Communicating our way to a better place

"Hypervigilance is a state of elevated alertness. Hypervigilance is one of the central features of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

I was introduced to hypervigilance 23 years ago, although I had no idea that was what it was. About six months post release from the military and his tour to Bosnia, my spouse was in a state of constant alertness. Checking and rechecking doors and windows to make sure they were locked, needing to know where I was at all times, questioning whether the kids were safe, and the list went on. For several years this was our reality, and was very normal for us.

What I didn’t realize was how this hypervigilance was transferring to me. I too was now on constant alert for possible triggers that might create chaos in our home. Were the kids being too loud? Would this family function be too overwhelming and crowded? Did the cleaner I was using have bleach in it? My spouse had several smell triggers, bleach being one of them.

This state of my own heightened alert went on for many years. I now call it my survival mode. And it got me through. What I didn’t realize was how exhausting and depleting it was to my mind and body. It was not until years and a few counsellors later that the light bulb went on – I couldn’t control everything, nor could I fix my spouse or the create the perfect environment for him to live in. I was tired.

It did not just switch on, it was a process of increased awareness each time I realized I was trying to control the environment around my spouse. What helped most was communication between us. We found solutions that we both agreed upon that would help all of us work through this next phase of letting go of the control ..."

For more on this Blog from the Atlas Institute, click here!

Our mission is to inspire hope and contribute to the continuous well-being and recovery process of Veterans and Front Line Protectors across Canada.

We seek to empower and encourage them to strive for recovery through peer and professional support while creating greater public awareness.

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

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 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.

PSPNET Families Wellbeing Hub

PSPNET Families is an online wellbeing hub designed to support the specific yet diverse challenges faced by families of public safety personnel (PSP).

We provide a wide range of resources. Information and strategies have been developed to help PSP families manage this unique lifestyle.

Here, spouses or significant others may also access a free, self-guided iCBT (internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy) course anytime that will help them understand and manage their mental health.

... Learn more about PSPNET Families

Our mission is to inspire hope and contribute to the continuous well-being and recovery process of Veterans and Front Line Protectors across Canada.

We seek to empower and encourage them to strive for recovery through peer and professional support while creating greater public awareness.

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

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 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.

PTSD and Personal Finances

There is hardly any research done on the specifics of taking care of personal responsibilities such as Budgeting and Personal Finances. When doing research on this subject, it was found that there is a condition referred to as Financial Trauma and Financial PTSD whereby the issues of finances caused sufficient stress to create PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). When speaking with Psychologists it is apparent that people with PTSD or Operational Stress Injury, tend to avoid the stress of personal finances. As a result, they have challenges with budgeting and financial planning of any kind and can be easily influenced into making poor decisions with the goal of getting out of stressful situations as quickly as possible.

According to the symptoms of PTSD as described by Psychiatry.org, those dealing with PTSD tend to have symptoms of what could be described as alterations in arousal and reactivity. Essentially this is a tendency to get very emotionally reactive with fear or anger at things that are even slightly stressful which results in responses like avoidance which in the case of finances, would be not doing a budget or even discussing a budget with those who can help.

However, there is hope that one can rebuild their life and their finances with therapy and time. A useful resource is an excel spreadsheet that helps to calculate budgets: https://www.mymoneycoach.ca/budgeting/budgeting-calculators-tools/budgeting-spreadsheet

Chantel Chapman, co-founder of the Trauma of Money Method and founder of What The Finances, takes a trauma-informed approach to financial education and says it's crucial to look at financial trauma on both an individual and collective level (https://www.realsimple.com/work-life/money/signs-of-financial-trauma). According to the article there are four signs of financial trauma:

• Financial Avoidance - ranges from not opening bills to not taking calls from creditors or people who could help.

• Overspending - or compulsive spending which could include eating out constantly or making major purchases with money that goes against budget (like spending money meant for a mortgage or rent).

• Underspending - this is a lack of trust in spending money and avoids spending as much as possible.

• Lack of Boundaries - this lack of boundaries is that people will not negotiate for their own worth and effort or will not have clear boundaries of whose role is responsible for those same efforts.

These signs could describe almost anyone with financial troubles but, they are especially problematic when someone with an Operational Stress Injury like PTSD is trying to heal and rebuild their life. Put these signs together with the symptoms of PTSD and you can end up with extreme cases of those same signs. The symptoms of PTSD include:

1. Intrusion: Intrusive thoughts such as repeated, involuntary memories; distressing dreams; or flashbacks of the traumatic event. Flashbacks may be so vivid that people feel they are reliving the traumatic experience or seeing it before their eyes.

2. Avoidance: Avoiding reminders of the traumatic event may include avoiding people, places, activities, objects and situations that may trigger distressing memories. People may try to avoid remembering or thinking about the traumatic event. They may resist talking about what happened or how they feel about it.

3. Alterations in cognition and mood: Inability to remember important aspects of the traumatic event, negative thoughts and feelings leading to ongoing and distorted beliefs about oneself or others (e.g., “I am bad,” “No one can be trusted”); distorted thoughts about the cause or consequences of the event leading to wrongly blaming self or other; ongoing fear, horror, anger, guilt or shame; much less interest in activities previously enjoyed; feeling detached or estranged from others; or being unable to experience positive emotions (a void of happiness or satisfaction).

4. Alterations in arousal and reactivity: Arousal and reactive symptoms may include being irritable and having angry outbursts; behaving recklessly or in a self-destructive way; being overly watchful of one's surroundings in a suspecting way; being easily startled; or having problems concentrating or sleeping. (https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/ptsd/what-is-ptsd)

OSI-CAN is a named project of the Canadian Mental Health Association SK Division. OSI-CAN is a free confidential, community based peer support initiative for currently serving and former military members, first responders, public safety personnel and their families. For more information, visit osicansk.ca

You can also contact us at 306-552-3801 or toll free 888-495-6068

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!