The Traumatic States of America

This is the second part of a two-part episode with Mike Lewis, an unstoppable force when is comes to PTSI (PTSD) awareness and suicide prevention.If you listened to episode 1, you will know why suicide prevention is so important to Mike.If you haven't listened to part 1., please do so before diving in to this one!!

Many in the Veteran, active-duty military, police officer, firefighter, and other first responder communities struggle with Post-Traumatic Stress. The usual treatment is a 15-minute consultation and a handful of prescriptions, but that's not working! The suicide rate is extremely high, and for many the PTS drugs seem to do more harm than good. Our heroes deserve better and so director/producer Michael Gier went on a mission and found successful treatments and programs that help anyone battling PTS get their lives back. Wounded Heroes is an award-winning documentary. Click this link to watch the trailer, www.WoundedHeroesDocumentary.comMichael Gier (guy-er) made a living as an entertainer for most of his life. In 2009 he started Gier Productions, LLC a full-service global production company. 

You can call Mike Lewis a lot of things - a husband, a father, a firefighter/paramedic. But, what you can't call him is disloyal or a coward.Join me in this first of a two-episode podcast as I learn from Mike about his experiences with PTSI and why his is front in line to help those who are still suffering alone.@mikelew22

What is it like to suffer Religious Trauma Syndrome while still inside a High Demand Religious Group? What causes Religious Trauma Syndrome and what are the risks that come with continuing participation? A Voice From Inside presents the rare voice of a critical insider of the Watch Tower Society, offering an account of the experience, how people are struggling, and what can be done to survive and move forward.Writing under a pseudonym, Geoffrey Wallis courageously explains what has led many to label the Jehovah's Witnesses as a Captive Organization and how the community's policies like lead to the phenomenon of Physically-In-Mentally-Out (PIMO). Written to help bring change to the Jehovah's Witness community as a whole, but also for anyone struggling with religious trauma, A Voice from Inside is both a witness to the experience of living in a closed religious group as well as a clarion call for change and healing in a world that sorely needs it. 

US Diplomat, Barbara Thomas spent 20 years serving overseas in Latin America and Europe, as well as several posts in Washington DC. She made the decision to retire last year because she felt there was a lot of work to be done back home in the U.S.She was particularly  concerned about the bitter divisiveness and increasingly toxic political discourse. She came home because she wanted to find a way to be part of turning that tide.  Barbara talks with Dr. Good about that journey, the work she’s doing now to combat polarization, and how we can help. 

After an unprecedented election, an attack on one branch of our government by another, and a violent attack upon our nation's Capitol, is our Constitution still intact?Join frequent guest Kurt Sullivan, aka “Sully,” as he and Dr. Hood discuss, debate, and sometimes argue about the current state of our nation.

Imagine you are in a foreign country and your job is to catch the most dangerous criminal in the world. Oh, and that criminal is also out to  get you.That’s what my guest, Steve Murphy and his partner, Javier Pena experienced to bring Pablo Escobar to justice.Join me and my guest Steve Murphy as we discuss how the richest criminal in history spread more than cocaine throughout the world.

How would you feel if you received words of love and support from someone who expected nothing in return from you? What if they came from someone you didn't even know?It is important that we recognize the human need for socioemotional support. We are by nature, tribal. Without a sense of true belonging and connection, humans become lonely and lose hope. Without being able to support a tribe, we lose our sense of mission and purpose. An unfortunate effect of our advanced technology and lifestyles has been the loss of genuine connection. It has become as uncomfortable and awkward to provide compassion as it is to request it. As a result of our society’s loss of ease in creating authentic connections, we have become depressed, anxious, and addicted. For individuals who have experienced trauma, this is especially salient. Join Dr. Risa Stein as she and Dr. Hood discuss Aamica a platform for individuals who wish to support others with compassionate massages. Aamica is founded on the belief that people should be empowered to share messages from the heart and Individuals who would benefit from receiving emotional support should receive it with no conditions. Website: https://aamica.org/LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/aamicausFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/AamicaUS

Imagine waking up at 2 am with your house on fire. Imagine it happening to all of your neighbors, too - over and over. Now imagine that your community is set on fire because none of you can afford to move. This is just one reality of what most people call the ”homeless” population. Dr. Hood talks with Theo Henderson, who is the creator of the podcast, ”We the Unhoused,” and a tireless advocate for the unhoused people of Los Angelos and beyond.

