Matthew Fiorenza
Matthew Fiorenza, a former firefighter and paramedic turned mental health advocate shares how the traumas encountered on the job silently chipped away at his mental health. He bravely battled through the depths of depression, PTSD, suicidal ideation, traumatic brain injury, and substance abuse. We discuss the pivotal moments that ultimately led him to seek help and the healing modalities that made all the difference, including a promising new treatment: the stellate ganglion block. Other life-saving practices include meditation, the Save a Warrior program, and his profound spiritual connections. Matty's story serves as a beacon of hope for first responders facing similar battles and the importance of addressing mental health in high-stress professions.
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In this episode:
The impact of distressing calls on mental health.
The lack of behavioral health support for first responders.
The struggle with alcoholism and the discovery of transformative meditation.
Attending the Save a Warrior program and its life-changing effects.
Matty’s advocacy work and teaching his practice to others.
The positive impact of accountability, peer support and “karma butterflies”.
LINKS & RESOURCES:
PTSD911 Movie: http://www.ptsd911movie.com/
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
Charity: www.nextrung.org
Wise Words:
Car fires, we get them all the time and we hope that there's no one in there. But sometimes there is and it was my first experience with what burnt human beings look like.
I wanted to feel my feelings, but at the same time, there's a stigma and shame around not being able to “handle it”.
I was so afraid to tell. I felt like I was going crazy. I didn't want to lose my job, it’s all I had left. I felt like my identity was being a firefighter.
I lost my tribe. I lost my men and I was abused by men. All I ever wanted to do was belong and be a part of something and when I was removed from that, these guys came back for me. Combat veterans and first responders from all over the country had this program set up to come back for guys like me.
He's like get out of your bed every morning, make your bed, and don't get back in it until it's time to go to bed. Which was very difficult for me to do, a depressed alcoholic firefighter who's injured.
We're drowning in information, starving for wisdom. Wisdom comes when you sit quietly and listen to the God within. You can call it whatever you want to, the Universe or God.
When we take care of and educate our first responders about behavioral health and their own mental health, it trickles down into the community.
We're human beings and there's only so much we can take and do without the support of the community that we serve.
We need you on this planet. Everybody has a purpose and there's life on the other side of this stuff. That's the biggest thing. It's like we can take our struggles and our suffering and use them to help somebody else.