The Shepherds Need Help!

You are not by yourself. The life that you are struggling with is not over. Being a black first responder has been an enormously stressful challenge. Get the help you need. It ain't perfect but, it is the one life you have. Today is the first day of the rest of your life and, you are a survivor. You can overcome PTSD

I and all of the first responders that I know have experienced spontaneous or cued recurrent, involuntary, and intrusive distressing memories of traumatic events. Also, recurrent distressing dreams in which the content or affect of the dream is related to the events. Many times, flashbacks or other dissociative reactions in which I have felt or acted as if the traumatic events are recurring. ore times the not, intense or prolonged psychological distress at exposure to internal or external cues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic events physiological reactions to reminders of traumatic events. This book should offer some response to let them know that they are not alone.

Dr. Lewis spent eight years in the United States Army. During his time in the military, he actively served in Desert Storm/Desert Shield, Korea and he was a Sergeant/E-5 in the 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, NC. In1998, Dr. Lewis entered the City of Columbus Fire Academy where he served for over two decades as a firefighter/paramedic with the City of Columbus Division of Fire. Dr. Lewis operated at the tip of spear by leading a team of professional addiction specialists into the field and helping to form the RREACT team. The team aided opiate addicted persons gain rapid access to medically assisted treatment post-overdose. Dr Lewis was an active member of the Fire Divisions Critical Incident Management Team. He is currently the pastor of Expanding Visions Ministries and an adjunct professor at Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio.