STRONGSVILLE, Ohio — According to the National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, 60% of men and 50% of women will experience or witness a life-threatening event. First responders often encounter these situations on a regular basis and the memories of some tragic scenes aren’t so easily forgotten.

The Reset Medical & Wellness Center aims to help free minds from the symptoms of PTSD and other mental health concerns.

Dave Sirl said he’s living his childhood dream.

“As corny as it sounds, I had two goals as a kid: go in the Army, become a firefighter,” he said. “And, win. I got to do both.”

More than 30 years into his career, he’s witnessed a lot with some situations burned into his mind.

“You remember what it smells like, you remember what it looks like, you remember the time of day,” he said.

Sirl said a replay reel of flashbacks and nightmares contributed to insomnia and depression. But as a first responder called upon to help others in their toughest times, asking for help himself was difficult.

“There’s a lot of stigma associated with if we show anything less than this impenetrable force field, we are somehow weak,” Sirl said.

As a peer educator and mentor, Sirl helps other firefighters like Dustin Baizar work through similar mental health struggles. Sirl offered some counseling after one particularly challenging call involving a teen’s fatal sledding accident shortly after Baizar finished paramedic school.

“What did I do wrong?” Baizar said. “Did I miss this? Like, could I have done something different to be able to help save her?”

But pushing the stop button on this constant loop in Baizar’s mind was easier said than done.

His mom learned about a doctor performing neuro sympathetic reset treatments and immediately scheduled an appointment.

“I walked in and I actually shook his hand, and I said, ‘I’m Kelly Price. I want to open a center in Cleveland,’” she said.

Price officially opened the Reset Medical & Wellness Center on June 1, and so far, nearly 70 patients have received treatment. She said her goal is to help 1,000 patients this year.

Dr. Michael Louwers, associate medical director for the center, said there are many similarities between mental pain and physical pain.

“We're addressing a physical injury that we understand that this isn't just some made-up thing,” he said. “That this isn't a phenomenon, that it's a real injury. That mental illness is, needs to be addressed, just like any physical ailment.“

He uses ultrasound to pinpoint the exact location in a patient’s neck to inject a stellate ganglion block. He said the stellate ganglion is like the fusebox for the nervous system and can cause physical reactions to triggers of painful memories.

“We all have stressors in our life,” Louwers said. “We all have triggers. But if those stressors or triggers are preventing us from being a functional part of society, from moving forward, if we can't cope with those, then we need help.

He said the injection temporarily blocks that part of the nervous system bringing it back to a pre-trauma state, almost like resetting a computer. He said it can help improve anxiety, depression and PTSD symptoms.

“It allows time for those pathways to start to heal, to start to form new, healthy connections,” Louwers said. “To stop this constant feedback loop that's creating this overactive, hyperactive response.”

Baizar said he had the neuro sympathetic reset treatment about eight months ago and has been symptom-free since, able to quickly move past painful reminders.

“Now it's like, I see it,” he said. “Yep. Something bad happened there, but able to kind of keep going and I forget about it by the time I go around the corner.”

Sharing with Sirl the hope for a better future without dwelling on the past.

“You saved me after that call, so now it’s my turn to help save you,” Baizar said.

Sirl said his health has since transformed since receiving his own injections in mid-June.

“I've slept every night since the treatment, through the night,” Sirl said. “Which is incredible. No nightmares, no flashbacks. Those have been completely gone. And I just feel more — there's more clarity.”

Louwers said the treatment isn’t a miracle cure and may not help everyone, but can be a tool to help some patients struggling to make progress with traditional talk therapy or other mental health treatment plans.