Life After PTSD Podcast: Healing From Trauma

Join us to listen to WWII veteran and champion of mental health healing, Mel Jenner, as he shares part of his life story and his journey-from the Michigan Air National Guard to the skies over Europe. In a few short sessions, he is free from 90+ years of trauma. Each week the Life After PTSD Podcast shares stories of about creating a Life After PTSD. LifeAfterPTSd.org FirstOrlandoCounseling.com The show is intended to provide encouragement for the listener but is for entertainment purposes and NOT a substitute for treatment or to be used in any legal capacity whatsoever. Please seek help from a qualified mental health provider. Are you in crisis? Call: 988 or TEXT: Talk to 74174

Each week the Life After PTSD Podcast shares stories about creating a Life After PTSD. FirstOrlandoCounseling.com The show is intended to provide encouragement for the listener but is for entertainment purposes and NOT a substitute for treatment or to be used in any legal capacity whatsoever. Please seek help from a qualified mental health provider. Are you in crisis? Call Text or Chat: 988. Dr. Joseph Dituri and Dr. Janelle Royster, both veterans, have taken their experience to create processes, procedures and protocols to change lives! The world needs more fearless trend setters like Dr. Dituri and Dr. Royster!! After nearly twenty-eight years of service to the United States, Commander Joseph Dituri retired from active duty and earned a PhD in Biomedical Engineering, with a focus on life support equipment design, high carbon dioxide environments, and both hyperbaric and hypobaric medicine. Dr. Dituri is a contributing author to Hyperbaric Medical Practice (4th edition), the author of numerous diver-training manuals, a co-author of Tao of Survival Underwater and the Navy Diving Manual, and has been published in several journals produced by the Undersea Hyperbaric Medical Society, the American Society of Naval Engineers, and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Dr. Dituri is a consultant for the International Board of Undersea Medicine and serves as the Director of the Undersea Oxygen Clinic and as Course Director for an approved forty-hour introductory hyperbaric course. Dr. Dituri is an assistant professor at the University of South Florida (USF) in both the Medical Engineering Department and Morsani College of Medicine. Dr. J Royster is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Florida and a Licensed Professional Counselor in Virginia. Dr. Royster has a doctorate in Industrial Organizational Psychology and is currently pursuing a doctorate in Traumatology. Dr. Royster is considered a solution focused trauma therapist. She is certified in 25 therapeutic modalities. Dr. Royster sits on the board of directors for Project Vet Relief, and as the treasurer for Virginia Clinical Counselors Alliance. Dr. Royster is connected to several organizations to assist in the fight against 28 suicides a day in the veteran community, three suicides a day are active-duty deaths. Police, fire, and emergency services have numbers that are even more alarming, one suicide is too many. Dr. Royster is currently completing a book called, Change your language, Change your life. Dr. Royster works with a myriad of non-profit organizations to help those who put on a uniform to serve a higher purpose than themselves. Libertyove, she is the clinical director and uses the TRIP protocol she developed to separate negative emotions from the traumatic events. Dr. Royster has worked with over 3000 people using these neurolinguistic processing techniques over the last few years and has shown over 95% effective success. Dr. Royster is the Medical Director of CISM. Dr Royster works with Blue Guardian Network and educates cadets on trauma and how to process events to prevent PTSD. Dr Royster works with Hyperbaric Oxygen Clinic as a psychologist, completing neurofeedback and assessments to determine the needs of the NFL players and veterans as they complete the 28-day intensive treatment to alleviate traumatic brain injuries. Dr. Royster works with a chiropractor in Virginia to alleviate symptoms of trauma to assist those patients in healing. Lastly Dr Royster owns her own practice called Semper Motis, which translates to always motivated, or always on the move. Dr. Royster’s mission to help others heal and continue to work with those who are struggling and moving toward a better outlook and perspective with her patients.

