CX Solid Foundation

Always remember those that sacraficed...

82 years ago, on June 6th, 1944, thousands of brave U.S., British, and Canadian soldiers stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. The largest seaborne invasion in history. 29,000 Americans lost their lives on the Norman shores of France, including 2400 on Omaha Beach. An estimated 106,000 were wounded and missing.
We remember the bravery and sacrifices of all those who fought and fell so we could be free. Let's always remember them and give thanks for their service and sacrifices. We will forever be in their debt.

Sometimes we gotta remind ourselves of the original game plan sometimes. LOL

I may not be in the medical field, but if I was, oh boy this would be me.....

Things Horses Understand Better Than Humans

It's funny when you think about it.

For creatures that spend a good portion of their day eating, napping, and occasionally questioning the existence of a suspicious-looking leaf, horses seem to have life figured out.

Things horses understand:

🐴 If you're tired, rest.

🐴 If something feels unsafe, pay attention.

🐴 Boundaries are healthy.

🐴 Friends matter.

🐴 Fresh air helps.

🐴 Movement helps.

🐴 Food usually helps.

🐴 Sometimes you need to step away from the herd for a bit.

🐴 Sometimes you need to find the herd.

🐴 Standing quietly beside someone can be enough.

As humans, we tend to make things more complicated. We push through exhaustion. We ignore stress. We convince ourselves we're fine when we're clearly not.

Horses don't do that.

They live in the moment. They pay attention to what's happening around them and inside them. And in their own simple way, they remind us to do the same.

PTSD/PTSI awareness isn't always about talking about trauma.

Sometimes it's about remembering the small things that help keep us well in the first place.

And maybe, just maybe, horses are onto something.

Have you ever loved something so much that it consumed every waking moment of your life either in thought or in action?

Now imagine…..How would you feel if that all of a sudden started to slip away? Not because it isn’t accessible but just because you no longer ‘feel’ anything for it.

If you managed to imagine how that may feel, congratulations (?). You have managed to have a little bit of an inkling of what it feels like when you are suffering from a post traumatic stress injury (PTSI).

You start to lose focus. You start to lose interest. And you start to feel numb.

You know in your mind that your (insert interest here) is still there and you know that you will feel better if you only did whatever it was you used to do. But it is like you are looking at the thing through water or a foggy window. It’s there, but it doesn’t seem accessible because it would take far too much effort to get there. So you stop. In some cases, its sudden. In others its gradual as you make excuses why you can’t do the thing.

Then you feel worse about yourself because you know that you love doing it but you just don't want to and you start to do a lot of negative self talk. Which makes you feel worse. Which makes you less likely to do the thing. And the spiral gets tighter and steeper and harder to escape.

The cruel part is that most people think healing starts when you feel motivated again.

It usually doesn't.

Healing often starts with doing the thing before you feel like doing it.

Maybe that's saddling up your horse.
Maybe it's going for a walk.
Maybe it's picking up a paintbrush, a fishing rod, a hockey stick, or calling a friend you haven't spoken to in months.

One small step at a time.

Not because you suddenly feel better.
But because you remember that somewhere underneath the fog, that person is still there.

PTSI doesn't always take away the things you love.
Sometimes it just convinces you that you no longer love them.

And that's a lie worth fighting.

If this sounds familiar, know that you're not alone. Reach out. Talk to someone. Take one small step back toward the things that used to make you feel alive.
Sometimes that's where the road back begins.

IN THE LIGHT OF DAY

(I belive mental health supports should be independent from the CSC and continue through out a career. Just my two cents)

Ontario's Deputy Chief Coroner reviewed 34 su***des of correctional service employees between 2010 and 2024. The findings are difficult but impossible to ignore.

The review found that the same number of correctional employees died by su***de in the five years from 2020-2024 as died in the entire previous decade. Correctional Officers made up the majority of those deaths.

Employees described exposure to violence, trauma, deaths in custody, moral injury, chronic stress, isolation, and a workplace culture that often discouraged seeking help. Many felt their struggles remained hidden in the shadows while other public safety professions received greater recognition and support.

The report found high rates of depression, PTSD, anxiety, substance use disorders, chronic pain, and suicidal thoughts among correctional staff. Researchers and families repeatedly emphasized the need for stronger leadership, better peer support, confidential mental health services, family involvement, and workplace culture change.

The report makes 28 recommendations aimed at preventing future deaths and improving the health and well-being of correctional service employees.

Key Recommendations

✓ Independent mental health supports
✓ Confidential treatment access
✓ Peer support expansion
✓ Trauma-informed leadership training
✓ Family-inclusive wellness programs
✓ Post-su***de support (postvention)

Correctional workers protect our communities every day. Their mental health matters. Their lives matter.

No correctional employee should see su***de as an expected consequence of the job.

We still have availability for our June 7 session at 2:30 PM!

