Sometimes, when Cpl. Sylvain Chartrand tries to sleep, he sees a woman and girl fleeing from rising flames.
A reservist who went to Bosnia in 1993, Chartrand remembers witnessing many things he does not wish to relive: the dead, the hostages and that little girl who cannot keep up with her mother as the village behind them burns to the ground.
After spending six months overseas, Chartrand said he showed signs of post-traumatic stress disorder, a form of psychological distress that follows a traumatic event. Diagnosed with PTSD in 2005, he has been prescribed 28 different medications - none of which has helped alleviate his nightmares.
"The biggest problem is really never having a restful night," said Chartrand, 41, who lives in Montreal. "Not being able to sleep for 15 years, it's pretty bad."
Dr. Germain, who trained with us in 1997, is becoming a world expert in the neurophysiology (functioning of the brain) in PTSD patients.