In Episode 7 of The Jim Gale show, guest Matt Guedes brings awareness, compassion and great hope to the traumas our veterans and first responders, gold stars and their families face. These “American heroes” get great support through the 2,300-acre Camp Freedom in Pennsylvania, where Matt works as executive director, paying it forward to bring the healing powers of the outdoors to those who are disabled or challenged by their traumas.   Free to all, the camp offers fishing, hunting, hiking, walking, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing activities–or, as he says: “Anything outdoors we do it, and we do it with a purpose.” Matt Guedes: “We’re seeing lives literally saved through outdoor adventures.” Co-hosts Jim Gale and Matthew Britt, moved by Matt’s insights on the impact of trauma to our 4-million plus disabled veterans, and untold numbers of first responders, offer insights and solutions, including the possibilities of collaborating to start a Freedom Farm Academy onsite. Learn more about Freedom Farm Academy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rNdlAuqb3A Jim suggests, and Matt Guedes agrees, that collaborating with The Freedom Farm Academy could provide a way to build more community at Camp Freedom.  It could also potentially allow veterans to use their continuing education funds to invest in learning how to create and manage a food forest, and oversee a profitable business. “It’s a perfect alignment in every way–to teach people how to be free, and grow food in the midst of a food chain disaster, is a good business to be in,” Jim shares. Isolation is the number one issue facing those disabled by trauma, according to Matt Guedes. Topics covered in this interview: –Overview of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and its impact on our veterans and first responders. –Matt Guedes shares that a trauma specialist taught him to see trauma, not as a disorder, which has a concept of permanence and finality to it.  Instead, by focusing on trauma as an injury (which can actually be traced in a brain scan as such), hope is created–for injuries can be healed. – Matt Guedes:”Trauma is real and it has an effect on our mental, on our physical and on our spiritual lives, and it has an effect on all of us.”  Jim: Recommends the book, Molecules of Emotion: The Science Behind Mind-Body Medicine:(https://www.amazon.com/Molecules-Emotion-Science-Mind-Body-Medicine/dp/0684846349) –Three negative patterns of dealing with trauma:  isolation, drugs (which sometimes start with a prescription) or alcohol use, which then lead to desperation. –Ways to shift:  Fight the impulse to isolate, get outside, find one or two trusted friends with whom to speak.  “It’s the relationships that give you the sustainability to get off that train wreck you may be  on,” Matt Guedes stresses. –Self-care, serving others and contributing, as a way out of depression, are also discussed.               ABOUT GUEST MATT GUEDES: Executive Director of Camp Freedom Matt Guedes has more than twenty years of experience in the outdoor industry. His extensive background in this field serves him well as the Executive Director of Camp Freedom. For more than 11 years, Matt has owned a hunting consultant business called Journey Hunts (https://journeyhunts.com), which has paved the way for hunters and their families to encounter the we in a memorable experience. He leads his staff to assist clients to have a hunt of a lifetime and enjoy the journey along the way. Matt is an outdoor writer, pro-staff hunter, and sponsored hunter who has pursued various game in nine countries on five different continents. He has been a consultant for several businesses in need of leadership and direction. He also named, created, and hired upwards of 70 personnel in developing a multi-million dollar recycling company which he managed for three years. Matt graduated from Dickinson College in 1991 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. He also served as an officer in the United States Army for 3.5 years.