Can the process of creating art help process trauma? Join Fine Artist, Rhea Reeves as she discusses her own trauma and how she has used art to help herself.She and Dr. Hood dive deeply into the sensory side of making art and discuss the potential for art to process and heal trauma. Can the process of creating art heal trauma? After their discussion, both Rhea and Dr. Hood believe the answer is yes.

Christy Warren, retired fire captain and host of The Firefighter Deconstructed digs deep into how childhood trauma impacts the decision to become a firefighter.Christy shares her deeply insightful perspectives, which may piss some of you off, but can't be ignored. We know that trama affects firefighters as they do the job, but is trauma also the reason firefighters choose the job in the first place?

In this episode Dr. Hood walks listeners through the uncensored recording of an emergency dispatcher handling incoming transmissions as three officers and one civilian are killed in Chicago.No guests. No interviews. Just the brutal reality of what happens on the streets of America every single day.

Comedian/Firefighter Jason Patton and Dr. Hood discuss how "Dark Humor" may help people process the stressful and potentially traumatic things that they experience. Jason Patton @firedepartmentchronicles started making short videos about firefighter life at his station. He often jokes about how the first lesson he learned was how NOT to include his department logo in the shots (as per his unhappy but very cool Chief).From those department shorts to one of the most recognizable faces on social media, Jason uses humor to tackle the most difficult topics in the emergency responder family. He will make you laugh your butt off however, make no mistake, Jason is a true advocate who is doing very important work supporting suicide prevention and mental health within the first responder community.His mission? "To Make Mental Health Cool"

Dr. Hood talks with Scott Smith, a former defensive end who developed debilitating PTSD from playing college football.Learn how his struggle with trauma nearly cost him his life, and also became the inspiration for the holistic health and wellness center he opened on Capitol Hill.

Join Dr. Hood and guest Minister Tamyca Brown as they discuss community based mental health treatment in Virginia. Many of the most vulnerable individuals in our society rely on support from people like Tamyca to get through their daily lives. Many have also suffered trauma.How do people with intellectual and developmental delays cope with trauma? Do the symptoms of trauma and the presentations of mental illness look the same? Do they overlap or compound?

We are all human and we need to listen to one another. If citizens and law enforcement can listen with an open mind, we can learn from one another how to move forward and heal together.Michael Sugrue joins Dr. Hood for an in-depth discussion of the neuroscience of police training, culture, and both police and citizen trauma.

Fire Chief Ed Hadfield who leads the Rincon Fire Department in San Diego, California joins Dr. Hood to discuss changes in the fire service over the last several decades.• Threats to firefighters are higher than they have ever been • Civilian deaths are increasing• Fires are burning faster and contain more toxins Hear Chief Hadfield discuss how Societal Trauma, Racism, Politics, Homelessness, Natural Disasters, Budgets and more have increased the potential trauma firefighters already face. What can we as civilians do to support them. Also how better protecting ourselves can help them keep us safe or, if necessary, save us.If you think you know what firefighters do, think again. If you are not a part of the firefighter family, you have no idea!

“I have the utmost respect for law enforcement” but Chauvin “is just a piece of sh*t” - Jason PattonJoin Dr. Hood and guest Jason Patton (@firedepartmentchronicles), who is best known for his hysterical videos about first responder life. In this podcast, however, they have an in-depth discussion about trauma, transgenerational trauma, and why the George Floyd case is different.Jason Patton can be found on:Instagram @firedepartmentchroniclesTwitter @firedepartmentcoffeeJason Patton also works closely with Banyon Treatment CenterTo reach Banyon Treatment Center, click the link here or CALL: 855-574-7349

Join Dr. Hood as she and Kurt ”Sully” Sullivan discuss how each of us can begin to become part of the solution for change in America.

Join Dr. Hood as she talks to Cameron Shifflett, a young trauma researcher who shares with us his understanding of his and his younger brother's childhood trauma.

