Sylvio (Syd) Gravel
Syd Gravel is a 31 year veteran and former Staff Sergeant of the Ottawa Police Service and one of the founding fathers of Robin's Blue Circle, a post-shooting trauma team that assists officers work their way through the trauma of death or near-death work related incidents first established in 1988.
Syd shares the journey from being involved in making a work related life and death decision that led to his being injured and diagnosed with PTSD to becoming strong and positive about life's merits.
He takes us through the highs and lows of surviving PTSD in a world dominated by traditions of "keeping up appearances". Suddenly, at the point of almost no return – the sun begins to shine again in his life and he sheds off the anger and pain associated with his PTSD. He describes how he was now able to go on to become the manager of an award winning recruitment program, in charge of all in-service training for a 1500 member organization, a crucial facilitator for the success of a Pearson Peacekeeping mission in Africa and finally the recipient of the Order of Merit in Policing.
In his retirement he is challenged to tell his story by a retired military intelligence officer, which is in itself a story worth hearing, and he authors "56 Seconds" and in 2013 he shared 25 key teaching points to addressing trauma in "How to Survive PTSD and Build Peer Support" – now mandatory reading for Mohawk College students in Hamilton.
Syd is passionate about the need to believe in oneself and working for change and is articulate, logical and full of anecdotal stories to help those who hear him address stigma and support for those suffering of work related mental illness.
Syd Gravel is a 31 year veteran and former Staff Sergeant of the Ottawa Police Service and one of the founding fathers of Robin's Blue Circle, a post-shooting trauma team that assists officers work their way through the trauma of death or near-death work related incidents first established in 1988.
Syd shares the journey from being involved in making a work related life and death decision that led to his being injured and diagnosed with PTSD to becoming strong and positive about life's merits.
He takes us through the highs and lows of surviving PTSD in a world dominated by traditions of "keeping up appearances". Suddenly, at the point of almost no return – the sun begins to shine again in his life and he sheds off the anger and pain associated with his PTSD. He describes how he was now able to go on to become the manager of an award winning recruitment program, in charge of all in-service training for a 1500 member organization, a crucial facilitator for the success of a Pearson Peacekeeping mission in Africa and finally the recipient of the Order of Merit in Policing.
In his retirement he is challenged to tell his story by a retired military intelligence officer, which is in itself a story worth hearing, and he authors "56 Seconds" and in 2013 he shared 25 key teaching points to addressing trauma in "How to Survive PTSD and Build Peer Support" – now mandatory reading for Mohawk College students in Hamilton.
Syd is passionate about the need to believe in oneself and working for change and is articulate, logical and full of anecdotal stories to help those who hear him address stigma and support for those suffering of work related mental illness.
"Building a beautiful life in spite of PTSD
Syd shares the story of being injured at work with PTSD and coming back from the brink of almost giving up everything, with the help of family and friends to become a leader within his organization and finally a recepient of the Order of Meirt In Canada for Policing. Upon his retirement he is challenged to write his story and has now authored two books on the subject of PTSD survival.
