Healing the Heart, Strengthening the Mind. A Conversation of Survival, Science & Hope.

Healing the Heart, Strengthening the Mind. A Conversation of Survival, Science & Hope.
We invite you to a moving and enlightening online event.

One Woman’s Story of Healing

Her tests were “normal.”  Her body did not feel normal.

She survived a life-threatening aortic dissection.

But survival was only the beginning. We explore the challenges of:

• The stress before the event
• The warning signs that something wasn’t right
• The search for medical help
• The crisis of diagnosis
• The fear of recurrence
• The unexplained palpitations, sleep interruption, brain fog & more
• The challenge of returning to a normal personal & professional life
• What Was Happening?

Her psychologist explains:

• How overwhelming internal signals activate the brain’s crisis network
• How the autonomic system stores survival memories
• Why distressing symptoms can persist even when the heart is medically stable & medical tests are “normal”

And how targeted trauma treatment can help release these patterns safely.

A Message of Empowerment

This event offers:

• Hope, courage, inspiration & the importance of committing to a healthy mind & body
• Practical insight into how the brain & heart get stuck in the traumatic event
• A new understanding of recovery from traditional talk therapy to treatment that stabilizes the brainstem centres that perpetuate autonomic dysregulation
• Information to help heal the heart & strengthen the mind

Open to:

Women, families, caregivers & health professionals.

 

Keynote speakers:

Geneviève D’Souza (she/her), Bachelor of Journalism

Award-winning journalist and media and communications strategist. Proud mom. Entrepreneur. Cardiac College graduate. Geneviève brings courage, conviction and character to every conversation, sharing her lived experience to empower women with hope, strength and patience during the recovery journey.

 

Dr. Jaan Reitav (he/him), CPsych, CBSM, CPT-I/II

Clinical, Health, and Rehabilitation Psychology. Certified in Behavioral Sleep Medicine, Complex Trauma, and EMDR Therapy with EMDRIA.

Psychologist with UHN-TRI Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation Program.

 

Panelist:

Dr. Ruth Lanius MD, PhD, FRCPC

Professor of Psychiatry, Director of the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Research Unit at the University of Western Ontario.

 

Moderator:

Dr. Carolina Carvalho (she/her) MD MScCH (HPTE) PhD

Cardiologist, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation Program. Toronto Rehabilitation Institute – Rumsey, Cardiac Rehab | University Health Network