http://militaryminds.ca/ Tattoo Therapy by Ivan Herderson…
Children and Families in Life After Trauma
Trauma Informed Communities: Post-Trauma Growth, Moral Injury, PTSD
http://militaryminds.ca/ Tattoo Therapy by Ivan Herderson…
Badlands National Park Quote from this website…
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There is no better “food for the soul” then driving into the Badlands National Park on an early spring afternoon as we did yesterday. The scenery is breathtaking and takes your mind to a beautiful spiritual level far away from the day to day human challenges we endure. Judy and I took the alternate I90 route to Wall, SD through the Badlands and soaked up the warmer weather and amazing sites, including grazing bighorn sheep. The history of this place is amazing. Once completely covered with water and sea life…a climate similar to Florida with ancient mammals and palm trees everywhere. All this changed over time as the climate became cooler and erosion created the spectacle we see today.
We stopped for the night in the destination town of Wall, SD where Wall Drugs http://www.walldrug.com/ became famous. We had enough time to go by the old historic town and hang out at Wall Drugs for awhile, a must see tourist attraction. Wall Drug opened in 1931 during the depression as an ice store, and now it is famous worldwide and represents a must see historic site. The business is also an example of the great entrepreneurship of Ted Hustead and his wife Dorothy.
Today we head west to see Mt. Rushmore http://www.nps.gov/moru/index.htm as we make our way back to Depoe Bay, Oregon. We can so enjoy our trip back home now knowing our granddaughter Jordan is doing great recovering from a successful heart procedure just two weeks ago today. We are blessed on this Good Friday and celebrate our faith during this Easter weekend…
Steve Sparks
Author
Reconciliation: A Son’s Story
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Whale Cove marine life…tide pools…and caves… |
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Little Whale Cove…only private beach on the Oregon Coast |
Whale Cove is our home and Heaven on earth! Click on this site to enjoy this beautiful video and the background music…by Bryce Buchanan
“This spectacular cove on the Oregon coast is relatively inaccessible to people and because of that fact, it remains in a healthy natural state. Seals have their pups here; bald eagles and herons and many other birds nest and fish here, mostly undisturbed. It is one of the most beautiful places in Oregon.
I am one of many people who are working to keep it that way. We have a plan to put most of the land around Whale Cove into permanent conservation. The plan is a co-operative effort between myself, North Coast Land Conservancy, Oregon State Parks and the Federal Transportation Department.
Wish us luck. This unique natural area deserves protection.”
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I am so proud and pleased to share this video of the stunning beauty of the area and beaches surrounding our home in Little Whale Cove near Depoe Bay, Oregon. In the almost 8 years living here on the Central Oregon Coast, we can never get enough of Whale Cove a short walk from our home. There are many days during the summer that we feel there is no other beach in the world like Whale Cove. Even during the winter we venture down to the cove and beach, which is highly protected from winter storms. But never do we take the risk of making our way down the path at high tide when there is a storm. The entire beach disappears at times. We can stand safely at the top of the cliff and storm watch on those days. Whale cove is a very favorite beach most anytime to experience total freedom. It is also a highly spiritual spot where Siletz Native Americans lived long ago. We residents of the area also appreciate the healing value of Whale Cove. There is no other place like it on the planet!
Steve Sparks
Author
Reconciliation: A Son’s Story
http://www.army.mil/article/96120/ Quote from this site…
“The VA has outlined some care-giving tips that can be useful for family members who are experiencing caregiver burnout. These tips rely strongly on participation, education, and social support.
One way to try to remember the VA’s tips is through the use of the acronym, “PEAS.”
Participate in your service member’s behavioral health treatment. Encourage him/her to seek treatment when needed.
Educate yourself about PTSD, the medical facilities in which your service member receives treatment, and the routines of your service member.
Attend to warning signs of potential relapses or suicide risk.
Seek social support and engage in other positive self-care activities. It is okay to ask for help as a survivor of trauma and PTSD, according to Bob Delaney, author of Surviving the Shadows: A Journey of Hope into Post-Traumatic Stress, and namesake at Delaney Consultants.”
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In my own experience as a PTSD centric family member and caregiver, we most often dismissed ourselves as needing help even when the symptoms of PTSD began to appear as part of our own behavior. You know, “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.” So we all joined in the fire storm big time making matters exponentially worse. One crazy bunch of people acting out together provides little or no healing value whatsoever. Caregivers need to stay healthy to provide strength and leadership in a dysfunctional family situation. Otherwise the family unit will self destruct and not achieve the happier place we are all seeking together as a team.
As family caregivers please be guided by the bigger picture of healing together as a team. Practice taking care of yourselves as described in the above “PEAS” tutorial. Remember the goal of unity and the desired outcome of achieving a happy, healthy, and loving family unit in life after war.
Steve Sparks
Author
Reconciliation: A Son’s Story
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Sandra Dimitrov |
Warford Foundation Click this site…for song and video…
Anytime you doubt your strength just listen to this song and video. We are at our best when we have no choice but to pick up the pieces and go forward… The Warford Foundation is doing amazing work for the homeless. It is my honor to share this video and the music of Sandra Dimitrov.
