You wouldn’t ordinarily associate axe-making with mental health therapy, but a Cariboo-area ranch is using the novel approach to help Canadian army veterans and first responders cope with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health issues.
Veterans Affairs Canada estimates that 10 per cent of veterans who served in combat zones or on peacekeeping missions experience PTSD, a chronic condition that can cause severe anxiety through flashbacks and nightmares related to a traumatic event.
For Jennine Gates, the act of forging an axe is a form of therapy — especially when it’s in the company of other military veterans.
“Just that sense of community that’s been building — it’s an automatic sense of comfort that you feel when you’re around people that have had experiences [like yours],” said Gates, who served as a combat soldier until 2003.
Gates was one of eight veterans attending a workshop on axe making in early October at the Honour Ranch near Ashcroft, B.C.
The southern Interior retreat, established three years ago to help Canadian Armed Forces on-duty personnel and first responders cope with PTSD and other mental health issues, sits in a secluded location on 120 acres of land and has 10 cottages that can accommodate groups or individuals.
