HELP FOR PTSD

War and the Soul

For anyone working with veterans, we highly recommend Edward Tick’s powerful, painful, and wise book, “War and the Soul: Healing our Nations Veterans from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder.” There is also an online video that addresses Tick’s work with traumatized veterans available for free download entitled, “Forgiveness and Healing.” >>>VIEW IT HERE

Tick observes, "the soul at war is characteristically distorted... War stamps the soul with an indelible imprint and makes it its own. The soul that once went to war is forever transformed..."

"We can embrace the life- affirming and protective capacities of the warrior spirit and practice a living spirituality. We can restore relations with former enemies and with the dead and witness to the suffering caused by war and violence. We can find new and meaningful forms of service that atone for former actions and contribute to the healing of our own veterans and those we harmed. We can perform sacred ceremonies and rituals for ourselves, others, and the dead. All this, hand- in-hand with the truth about war, can lead to a spiritual transformation in which the soul grows again..."

Tick offers valuable insights into how we as therapists can help to not only heal the wounded psyche of veterans, but how we can help to facilitate healing of their wounded souls.

View Dr. Tick's video explaining his approach

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Dr. John Zemler and ptsdspirituality.com

The PTSD Spirituality website and associated blog provide information on the theological and spiritual dimensions of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.  Additionally, they offer reflections, opinions, discussion, and resources for the awareness and healing of the spiritual dimensions of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

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Illona Meagher and ptsdcombat.blogspot.com: Winning the War Within

The Silence is Deafening

No traditional news organizations are tracking returning veteran PTSD-related incidents. The Pentagon isn't doing it. And neither is the cash-strapped Veterans Administration (VA).

Fortunately, most soldiers, sailors, aviators, and marines return to civilian life without any major hardships -- at least the type that can be seen from the outside. They fold back into their home lives, into their communities. And the fickle public happily moves on and forgets about them. They're no longer warriors met with parades; they are simply citizens.

Then again, that's what they really were all along, anyway. Merely citizens of our country. Our brothers and sisters. Husbands and wives. Mothers, fathers, children, or cousins. How well they cope with PTSD affects not only their own future, but that of the loved ones who surround them. Their ability to function fully and well after their return home from combat also has an immediate and real bearing on the fabric of their local community. Their health also affects our larger society as a whole.

We leave them alone to deal with their wounds (either visible or invisible) at our own national peril.

Many of you are familiar with my coverage of returning veteran PTSD. Inspired to increase exposure on this topic I've created a new blog called PTSD Combat: Winning the War Within.

I invite you to bookmark it and share it with others who may be returning from service overseas.

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More Healing

www.soldiersheart.net

www.thewelcomehomeproject.org/