Out Of The Woods: A Paramedic's Journey Through PTSD
You can see from other areas of this site that my
career in Paramedicine has been long and varied - the more interesting, strange
and amusing parts of which I've written about in my book 'The Guts Of It'. However, as any seasoned emergency
service worker will tell you, some of the things you see and do stay a little
too long and became unwelcome overstayers. This is a warts-and-all book that I hope helps other people before they get to where I did - or gives them hope if they are already there. It describes my collapse, treatment and eventual return to the job I loved. It's an honest, raw account of the damage I suffered and then confronted, and contains cautions tips and guidelines that may allow the reader to recognise warning signs in themselves.
However, 'Out of the Woods' is not just a story of damage, it is also a story of recovery, growth and a future of hope and resilience. Anyone interested in how the emergency professions are affected by their roles will gain an insight into some of the unseen issues they have to deal with and those still involved, from volunteers to officers, may recognise elements of their own situations.
Sections include:
- A 'lived experience' Paramedic viewpoint of post traumatic stress;
- The family perspective and how they are affected;
- Recognising your own needs;
- Being a dynamic employer advocate;
- Post traumatic growth;
- Resilience.
There is a cost to my profession and in late 2018 I succumbed to PTSD and needed over a year off and six months of help from a clinical psychologist to get back to a stage where I could return to work healthily again.
When I did go back, I was very open and honest with everyone about my journey. What I didn't expect was the number of people locally, nationally and internationally who contacted me wanting to talk about their own struggles. First responder psychological stress and PTSD is worryingly common, it seems.
'Out Of The Woods: A Paramedic's Journey Through PTSD' attempts to unmask the aura surrounding psychological trauma and illness and gives insight into mental injury recognition, support and the employer advocacy urgently needed in this area.
The book is available on Amazon.com as an iOS or
Android digital download for Kindle, Fire, e-reader or phone etc. on
Amazon US,
Amazon UK and
Amazon AU, (search in
Amazon for other countries).If you prefer a Kobo version, that's here
Postage within New Zealand is $8.00/$11.00 (urban/rural) - please contact me here to organise payment of $25 + postage, or fill out the form here. You can also scan below if you prefer.
N.B. Because I think the messages in the book are so important, and if you are struggling and can't afford the book, I do have some free copies available that have been sponsored.
To post it internationally is prohibitively expensive (19 AUD to Australia, 22 USD/18 GBP to the rest of the world) but if you would like a hard copy I'll send you one if you contact me here. The book itself costs 25 AUD or 17 USD/14 GBP.
To Mark Belchamber's 'hub' page