Blog Post - Bilateral Movements and HHR

OSI-CAN’s Annual Healing with Horses Retreat program uses a number of methodologies for trauma treatment to introduce participants to those same methodologies during the program. One major application of the modality Meaningful Movements is the application of Bilateral Movements. In a previous blog we discussed how bilateral movements causes a rewiring of the brain when using both sides of the body during any type of exercise and how science has actually proven this principle is true for healing an Operational Stress Injury or OSI.

By using bilateral movements in everything including art therapy, the Healing with Horses Retreat or HHR introduces how bilateral movements can be applied into our everyday lives. Whether it is doing artistic endeavours like making bracelets or lanyards with paracord or working with wood or drawing on a sheet of paper, or if it is exercise like swimming or walking while working your arms … bilateral movements are important to healing. Bilateral Movements and the HHR allow you to see how you can use both sides of your body in all parts of your lives, even if it is only in the leading of a horse.

We showed in the previous Blog about Bilateral Movements that the treatment of Trauma like in the case of PTSD. In the case of Bilateral Stimulation, we discovered that bilateral principles began the basis for some of the treatments of trauma like EMDR. By using those same principles in the rest of our lives, the human brain has the opportunity to heal directly from actions taken by your own effort.

While it is important to have a team of specialists involved in one’s care like Psychologists, Doctors, and more … It is important for a person to take on their own care as their focus. Even Psychologists tend to assign work to their patients as part of their healing process. But it is also known to be important to exercise as part of their healing. And applying bilateral movements to one’s own activities make it that one can help themselves and develop their healing journey.

We at OSI-CAN do not see PTSD or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder as a Disorder, we see it as an Injury you can recover from. If you are suffering from the symptoms of an Occupational or Operational Stress Injury, then a PTSD or PTSI diagnosis is not required to get our help!

OSI-CAN Target Demographic:

The target demographic of OSI-CAN are but are not limited to: former and serving members of the Canadian Armed Forces, Allied Armed Forces, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Frontline Protectors --- which include Municipal Police Services, CN Police Services, Emergency Medical Services, Fire Protection Services, Wildland Firefighters, Hospital Trauma personnel, Nurses, healthcare Workers, Social Workers, Animal Control Officers, Coroners, Indigenous Emergency Management, Victim Services Personnel, Emergency Communications Specialist, Corrections Officers, “Volunteer” First Responders, Conservation Officers, Aboriginal Emergency Services personnel, Tow Truck drivers who clean up accident scenes, Persons who in the performance of their jobs are exposed to criminal acts of Trauma like Prosecutors as one example, and their spouses/partners. This demographic was chosen due to the commonality of experiences they share through the service they provide to the country and community. We have a special interest and support volunteer first responders as they are not eligible for programs such as Workers' Compensation.

Are those with an OSI/PTSD the only ones who need support?

Family & Friends need support too

Being the caregiver or support for someone with OSI sometimes means facing battles of your own. Feelings of isolation, lack of support or understanding are common traits often shared among family members. Just as it is important for the person with OSI/PTSD to receive the supports they need to heal, it is equally important for those in a caregiver role to also receive support and resources.

We often hear caregivers say they are not the ones who need support, it is the person with the OSI/PTSD who does. When someone in the family has an injury, the entire family is affected and therefore may need support of their own. Sometimes it's about taking care of yourself so that you have the capacity to help them take care of themselves. We are not suggesting you get help instead of them, however, if they are not yet ready to reach out for support, it may be necessary for you to gain these skills for your own well-being in the hopes they do reach out.

The role of the caregiver is not a singular role as it would be in a clinical setting. The caregiver is also potentially a parent, financial earner, has a home to take care of, and is part of a team when their partner is injured. Even if life before your partner was injured came with fewer points of stress, that has probably changed and responsibilities that were once shared may now be yours alone. That is its own type of stress and comes with understandable struggles.

Getting help for yourself as you help someone else allows you to have the resiliency to withstand the challenges you will all face together as you move through recovery. In recovery, your partner will most likely be able to take back some, all, or different responsibilities as they are healing. However, since this is a time of challenge for EVERYONE involved it is in everyone's best interest (partners, children, teens, family, close friends) to seek out whatever support is right for them whether they have PTSD or not.

Now just to be clear, it is important when considering your own health as a Caregiver, to understand what the other person is going through. OSI/PTSI can occur when a person directly experiences or witnesses a traumatic event. It can also happen with repeated exposure to traumatic events and details as with OSICAN’s target group; military, first responders, 911 dispatchers, corrections, tow truck drivers, and all public safety personnel. But while that person is going through an OSI like PTSD, you as a caregiver cannot ignore what you need as it is just as important for both of your recoveries.

