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.com

Michael 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. Hood 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/aamicaus

Facebook: 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.