When Michael Ortiz retired after more than 20 years as a New York State Trooper and undercover DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) agent, his wife Deborah sensed that there was something not right. Michael had trouble sleeping, was hypersensitive to stress, had flashbacks from traumatic experiences, and showed signs of paranoia. Like so many people serving the USA in law enforcement, he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder—PTSD.
Michael Ortiz
Currently in the United States more than 836,000 men and women work as police officers. According to research conducted at the State University of New York (SUNY) in Buffalo, a large percentage of these public service workers are negatively affected by the stress and traumatic events in their everyday work.
∙ Police work is at times routine, intermixed with intense episodes of danger and situations of severe emotional stress. ∙ Police have to sometimes deal with traumatic situations like car accidents, family violence, and other violent crimes. ∙ Police are often required to work various shifts which can negatively impact sleep and diet. ∙ Studies also show that officers are afflicted with stress-related disease at a higher rate than the general population, including higher rates of heart disease and cancer, as well as high rates of suicide.
The Transcendental Meditation program is beginning to be practiced by increasing numbers of police officers and is helping them overcome PTSD and other stress-related health problems.
Deborah Ortiz
Watch this video of Deborah and Michael Ortiz talking about their experience with the TM technique and how it helped Mike find relief from PTSD.
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You can read more about the effect of the Transcendental Meditation technique on those suffering from extreme stress by going to: www.davidlynchfoundation.org
Global Good News will continue to report on Michael and Deborah Ortiz and the David Lynch Foundation's programs to help first responders, veterans, and other high-risk groups overcome the devastating effects of PTSD through Transcendental Meditation.
