Victoria Lions Club

06/06/2026

06/05/2026

We all know that avoiding triggers is a common response to trauma, and it's actually a recognized criterion in the DSM-5. It's our brain's way of protecting us and trying to make sense of the overwhelming experiences we've been through.

Avoidance can take many forms, like steering clear of certain people, places, or even our own memories and emotions. We may find ourselves going to great lengths to dodge anything that reminds us of our trauma, and it's okay.

The problem is that over time, avoidance shrinks your world. What starts as protection can become a feedback loop that slowly turns into isolation, numbness, and feeling disconnected from life.

Learn more about your symptoms and paths to recovery with the PTSD recovery book series: https://bit.ly/PTSDRecovery

06/05/2026

A simple lunch can make a big impact 💛🥪✨ Join us on Saturday, June 6th at West Saanich and support Tour de Rock!

06/05/2026

When I was first diagnosed with PTSD, I needed the support of my loved ones and didn’t know how to start the conversation.

Later, I became a mental health provider and learned the power of role-playing and using scripts as a way to practice difficult conversations before having them.

June is PTSD Awareness month.
Let's get the conversation going about our trauma and end the STIGMA.

Try a few of these talking points to get you started. Or, share this image with your loved ones to get the conversation going.

Remember, you deserve to be seen, understood, and supported.

06/03/2026

PTSD Awareness ~ Let’s remove the Stigma!!!

CPTSD isn’t about one bad memory. It’s about growing up, or living for years, in an environment where you had to stay small, stay quiet, stay safe. If you feel like you’re still waiting for the other shoe to drop, that’s not weakness. That’s survival training that hasn’t wound down yet.

In trauma recovery, reclaiming your story begins by rejecting the shame and labels that were never yours to carry.

You are not “too sensitive.” You are deeply attuned.
You are not “too emotional.” You are human.
You are not "broken." You've been injured.
You don’t have to shrink to survive anymore.
You get to take up space and heal.

June is PTSD Awareness Month.
So if you're carrying scars from experiences you never should have had to survive, this is your reminder:
What happened to you matters.
What you're carrying is real.
And you deserve to be seen, understood, and supported.

Let's break the stigma, change the way we speak about Mental Health, and prioritize healing together.

06/03/2026

06/03/2026

June is PTSD Awareness Month!!!

June is PTSD Awareness Month

PTSD and CPTSD overlap in a lot of ways.
Flashbacks. Avoidance. Hypervigilance.

But the origin can feel very different:

PTSD is often tied to a specific event.
There was a “before,” even if it feels far away now.

CPTSD is usually rooted in long-term trauma.
There often was no “before” to go back to.

Both PTSD and CPTSD deserve understanding, support, and care.

Whether you have PTSD or CPTSD, your trauma isn’t defined by whether it should have hurt you.
It’s defined by the fact that it did.
And if it’s impacting your quality of life, it deserves attention. Full stop.

Let’s normalize getting help for trauma.
You deserve to heal!