Join the Life After PTSD Team as we catch up with Chris who hosted us in Lebanon. Chris is a missionary living in Tyre, Lebanon serving primarily refugees of the Syrian War. Chris's ministry there serves educating children as well as their newly opened community counseling center. Chris and his mission hope to spread this model and state of the art counseling techniques throughout the Middle East and other war torn areas. If you would like to know more about Chris's ministry or would like to support please go to : https://www.wordsofisa.com/

In March of 2021, at the age of 41, co-host Ed experienced an unexpected stroke. Join us as he shares the experience of his stroke for Stroke Awareness Month 2023. If you believe you or someone you know are exhibiting stroke symptoms, call 911 or emergency medical services in your area and seek medical advice immediately, remember time is tissue! F.A.S.T. Warning Signs Use the letters in F.A.S.T. to spot a Stroke F = Face Drooping – Does one side of the face droop or is it numb? Ask the person to smile. Is the person's smile uneven? A = Arm Weakness – Is one arm weak or numb? Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward? S = Speech Difficulty – Is speech slurred? T = Time to call 911 Other Stroke Symptoms Watch for Sudden: NUMBNESS or weakness of face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body CONFUSION, trouble speaking or understanding speech TROUBLE SEEING in one or both eyes TROUBLE WALKING, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination SEVERE HEADACHE with no known cause For more information on Strokes https://www.stroke.org Each week the Life After PTSD Podcast shares stories of about creating a Life After PTSD. FirstOrlandoCounseling.com The show is intended to provide encouragement for the listener but is for entertainment purposes and NOT a substitute for treatment or to be used in any legal capacity whatsoever. Please seek help from a qualified mental health provider. Are you in crisis? Call: 988 or TEXT: Talk to 74174

Join the Life After PTSD Team as we speak with Tracie and Lindsey about Darkhorse Benefits and their upcoming Golf Tournament Fundraiser, as well as the mission of Darkhorse Benefits in assisting veterans heal and giving them purpose through the challenge of combatting domestic human trafficking. To Learn more about Darkhorse Benefits: https://www.darkhorsebenefits.com/ If you are in the Orlando Area and would like to participate in the golf tournament on March 15, registration is at 07:30am, 08:30am Shotgun Start, you may contact Lroberts@darkhorsebenefits.com for more information.

This week, we have a guest hostess Megan, Ed's wife, joining us. We are discussing our successful trip to Lebanon, to train local peers to use the MESE protocol (referred to as the Quick or Fast Protocol in Arabic) with refugees. Each week the Life After PTSD Podcast shares stories about creating a Life After PTSD. FirstOrlandoCounseling.com The show is intended to provide encouragement for the listeners, but is for entertainment purposes and NOT a substitute for treatment or to be used in any legal capacity whatsoever. Please seek help from a qualified mental health provider. Are you in crisis? Call: 988 or TEXT: Talk to 74174

The PTSD diagnosis was created when our guest served on the board of the APA alongside Dr. Bessel van der Kolk.   Dr. Frank Ochberg's valuable and practical insights on improving emotional resolution. Part 1 of 2 In this episode we welcome Dr. Frank Ochberg, a founding board member of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies and recipient of their highest honor, the Lifetime Achievement Award.  He edited the first text on treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and served on the committee that essentially defined PTSD.  In an article dated September 19, 2012, titled: “AN INJURY, NOT A DISORDER: post-traumatic stress disorder has been an accepted diagnosis since 1980. It’s time for clinicians to adopt a new name- Post traumatic stress injury - that is more accurate, hopeful and honorable," Ochberg advocated that the former mainstream view that PTSD is a disorder is inaccurate.  "PTSI is a better term than PTSD. It is accurate. It does justice to the condition. It is preferred by those who contend with the condition. The APA [American Psychiatric Association] would bring credit to itself and respect to its patients by adopting this improvement in diagnostic terminology."  We were privileged to have this living room style conversation with Dr. Ochberg, who shares that his advocacy is in no way to minimize the significance of PTS rather to offer broader support to those who suffer from this operation injury (as it's referred to in some other nations already) of war, violence and human cruelty.  As Ochberg learned from many sufferers, "the concept of an injury, rather than a disorder, does justice to their experience. Once they were whole. Then they were shattered. When their counselors, employers, friends and loved ones behaved as though they were survivors of injuries, with lingering wounds, they could heal. When they felt like mental patients and were treated as persons with pre-existing weakness, they could not heal."   (original article citation: https://dartcenter.org/content/injury-not-disorder-0) The show is intended to provide encouragement for the listener. While the hosts provide mental health counseling, they are NOT substitute for treatment or to be used in any legal capacity whatsoever. Please seek help from a qualified mental health provider. FirstOrlandoCounseling.com This show is not intended as medical advice. Call 800273TALK if you have any immediate emotional concerns. https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat/

