So here we are, it’s really happening!

On 3rd April I will be running the Manchester marathon! Loads of training and prep has been going on in the background to get me ready for the big day but most importantly…. The reason I’m doing it.

Did you know that as many as 500 million people worldwide suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)? Global Initiative for Stress and Trauma Treatment (GISTT) is a non-government organisation which recognises that trauma based disorder and diseases pose a massive global burden in human, economic, social and security terms. GISTT aims to foster the development, promotion and application of evidence based therapies to help manage and treat trauma and trauma based conditions making them accessible to vulnerable populations worldwide. They also raise awareness about the nature of trauma and bring attention to the fact that it is a silent and unseen worldwide disease.

Volunteers with GISTT are currently working on the Traumatic Stress Relief Project and is researching the efficiency of scaling up Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) in low and middle income countries where there is little to no income support. Research for this is taking place across the globe delivering treatment to those who have been affected by war, violence, crime, abuse and accidents. EMDR is a form of psychotherapy in which the person being treated is asked to recall distressing images. Once doing this the therapist then directs the patient in one type of bilateral stimulation such as side to side eye movement or tapping each side of the body. This enables the person being treated to heal from symptoms and emotional distress that are the result of disturbing life experiences. It is not the event that harms us but the messages and meaning which is associated with it that does.

So why have I chosen this organisation? This time last year I had a mental break down, I struggled for a long time before things got really tough. I had to have time away from work while being supported by a community crisis team, spent a few days in rest bite and relied on family and friends to get me through some dark places. To help with my recovery I embarked on my own personal EMDR journey which in a nut shell helped go from an out of control boiling kettle to a simmering pot of tea.

So as I continue on this world wind path, I wanted to give something back. EMDR has changed my way of thinking and allowed me to experience life again so the 3rd April will not just be about me and my story, it will be for all those people that have experienced trauma in their life. Those who are suffering and in hell and those who are making their way out. To those whose family and friends are affected by trauma and the community’s they live in. It is for those who hang on each day in hope for a better life and for those who find their freedom in truth and peace. April the 3rd is not just for one man but for all out there who are stuck inside a mind of fear, vulnerability and chaos so that one day we may have a world where when you get burnt your wounds may heal as quick as those fires are put out.

So please join me on this journey and help make this world a better place. All donations will go directly to the organisation to enable them to keep empowering communities to heal. Please take a moment to look at the website for more information on all the vital work taking place.

Thank you

Ben

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcXqcQecRXo

https://gist-t.org