About Barry
I’m a veteran who was born in Southern Rhodesia (in what is now Zimbabwe) in 1953. After a fairly uneventful schooling in which I focused more on sports than on academics, I went to university in South Africa, where I spent several years training in the field of education.
In 1976 I returned to Rhodesia to comply with national service requirements and was involved in the Rhodesian Bush War. On leaving the war in 1977, I spent a number of years living and working in South Africa before emigrating to Australia, where I lived for several years before settling in England for a brief period of time. After unsuccessfully attempting to mountain bike from Great Britain to Israel in 1984, I flew there instead and spent four years developing the British Council English Language Centre. While in Israel I developed a passion for marathon running, which then extended to ultra marathon running after I returned to South Africa to qualify as a clinical psychologist.
I returned to Australia in 2000, where I have remained ever since. In 2002, given my military experience and psychological qualifications, I was accepted as a contractor with a veteran organisation; I still continue with this work today. I also continue to run short distances and am passionate about music. I play the African drum, American Indian flute and the Australian didgeridoo.
In this book I have encapsulated many years of conversations and learning with the extraordinary men and women I have sat with in my practice over the years, from regular to special forces soldiers. It was a challenge for me to see this book through to the finish, and I often had to draw on the many lessons found within this book to keep myself – a veteran – typing away (rather than walking away).
I hope that some of what I have written will support you and others around you on your journey towards healing. As I have noted, this is not a researched and academic text, and as such it may very well have its failings and limitations. Instead, this book is based on years of conversations with veterans and their partners and children. It is based on my experiences and challenges as a veteran and a man. It embodies years of exposure to neuroscience principles and brain- and body-based wisdom. I have tried to express this in simple, accessible writing and to draw on military operational terms to explain relevant concepts and lessons. I have also drawn on my own life experience while navigating my way through a variety of life challenges.
I wish you well in the journey ahead and welcome your feedback.
The Books
“Which Way Is Your Warrior Facing – An Operational Manual for Veterans and Current Serving to Transition into Civilian Life”
If You Want To Unload Your Burden And Transition To Civilian Life In An Emotionally Healthy Way, Then, This Guide Is For You!
In Book 2 I move away from a sole focus on the Claymore (the destructive impact to self and other) and focus more on the complexities of the Transitioning process. I explore constructive ways to understand the challenges facing you and support you to combine the best qualities of both the Warrior and the Civilian.
The “Bite sized Wisdom for Transitioning Warriors” at the end of the book can inspire and support you in these moments of change and challenge. I have also included Book 1 in this new and dynamic book. Consistent with Book 1 is my use of Operational language and tools as foundation of all tools, insights and strategies.
During my own time with the Rhodesian military, I saw and felt firsthand how difficult it can be to leave the soldier’s mind-set behind. I realized that we had been forever changed by what we had seen and experienced. After years of practicing constant vigilance and readiness, we were emotionally exhausted.
I discovered that many soldiers would either turn their “claymore mine” inward or outward. Inward meant swallowing all the emotional turmoil until they couldn’t take it. Outward meant releasing that turmoil in front of others. Both situations were unsustainable and toxic.
Let me show you how to unload your burden in an emotionally healthy way. You can lean on your loved ones for support without pushing them away or causing them pain. I’ll help you to get rid of the claymore entirely and find better coping mechanisms to ease the transition to civilian life. I’ll support you to orientate your Warrior. I have dedicated my psychological career to helping others make the transition and now want to share my findings and techniques with you.
In this book I’ll show you how to:
· persevere when civilian life becomes overwhelming;
· begin with small changes;
· embrace the uncertainty of your new life;
· identify the psychological techniques and tools that can help you cope;
· refrain from making others carry your emotional burden;
· ask for help when you truly need it;
· tolerate different kinds of emotional discomfort;
· keep moving forward;
· stop letting your impulses get the best of you;
· refrain from blaming yourself or others;
· take the time to enjoy the good moments when they come; and
· approach new or existing relationships and transitions with clarity and self-control.
I keep my book practical and I translate important strategies, neuroscience and brain based concepts into simple military operational terms. I want you to understand that you can still embody the qualities of a warrior in your civilian life and you can use the lessons you learned during combat to grow and change. I’ll help you leave the soldiering life behind and finally lay your burden down.
I also wanted to create a free resource for all. It is far more dynamic, creative and I hope engaging and inspiring. Again just a reminder that included in this is also my first book. Thank you for taking the time to journey through the book.
Contact Page
I am looking forward to connecting with you. Please feel free to send an e-mail to mere here: info@barryzworestine.com .
Book “Which Way Is Your Warrior Facing”
“Which Way Is Your Warrior Facing – An Operational Manual for Current Serving and Veterans Transitioning into Civilian Life”
If You Want To Unload Your Burden And Transition To Civilian Life In An Emotionally Healthy Way, Then, This Book Is For You!
I began by writing a book, a simple book that would be informative and useful. However, along the way, what came to me was to create not just a book that would invite you to “turn the pages” but a process that would create opportunities for self-reflection and that this, over time, would become a record of your journey.
“Which Way Is Your Warrior Facing” invites you to read and digest what you have read as well as pay attention to what it means to you. It invites you to pay attention to your thoughts, feelings, and memories. It invites you to document and map out your process as you navigate your way through your transitioning territory.
This book may have begun with what I wrote, but it will ultimately become the book you and I have written together as a team. Your book will allow you to go backwards and forwards through your process and reflect on how your journey of transition changes and evolves to meet the variations of your territory.
This book will, in the end, become your map and compass of your life. It will be your story, not mine. It will be something that you can share with selected others, whether it be through conversation or reading together. It has the potential to move from my book to your book and then the book that others around you can contribute to in the process as you invite them in.
Remember that a good patrol is determined by the knowledge of the map you carry, your internal compass (your values and judgement), the resources you equip yourself with to manage and survive, and, most importantly, the presence of others in your group or Tribe. The rules remain the same—teamwork, knowledge, and the willingness to take the first step.
As with any good journey, or patrol, travelling with others can increase capability and effective completion of the mission.
This book, is therefore, your Mission.
You can read an introduction to my book on my blog by clicking here.
Click here to purchase your copy today.