In this episode, we hear from veteran Jose Belen, Mayor Scott Brook (Mental Wellness Networking Alliance) and Vida, who was in Iran as a young child when she remembers learning to pray that an American soldier would be able to stop the war! They connected at the Mental Wellness Networking Alliance and this is their first full conversation after that initial meeting. The show is intended to provide encouragement for the listener but is for entertainment purposes only and NOT a substitute for treatment or to be used in any legal capacity whatsoever. Please seek help from a qualified mental health provider.

High School Students Who Experienced Tragedy Want To Make Our Schools Safe (ft. Alexa, Luke & Stephanie) In this episode we welcome three high school seniors directly impacted by the tragedy that rocked South Florida on February 14, 2018 when 17 were killed in the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Working with Lori Alhadeff, a previous guest on the show who lost her daughter Alyssa on that day, they are dedicated to spreading a movement of Make Our Schools Safe clubs in all schools so that kids can once again be kids and enjoy their school experiences without fear of tragedy and trauma.  Visit: makeourschoolssafe.org to connect with their work. - The show is intended to provide encouragement for the listener but is for entertainment purposes only and NOT a substitute for proper treatment or to be used in any legal capacity whatsoever. Please seek help from a qualified mental health provider.

Life After PTSD Podcast shares stories to inspire and encourage what is possible!  PTSD is not a disorder or an illness, it is an injury that can heal! LifeAfterPTSD.org FirstOrlandoCounseling.com The show is intended to provide encouragement for the listener but is for entertainment purposes and NOT a substitute for treatment or to be used in any legal capacity whatsoever. Please seek help from a qualified mental health provider.  Are you in crisis? Call:or TEXT: 988 Sam Kirkowitz EdD/PhD Candidate Clinical Mental Health (817) 691-3470 or Sam@gohard30.com Sam is a clinician, coach, minister, writer, fat loss and disordered eating specialist using a variety of interventions including Meditation, Mindfulness, CBT, and MESE.  He is available to help with: Individual & Group Counseling & Coaching in Addiction Counseling; Self Esteem; Anger Management; Depression, Anxiety, & Schizophrenia   Email us with any questions: Ed@lifeafterptsd.org or Kari@Lifeafterptsd.org To register for an upcoming training visit: LifeAfterPTSD.org The show is intended to provide encouragement for the listener but is for entertainment purposes and NOT a substitute for treatment or to be used in any legal capacity whatsoever. Please seek help from a qualified mental health provider. FirstOrlandoCounseling.com Are you in crisis? Call or Text: 988

Kari and David on the perceived cost of being calm.

Hear Brian Fay, Engagement Director at Concerned Veterans for America Florida, discuss his passion for helping veterans. Gain insight about current veteran concerns and learn how to get involved! More Information: www.cv4a.org The show is intended to provide encouragement for the listener but is for entertainment purposes only and NOT a substitute for proper treatment or to be used in any legal capacity whatsoever. Please seek help from a qualified mental health provider. Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 8002738255 Crisis Textline: Text HOME to 741741 (Also supported on WhatsApp)