Micheal Sugrue knew his calling at a very young age; he was meant to be a first responder. He also had role models who showed him what serving in the military and on the street as a police officer meant.Join Dr. Hood as she talks with Michael about his experience as a Captain in the United States Air Force specializing in Global Force Protection, Anti-Terrorism, Air Base Ground Defense, Nuclear Security as well as his tenure as a Field Training Officer, SIU Detective, and Undercover Special Agent assigned to statewide Drug Task Force.As an airforce leader in his mid-twenties to Sergeant in the police force to what he calls "leadership betrayal" later in his career. Find out how one man who was strong enough to raise his hand and say, "I need help" has made it his life's mission to help others through his public speaking, authorship, and podcast appearances. During this podcast, Dr. Hood connects Michael's stories of emergency responder academy training and military boot camp, to the neurological research literature, which explains the deep bonding that takes place in small groups that go through stress. Together they connect the dots and Dr. Hood asks the question, “What if we could harness that neurologically-based bond to break through the stigma of PTSI to reach people before they ever attempt, let alone complete suicide?If you, your significant other, or someone you know is an emergency responder don't miss this episode. Together we can #crushthestigma of PTSI, break through the cultural walls that keep first responders from feeling safe enough to ask for help and pull one individual at a time from the downward spiral of PTSI. If you need help right now, call 911 or visit: https://codegreencampaign.org/resources/To reach Dr. Hood for individual support visit: https://www.respondersfirstllc.com/ To reach the retreat Micheal Sugrue spoke about visit: https://www.frsn.org/west-coast-post-trauma-retreat.htmlReferences for the brain imaging studies referenced in this episode visit:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2729089/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3181836/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2729089/

Join Dr. Hood as she talks to Kurt Sullivan who is affectionately known as "Sully" on The Big Island of Hawaii. Together they discuss and explore the challenges of being an island community that is largely dependent on tourism and what COVID19 has done not only to the economy but to the local people. Dr. Hood and Sully also discuss past and ongoing struggles, as well as future opportunities for the people of The Big Island. Sully challenges leaders to be as attentive to the opioid crisis, homelessness, and the keikis (children) of Hawaii as they have been to COVID19.

Join Dr. Hood as she talks to Stephen Juge, an elite international attorney, about the challenges of law school and the legal profession. In this, the first of a two-episode series, they will explore how the legal profession has developed into what many see as a highly competitive, win-at-all-cost profession. What does this type of system do to law students? What does it do to lawyers? What does it do to clients?In the next episode, they will discuss the landmark study done by Patrick Krill, The Betty Ford Center, and The Hazeldon Foundation and what that study and the subsequent studies done by the American Bar Association mean for the legal profession.

Join Dr. Lorie Hood (affectionately called Dr. Lorie by her fans) in the inaugural episode of The Traumatic States of America. She will set the foundation, boundaries, and rules for what she envisions will become a microcosm of our society. A group of both non-likeminded and likeminded people who are able to communicate through civil discourse to begin to heal the collective trauma we have all suffered.

What would you do if you couldn't read the instructions on your medicine bottles? This is the reality for approximately 36 million people in the United States who are unable to read at a proficiency level to perform everyday tasks. This has profound ramifications on every facet of their lives and makes them potential targets for those who would take advantage of them. How does what Dr. Macleay Campbell calls "an invisible population" add to the collective trauma of our nation? What, if anything, can be done to help bring adult literacy into the light? Join Dr. Macleay Campbell (@CMCampbellGA) as we discuss this important topic.

Join Marcus Wilson (@mwil2310) as he shares with us the ways in which he, as a parent, coach, personal trainer, devoted friend (personal vouch here), and African American male in America, must interact differently in all facets of his life to combat racism, transgenerational trauma, and societal trauma.

What if you were labeled by society as being from a place where nobody amounts to much? What if every time you were offered something based on your intelligence, merit, creativity, and talent there was a voice in your head that said, "Who am I to think I can do this?" Join Israil Ali as he shares with us his brilliant and unique way of seeing the world and how he has overcome potential trauma.

Join Dr. Lorie Hood in the inaugural episode of The Traumatic States of America. She will set the foundation, boundaries, and rules for what she envisions will become a microcosm of our society. A group of both non-likeminded and likeminded people who are able to communicate through civil discourse to begin to heal the collective trauma we have suffered.