Pathways: Experiences of PTSD
A Virtual Exhibit
Participants
This project could not have been possible without the participation and generosity of these Veterans and Family members who shared their stories. Read below to find out more about their involvement.
Peter Winfield
Peter Winfield is a Veteran army officer who served in the infantry, armour, and worked in counter-terrorism with multiple overseas deployments. He was diagnosed with PTSD, anxiety, and a major depressive disorder, and was treated at the Operational Stress Injury (OSI) clinic. He is a self-taught artist, and he volunteers at the Royal Mental Health Centre (Ottawa) as a member of the Client Advisory Council. He has also practiced and studied mindfulness extensively, completing a program of study through the University of Toronto. Peter is an advocate for improved mental health care and encourages more open conversations about mental health, and the role that mindfulness, art, and creativity play in healing.
Baltej Singh Dhillon
Baltej Singh Dhillon was born in Malaysia in 1966. He immigrated to Canada in 1983, at the age of sixteen, on a compassionate basis after the death of his father. In Canada, he pursued a long career as an Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officer where he faced numerous challenges. Upon his graduation in 1991, he became the first member of the RCMP permitted to wear a turban, in honour of his Sikh religion. This caused a national debate about religion and inclusion. He served as an officer in Quesnel, British Columbia. He worked in Surrey, where he currently resides, as a specialist in interrogation and polygraph testing, and he helped investigate the 1985 Air India bombing case. In fact, it was during the catalyzing and digitizing of the Air India bombing files that he began to experience symptoms of PTSD. He was confronted with the files of 331 victims from which he experienced immense sadness and loss. Finally, he retired from the RCMP in 2019. Today, he continues to work in law enforcement, and he leads a mindful life. He begins everyday with meditation, and he reminds himself that he is a spiritual being, above all.
Tim O'Loan
Tim O’Loan is an Indigenous Veteran from the Sahtu region of the Dene Nation in the Northwest Territories. He served in the Canadian military for 10 years from 1983 to 1993. He experienced physical as well as mental injury during his service. He turned to the Operational Stress Injury Social Support (OSISS) group for guidance. After he left the military, he became a negotiator on land claims and self-government, and he pursued his MA in Canadian Studies at Carleton University. With reconciliation and the preservation of Indigenous lands in mind, he worked with many national organizations to educate people on the legacy of Indigenous Peoples. In 2010, he was asked to join the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) as the Advisor to the TRC Chair, Senator Murray Sinclair. Today, he is a proud member of both the Aboriginal Veterans Autochtones (AVA) and the First Nations Veterans of Canada, The Veterans Ombudsmans Advisory Council. He is also the co-founder of Mamawi Together, a community ‘grassroots’ based reconciliation initiative working to bring Indigenous awareness and reconciliation initiatives to life across Canada.
Laryssa Lamrock
Laryssa Lamrock is the Strategic Advisor for Families at the Centre of Excellence on PTSD. She has a unique blend of experiences in nursing and military family deployment support. She has served on a number of committees, is a former member of the National DND-VAC-RCMP Mental Health Advisory Committee, and is the co-author of the article “Coping as a Spouse of a Military Veteran with PTSD during the COVID 19 Pandemic” published in the Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health. She has also developed and co-facilitated a series of Occupational Stress Injury (OSI) Family Workshops with the Parkwood OSI clinic. She is also the daughter and mother of military members. Shedraws from these experiences as she advocates passionately for, and represents the voices of military and Veteran family members. She is the spouse of Steve Lamrock.
Steven Lamrock
Steven Lamrock joined the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) in May 1985, and retired from the military in March 2009. He served in the infantry corps of the Royal Canadian Regiment, achieving the rank of Warrant Officer and serving his highest role as acting Company Sergeant Major. He completed seven tours, deploying to the Oka Crisis in 1990, the Persian Gulf in 1991, Croatia in 1994-1995, Bosnia in 1998, Kosovo in 1999-2000, Afghanistan in 2003, and returned to Afghanistan with the American forces in 2004. He is the spouse of Laryssa Lamrock.
Sean Maher
Sean Maher joined the CAF in November of 1988 and retired from the military in July of 1995. He was posted to Gagetown, NB.; Lahr, Germany; Ottawa, ON; and Petawawa, ON. He was also deployed on a UN peacekeeping mission to Bosnia in October of 1994 until May of 1995. He was diagnosed with PTSD in 1999 and since has attended a number of treatment programs, including counselling, in-patient programs, equine-assisted therapy, and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). In June 2021, he successfully completed a meditation teacher training certification, and is now a meditation teacher. He is the spouse of Polly Maher.
POlly Maher
Polliann Maher has most recently joined the CoE on PTSD as the Lived Expertise Lead for Families. She worked as a Family Peer Support Coordinator within Southwestern Ontario for the past 10 years with the OSISS (Operational Stress Injury Social Support) program. She co-authored of the article “Coping as a Spouse of a Military Veteran with PTSD during the COVID 19 Pandemic” published in the Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health. She has also co-developed and co-facilitated a series of Occupational Stress Injury (OSI) Family Workshops with the Parkwood OSI clinic. She presented a podium at CIMVHR on the success of these workshops in 2019. During the pandemic she was an intricate part of putting together and delivering virtual psycho-educational workshops nationally for the OSISS program. She is the mother of two adult sons.