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Helping people mend PTSD

Retired police officer to use clothing line to support nonprofit program

KIRK STARRATT kirk.starratt@saltwire.com

Aformer police officer living with PTSD wants others affected by the condition to understand that they’re not alone, and there are places where they can find help.

Mark Long, founder of the Cracked Armour clothing line and the Returning Warriors Ranch, is a former RCMP and Halifax Regional Police officer who developed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

The 47-year-old sold his house in Halifax and began looking for a property suitable to host guests for a program he envisioned to help people such as frontline workers, military veterans and first responders affected by PTSD.

Last April, he found a 76acre property in Bishopville and knew right away that the quiet, peaceful spot was the right fit. He bought it and began renovating an existing house to make it brighter and more inviting.

The property features a building separated from the house with a breezeway that

has an indoor swimming pool. Long plans to fill-in the pool and use the space as a meditation and yoga studio.

Long envisions a program in a facility surrounded by the natural environment that would include nature walks, peer discussions, yoga, meditation, massage therapy, equine therapy, a trust-building high ropes course facilitated with Ontree Fun and Adventure Park of Martock, and more.

He plans to build another house on the property where up to 15 people could stay, including participants and those working to support the program. Long said his vision is to have a cohort of up to eight participants taking the program at a time.

“It’s proven that people do better going through a program like this in groups where they have their peers with them,” Long said.

He also hopes to make the facility available to other groups to rent to help generate revenue. Long wants to make the program free to

participants, and he’s registered the Returning Warriors Ranch as a not-for-profit organization. His goal is to have the ranch and program up and running in 2023.

LEARNING TO COPE

Long said he took part in a program in California that featured similar elements. It was the first time that he was part of a group of people dealing with PTSD. He said that when people started sharing their stories, it made him feel “comfortable and vulnerable.”

Long said it can be difficult for men to be vulnerable, especially in front of other men, because of a culture or mentality of toughness that society has instilled.

Long is first to admit that he is not a therapist or trained medical professional. When asked what expertise he has when it comes to mental health issues, he points out that he’s been living with them and learning to cope with them for many years.

“Once they understand that they’re not alone, that’s what brings people back from the brink of suicide.” Mark Long Founder of the Cracked Armour clothing line and the Returning Warriors Ranch

Long said people who must leave their professions due to PTSD often feel ashamed. Some will become addicts as they attempt to cope. Some will self-impose isolation while others will die by suicide rather than putting their hand up and admitting they need help.

“Once they understand that they’re not alone, that’s what brings people back from the brink of suicide,” Long said.

He said this statement is based on his personal experiences. He says there is a “suicide epidemic” among first responders affected by PTSD. Long said this seems to be going largely unrecognized, and that little is being done about it.

He said he has heard from people who have had to go off work only to be shamed by colleagues or their organization because they were spotted at a park or a child’s sports game and “seemed perfectly fine.” He said what shows on the surface is often not indicative of what is going on internally for people affected by PTSD.

He said that when you’re talking with someone affected by PTSD, for example, and they come to realize that you understand what they’re going through and can relate to them, it can make a huge difference and they’ll often start opening up about it more.

Long said he believes the

COVID-19 pandemic has helped others better understand the sense of isolation experienced by people who have the disorder.

CRACKED ARMOUR RETURNS

Long said he wants to use proceeds from the sale of his Cracked Armour clothing line to help cover program expenses at the ranch. He has expanded to a wider variety of colours representing various professions with workers who are often affected by PTSD.

Long said he has started and shut down Cracked Armour four times since its launch in 2018, twice because he became quite ill and felt too overwhelmed to continue. For example, he had to seek PTSD treatment this past fall and ended up being hospitalized in Ontario for a couple of months.

He said his parents, Zane and Gladys Long, and a couple of friends who are military veterans have been helping him with packing and shipping since he started up again in January. Long said he has been able to donate money to several organizations that help people with PTSD and other mental health issues since the relaunch.

Long said he didn’t know going in just how supportive people would be of Cracked Armour clothing. He has come to realize that mental health issues touch everybody, whether directly or indirectly.

“It never really hit home just how many people are out there struggling until the orders started coming in, and the emails started coming in, and the messages on Facebook and social media started coming in,” Long said.

He believes that, for many people, it’s often a feeling of disconnection that leads to mental health problems. Through Cracked Armour, Long said he wants to instill a sense of connection or belonging that is often missing for people who have lost their job or otherwise become isolated due to PTSD.

He said it’s rewarding to hear about examples where the clothing has started a conversation about mental health between people who saw someone else wearing the brand and recognized it.

MLA SUPPORTIVE OF EFFORTS

Kings South MLA Keith Irving said he was really impressed by Long following a recent meeting. He said Long’s “remarkable” initiatives are serving to raise awareness of PTSD in the general community.

He said Long has been on quite a journey. It’s commendable that he has taken what he’s learned and turned his energy and resources toward helping others dealing with PTSD.

As MLA, Irving said he interacts with people on occasion who are dealing with mental health issues relating to outcomes of their jobs.

“We have all come to know friends and family that have PTSD and we need to do, as a society, what we can to support them, because these are all people that are stepping up on behalf of Canadians, on behalf of our communities, to do very difficult jobs,” Irving said.

He said that although the Returning Warriors Ranch isn’t ready to open yet,

Long is already providing a weekly venue for people to meet and discuss issues they are dealing with.

Irving said he has reached out to the office of the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions to see if a meeting can be arranged between the minister and Long.

Irving said perhaps they could see if there is a way for the department to support the Returning Warriors Ranch project and help get the facility up and running.

“We really need all hands

on deck, and if we can have organizations that are leveraging volunteers and peer support to help people with mental health issues, that, in my mind, is a good use of taxpayers’ dollars,” Irving said.

The MLA said he would do what he can to help promote Long’s upcoming mental health conference in New Minas. He hopes people will rally behind the initiative and support it in any way they can.

CRACKED ARMOUR CONFERENCE

Long is organizing the first annual Cracked Armour Mental Health Conference. It will be held at the Louis Millett Community Complex in New Minas on June 5 from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Proceeds will help support the Returning Warriors Ranch.

The event will feature a screening of the documentary The Wisdom of Trauma by Dr. Gabor Mate.

Guest speakers will include Long, retired advanced care paramedic and mental health advocate Natalie Harris, and retired correctional officer and Canadian Armed Forces veteran Chris Oliver.

Long said in a May 5 interview that he is still looking for sponsors for the conference.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit https:// www.eventbrite.com/e/ first-annual-cracked-armour-mental-health-conference-tickets-328100777257.

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2022-05-17T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-05-17T07:00:00.0000000Z

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