Thank you for the supportive comments on yesterday’s blog. I did it as a former colleague contacted me as he realised that after over 20 years he was suffering from PTSD.
It was good to see the response and I was very pleased to hear that Scottish Mountain Rescue have ran several TRIM Courses to help the teams. Sadly it has taken so long but at least we have started and hopefully the professional Agencies, Police, Ambulance, Fire and other services are now at least aware but we have a long way to go?
I have had a few calls from pals asking how I am? I am fine but always a bit unsettled writing and speaking about PTSD and my life involved so many incidents but I was lucky I was surrounded by good people and that is huge.
As for mental illness I get so upset when people do not realise someone they care for is struggling !
We must not ignore the signs in all of us but ask the difficult questions to those we love! Everyone needs someone and that means even the toughest can succumb!
I have just been for a great walk along the wonderful local beach and just missed the Dolphins a free display. That is my way of coping and I enjoy the solitude of walking alone at times and yet company is great but I talk too much!
Now it’s time to watch the football today a thing I missed when I was out every weekend on the mountains with the RAF Mountain Rescue Team.
Have a good day and keep your eye on each other!
From a friend “There is a brilliant therapy called EMDR which I use with people with people with multiple trauma. It is exceptionally powerful at reducing the distress associated with traumatic experiences. The brain doesn’t process the trauma memories in the same way as other auto biological memories. It is this fragmentation which means the memories or feelings will pop in to either your mind or make you feel as though you reliving the event. EMDR helps create a cohesive memory of the event.”
heavywhalley.wordpress.com 
Hi Heavy ….Yours was a major, tragic, devastating global event, mine was an accumulation of small MR events , culminating in on a weekend on Skye ..https://heavywhalley.wordpress.com/2013/05/06/1968-epic-in-skye-raf-kinloss-mrt-and-the-royal-highland-fusiliers-a-tale-few-will-know-about/ ….. I was climbing with Gonk (Ballantyne) when the first climber fell , and then another party seeing what had happen became gripped up and fell also , we unroped and headed solo in the direction of the two fatalities I stayed with the first one and Gonk took charge of the “Callout” .. “Wee Mac” climbed up to the second guy of the first accident and helped the guy to the ridge by finishing the route which was no mean feat …. later that day I felt sick and dizzy and hid behind a bolder for a while having what I found out many years later was a panic attack ….. it passed but stayed with me , in the background for many years when I left the MOB … I was finally diagnosed with PTSD in the 1980’s and being told I would never be cured, it would alway be with me and all I could do is to develop strategies to cope … I am now 70, and thanks to family support, and initially NHS support am still coping …..I must check out EMDR cheers Tony
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Thanks Tony
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