recalls Ward. “He had lost his job. He would avoid bridges, he would avoid walking down certain streets, he would avoid crowds.”
According to MyHealth.Alberta, PTSD is a mental health condition brought on by experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. Its symptoms include changes in behaviour, including isolation, relationship and work problems, depression and panic attacks. Most treatments for PTSD involve counselling and medication.
And although Graskie knew he needed counselling, it was not an easy process.
“It’s very difficult answering very, very personal questions to somebody you don’t know,” he says. “Things you put away for decades that you’ll never speak about again for the rest of your life. Now you must bring them out to the light.”
Nor was the process easy for Ward.
“When I was hearing Dene’s traumatic stories, on the inside, it was awful,” she says. “But I knew that Dene had to feel confident that I could hear these stories. So it was really important for me to try to regulate myself, keep myself calm and take care of myself after the session.”
Graskie’s recovery involved facing his fears.
“Part of his homework was he was going to have to put himself in situations that made him feel very uncomfortable,” says Ward, saying she would accompany Graskie to the grocery store and urge him to speak with strangers.
“I was horrified,” says Graskie. “I would greet people and ask just mundane questions; 99 per cent of people are pleasant and have no idea why you asked them a question.”
Graskie and Ward held their last session this spring after two years of counselling. He’s mending his relationships with his family, he’s working again, and he’s able to be around people without being overcome by fear.
“It’s been a different fight. A different war,” Graskie says of his battle with PTSD. He’s grateful to the woman who helped him win it.
“Gita gave a damn. My life was saved. My life was spared. ‘Thank you,’ is very small in words, but the meaning in my world is vast.”
True Living Counselling & Coaching Inc.
Phone: 587-896-6919
Email: [email protected]
Address: #210 b, 26 Crystal Ridge Drive Okotoks, AB . T1S 2C3
Mailing Address: Box 21, RR3 Site 3, High River, AB. T1V 1N3
Phone: 587-896-6919
Email: [email protected]
Address: #210 b, 26 Crystal Ridge Drive Okotoks, AB . T1S 2C3
Mailing Address: Box 21, RR3 Site 3, High River, AB. T1V 1N3