“The spouse or partner of the person with OSI (Operational Stress Injury) is usually the first one to notice a difference in their behaviour or changes in attitude. It is important for them to understand what their loved one is going through, of course, but the most important is for them to get the support they need. This has been a huge missing piece so far. We help give the tools necessary for the self-care they need while being of assistance in the recovery of their loved ones with OSI.”

– Julius Brown, Provincial Director for OSI-CAN

We offer understanding, hope, knowledge, strength and encouragement.

For Further Detail:

Read up on PTSD or OSI in the OSI-CAN Manual

Our family and friend group’s target demographic: The spouses/partners, family members and close friends of former and serving members of the Canadian Armed Forces, Allied Armed Forces, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Frontline Protectors --- which include Municipal Police Services, CN Police Services, Emergency Medical Services, Fire Protection Services, Wildland Firefighters, Hospital Trauma personnel, Nurses, Social Workers, Animal Control Officers, Coroners, Indigenous Emergency Management, Victim Services Personnel, Emergency Communications Specialist, Corrections Officers, “Volunteer” First Responders, Conservation Officers, Aboriginal Emergency Services personnel, Tow Truck drivers who clean up accident scenes and their spouses/partners. This demographic was chosen due to the commonality of experiences they share through the service they provide to the country and community. We have a special interest and support volunteer first responders as they are not eligible for programs such as Workers' Compensation.

Trauma-Informed

Adopting trauma-informed practices can potentially improve patient engagement, treatment adherence, and health outcomes, as well as provider and staff wellness. The term ‘Trauma-Informed’ has become an important term in care and healing practices. There is some belief that treatment is enough if it treats the injury in front of them but as our knowledge of trauma deepens we become more aware of its impact. We now know that sometimes care must be taken in helping those who have suffered a traumatic experience. Trauma-informed care shifts the focus from “What’s wrong with you?” to “What happened to you?” A trauma-informed approach to care acknowledges that health care organizations and care teams need to have a complete picture of a patient’s life situation — past and present — in order to provide effective health care services with a healing orientation.

Clinicians are in a helping profession because they recognize that people are important, their stories are important and want to maximize the difference they can make in that person’s life for the better. Trauma-Informed Care as a principle indicates that it is more than the clinicians that need to be aware of their effects on patient care. It is just as important for every staff member, from clinicians to maintenance and administrative personnel to be aware of the impact their words and behaviours may have on patients.

Trauma-informed care seeks to:

• Realize the widespread impact of trauma and understand paths for recovery;

• Recognize the signs and symptoms of trauma in patients, families, and staff;

• Integrate

knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices; and

• Actively avoid re-traumatization with the help of a patient being in the center of their recovery

Trauma is a difficult topic for discussion in most cases but during the treatment process it becomes even more difficult as people have to process the event out loud with another person not of their profession. These experiences come from exposure to an incident or series of events that are emotionally disturbing or life-threatening with lasting adverse effects on the individual’s functioning and mental, physical, social, emotional, and/or spiritual well-being.

Experiences that may be traumatic include:

• Exposure to tragedy and trauma or perceived threats to life in the course of your operational duties

• Chronic exposure to potentially traumatic events in your profession

• Loss of the feeling of having the support of colleagues or management in dealing with trauma within your profession

• Feeling that your own personal morals are at odds with the duties you have to perform in your profession

Personal exposure to:

• Physical, sexual, and emotional abuse

• Childhood neglect

• Living

with a family member with mental health or substance use disorders

• Sudden, unexplained separation from a loved one

• Poverty

• Racism, discrimination, and oppression

• Violence in the community, war, or terrorism

We at OSI-CAN do not see PTSD or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder as a Disorder, we see it as an Injury you can recover from. If you are suffering from the symptoms of an Operational Stress Injury, then a PTSD or PTSI diagnosis is not required to get our help!

OSI-CAN Target Demographic The target demographic of OSI-CAN are but are not limited to: former and serving members of the Canadian Armed Forces, Allied Armed Forces, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Frontline Protectors --- which include Municipal Police Services, CN Police Services, Emergency Medical Services, Fire Protection Services, Wildland Firefighters, Hospital Trauma personnel, Nurses, healthcare Workers, Social Workers, Animal Control Officers, Coroners, Indigenous Emergency Management, Victim Services Personnel, Emergency Communications Specialist, Corrections Officers, “Volunteer” First Responders, Conservation Officers, Aboriginal Emergency Services personnel, Tow Truck drivers who clean up accident scenes, Persons who in the performance of their jobs are exposed to criminal acts of Trauma like Prosecutors as one example, and their spouses/partners. This demographic was chosen due to the commonality of experiences they share through the service they provide to the country and community. We have a special interest and support volunteer first responders as they are not eligible for programs such as Workers' Compensation.