Steve Sparks
Author
Reconciliation: A Son’s Story
The official website for the label states that music therapy can help control anxiety and bring comfort both to those suffering from the condition and their families. His hard-driving lyrics and those of a number of other veterans have touched the lives of thousands of vets and their families. Visit their website to sample the music and explore where and how their programs work: http://www.redcon1musicgroup.org
Steve Sparks
Author
Reconciliation: A Son’s Story
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Albert Perna, a World War II veteran, speaking at a Congressional event in 2004 |
Is there an end to trauma for older veterans? Quote from this site…
Who knew much about post-traumatic stress syndrome in 1945? The term didn’t enter the official manual of psychiatric diagnoses until 1980; effective treatments didn’t become widely available until the late 1990s.
So when Cpl. Albert Perna returned from World War II, “They said: ‘You’re discharged. Go home and go to work,’ ” he recalled. “Nobody told us anything.”
The prevailing medical advice — even for someone like Mr. Perna, who had fought in North Africa, Italy and France, who had been wounded and spent six months in a German P.O.W. camp — amounted to “put it all behind you. “The John Wayne approach,” said Joan Cook, a Yale psychiatry professor and researcher with the National Center for PTSD. “Older vets believed in that. For many years, they hid their symptoms.”
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My father, Vernon, suffered severely from the symptoms of PTSD for is entire life following WWII and Korean War. Like Albert Perena and countless others who experienced extended deployment and combat during WWII, they were told to “go home and forget about it.” We now know how painful it was for these warriors of that time who never forgot for a second seeing battle buddies killed, the carnage of the dead on the battle field and at sea, and the killing of innocent citizens. “Forget about it,” not a chance… Often they were overcome by alcohol as a form of self medication and destroyed their families with angry behaviors and physical abuse. Many were able to have successful careers that channeled their anger and hyper vigilance in constructive ways. But the anger continued at home with their families, which were destroyed over time with toxic and extreme dysfunctional behaviors. We also know now that above all else the children of these families suffered the most by carrying the toxic childhood conditions forward as secondary PTSD to the next generation.
Older veterans who suffer from the symptoms of PTSD and have never had any treatment do not have to live with the pain. My father received treatment later in life and really calmed down and achieved some level of peace of mind. Most of we boomers who coped and lived with PTSD, both from secondary PTSD growing up with a parent from WWII, including the added emotional impact of combat during the Vietnam War, have the toughest time with age without therapy and reconciliation. In my view, we should all have the goal of peace of mind before leaving this planet for good…
My recovery process is considered by many to be remarkable. I was in denial until age 64 when first discovering my father’s root causes of his own abusive behaviors and alcoholism that resulted from the horrors of extended combat duty during WWII and again during the Korean War. After revisiting my childhood years living in a highly toxic home and understanding my father’s PTSD, I am now able to separate the abusive behaviors from the person. I see my father as a hero who served America with honor and pride. He along with tens of thousands served in combat and saw the worst of human moral failings. These men had close “battle buddies” who were killed in action. They saw carnage years at a time, and the worst of it with innocent civilians, including children being slaughtered as collateral damage. Many suffered in POW camps and were tortured. It is horrific just to think about let alone experience directly for an extended period of time. And now we know how all of this affects families, especially children. So we see a nation in shock from generations of war…
As an older American who served in the US Navy during the Vietnam era, and as a child of a parent who experienced direct combat during WWII and Korean War, I know something about the lingering emotional pain of war on veterans and the families who serve too… It is time in our later years to find peace. You don’t have to “suck it up” anymore. You have earned America’s respect and deserve peace of mind. Don’t hesitate, find a treatment therapy that works, start talking, and making a difference by helping others find peace of mind. A warriors work is never done. In life after war, it is still our duty to serve others and make a difference… We all deserve to be happy and at peace with ourselves and those we love…
Steve Sparks
Author
Reconciliation: A Son’s Story
Stories that bind families together… Quote from this site…
“Welcome to VETSports, a nationwide non-profit aimed at helping veterans overcome their injuries through adaptive sports, physical activity, and teamwork!” Saw a bit about this guy on last night’s news. Pretty cool! “It’s all about the experience, and letting America and Welcome to VETSports, a nationwide non-profit aimed at helping veterans overcome their injuries through adaptive sports, physical activity, and teamwork!these guys know that not all disabled veterans are going to be a statistic in the news,” he said to the Long Beach Press Telegram. “I’m here to combat the suicide rate, homicide rate, divorce rate statistics. I just want to get out there and prove to America there are awesome disabled veterans out there and we are making a stand against that.”
See also: https://www.facebook.com/VetSports
Byron Lewis
Author of The Magic of NLP Demystified
and Sobriety Demystified
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This blog is being presented in three parts. The first introduced Alex and the diagnosis of PTSD. The second blog reviewed some of the research into the mechanisms of the brain that result in formation of PTSD and introduced a unique state-of-the-art treatment using techniques from NLP. This posting demonstrates how and why this treatment works. Throughout these postings I have highlighted certain words with links to additional information if you want to read more.
The NLP V/KD technique has been successfully used to treat phobias and symptoms of PTSD for almost three decades.
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The NLP V/KD technique has been successfully used to treat phobias and symptoms of PTSD for almost 3 decades |