If you've been curious about Equine-Assisted Learning, this is a great opportunity to come experience it firsthand alongside some incredible horses.

We also still have full availability for our Parent & Child sessions on June 14.

Looking for something different to do together? Spend a few hours with your child in a fun, engaging environment that encourages communication, problem-solving, teamwork, and self-awareness. No horse experience is required, and all activities are completed on the ground.

Cartier Farms Equine-Assisted Learning has been helping people develop new perspectives and approaches to challenges for more than 20 years. Sometimes the best conversations and learning moments happen when you're focused on something other than the problem itself.

Sessions for first responders, correctional officers, veterans, and their families are fully funded through CX Solid.

Message us today to reserve your spot.

This is an older video but still a great watch.

Cartier Farms Equine Assisted Learning - Sasktel Max Interview Interview Done by Sasktel Max on "cool schools" featuring Cartier F...

*A quick note before we continue with PTSD Awareness Month.

Some people prefer the term PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), while others prefer PTSI (Post-Traumatic Stress Injury).

PTSD remains the recognized medical diagnosis and is the term used for awareness campaigns, research, and treatment programs. It is changing. but as we know, change can be slow. However, many people in the first responder, military, veteran, and correctional communities prefer the term PTSI because it reflects how they view their experience: not as something that is wrong with them, but as an injury sustained through exposure to trauma.

At CX Solid, you'll hear us talk about both perspectives.

No matter which term you prefer, the goal remains the same: reducing stigma, increasing understanding, and helping people realize that they are not alone. *

For someone living with PTSD, anger is rarely just anger.

It can be fear.

It can be exhaustion.

It can be a nervous system that has spent so long preparing for danger that it no longer remembers how to stand down.

These are just a few of the emotions that can accompany an injury such as PTSD.

When your nervous system is constantly on high alert, when your body is perpetually stuck somewhere between fight, flight, or freeze, it becomes exhausting. You spend so much time scanning for danger that eventually your patience wears thin and your fuse becomes shorter than it ever used to be.

Things that once rolled off your back suddenly feel overwhelming.

Small frustrations become big reactions.

A simple misunderstanding with someone you care about can feel like a personal attack.

Sometimes you find yourself pushing away the very people you have always relied on because it feels easier to be alone than risk hurting someone with your anger.

Sometimes you do things that, looking back, make absolutely no sense. Things that seem completely out of character for the person you once were.

And perhaps one of the most damaging things of all is that eventually the anger turns inward.

You become angry at yourself.

Angry that you react the way you do.

Angry that you can't seem to control it.

Angry that the person staring back at you in the mirror doesn't feel like the same person you used to know.

This is another symptom that PTSD can bring, and often a warning sign that something deeper is going on beneath the surface.

The good news is that it does not have to stay that way forever.

When we start talking—whether to a friend, a peer, a professional, or even an animal—we slowly begin to breath. And with that we can start to make sense of what is happening. We begin to understand the injury instead of fighting against it. Slowly, we can learn new ways to process our thoughts, regulate our emotions, and reconnect with the things that once brought us joy.

It doesn't happen overnight. Healing can take a long time.

But it does happen.

This is why breaking the stigma matters. Because the sooner we can talk about what we're experiencing, the sooner we realize that we are not weak, and we are not broken.

We are injured.

And injuries can heal.

Arms tucked in. Blanket pulled up. One leg out. Completely covered.

Even on the hottest nights you have some form of covering on.

For some people, sleeping without a blanket feels strangely uncomfortable. Not because they're cold, but because being uncovered feels too exposed.

Research suggests that gentle pressure, such as that provided by a blanket, can help calm the autonomic nervous system and reduce stress responses. For some individuals, that weight can feel like a protective boundary, a shield, or even a quiet hug at the end of a difficult day.

This is sometimes referred to as somatic self-soothing — when the body seeks physical sensations that help it feel safe and regulated.
For many people living with PTSD, the blanket isn't about warmth.

It's about safety.

It becomes armor.

A signal to the brain that, for a few hours at least, it is safe to rest.

A small way of rebuilding yourself through the night.

While sleeping with a blanket is not a direct indicator of PTSD, many people who live with this injury describe finding comfort in that gentle pressure and sense of protection.

Welcome to June — PTSD Awareness Month.

Throughout this month, we will be sharing information about PTSD, including both commonly known symptoms and some of the less obvious behaviors that people may find themselves doing to keep themselves safe.

It is important to remember that PTSD looks different for everyone. Not every person diagnosed with PTSD will experience the same symptoms, and many may show very few outward signs at all.

That is part of what makes this injury so challenging.

PTSD can change the way a person thinks, feels, reacts, sleeps, trusts, and experiences the world around them — all while remaining completely invisible to those around them.

Until it isn't.

This month, let's learn more, judge less, and continue breaking the stigma surrounding PTSD and the people who carry it every day.