“Finding Peace from the Hidden Battle”
Coaching – 1st Line Of Effort
Our coaches help veterans find the source of their PTS. A key part of healing involves understanding the cause of the problem. Our coaches are trained and certified to come alongside hurting vets and help them first identify the cause of their PTS and then establish an effective four-fold strategy to move towards recovery.
According to Dr. David J. Shulkin, under secretary for health for the Department of Veterans Affairs, “A recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed suicide is rising across all demographics and generations of Americans.” Knowing that there is often a direct link between PTS and suicide, our coaches work hard to establish trust with veterans suffering from PTS so that they can bring direct help and therefore reduce the number of veterans taking their own lives.
Supportive Environment – 2nd Line Of Effort
We want to help employ our veterans who need to work yet recover, by providing organic farms as one of many opportunities. The U.S. faces a shortage of 1,000,000 farmers. Veterans already have the discipline to get up early and work hard. Growing healthy food and working with animals is a tremendous way to relieve stress, earn an income and heal! Our goal is to provide a year of work with training on an organic farm with other veterans.
- Blog Picture—Clicking on the blog picture will take people to our Facebook page where we regularly can post articles, etc.
- Contact Information—Veterans needing immediate help can contact: Military Crisis Line website at http://veteranscrisisline.net/ActiveDuty.aspx; Online Chat at: http://www.veteranscrisisline.net/ChatTermsOfService.aspx; send a text to: 838255 or call toll free: 1-800-273-8255, Press 1. Veterans
Sources:
http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/PTSD-overview/basics/what-is-ptsd.asp
http://www.military.com/benefits/veterans-health-care/posttraumatic-stress-disorder-overview.html
The Department of Defense releases a Quarterly Suicide Report (QSR) which summarizes confirmed suicide counts for all services and components. For the third quarter of 2015 there were 72 suicides among service members in the active component, 38 suicides among reservists and 32 suicides for National Guardsmen. The QSR is available at http://bit.ly/24Segid
Additional suicide prevention information is available on the Defense Suicide Prevention Office website at http://www.dspo.mil/
Post Traumatic Stress
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Post Traumatic Stress is not a new thing. In WWII we called it shell shock . . . Studies indicate that three factors are necessary for PTS to develop. 1. A person possesses certain risk factors for the condition. “Changes in two brain areas the amygdala and the dorsal anterior cingulated cortex (dACC) may predispose people . . . Both of these regions are involved in feeling and expressing fear, and both appear to be overactive in people . . . even before they develop the condition.” 2. A person is exposed to a traumatic event such as: combat exposure, sexual or physical assault, terrorist attack, serious accident, natural disasters. It is common for people to experience stress-related reactions after a traumatic event; but, not everyone will get PTS. It is still not known why. Some contributing factors are: |
- How intense the trauma was or how long it lasted
- If you were injured or lost someone important to you
- How close you were to the event
- How strong your reaction was
- How much you felt in control of events
- How much help and support you got after the event
3. Changes to the brain occur after the traumatic event. “Experiencing a traumatic event may impair the connection between the hippocampus and ventromedial prefrontal cortex needed for fear extinguishing to occur.”
Symptoms of PTS
PTS symptoms may start soon after the traumatic event or may appear months or years later. There are four types of symptoms of PTS.
- Reliving the event (also called re-experiencing symptoms): Characterized by bad memories or nightmares. These can also be called flashbacks.
- Avoiding situations that are reminders of the event: Characterized by trying to avoid situations or people that trigger memories of the traumatic event; to include talking or thinking about the event.
- Negative changes in beliefs and feelings: There is a change in a person’s perception of self and others characterized by fear, guilt, or shame. There may also be a loss of interest in activities that formerly were enjoyable accompanied by emotional numbness. This is another way to avoid memories.
- Feeling keyed up (also called hyperarousal): Characterized by jittery feelings, hyper alert state and the presence of danger. Often this causes trouble concentrating or sleeping.
PTS is often marked by clear physical and psychological symptoms like depression, substance abuse, problems of memory and cognition, and other physical and mental health problems. It can cause difficulties in social or family life, occupational instability, marital problems, family discord, and difficulties in parenting.
Our Retreat
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Phase 1: 2016 was a good beginning for us–we were able to identify land for our retreat. However, we did not raise enough to purchase the home and 91 acres and it ended up selling. Thanks to all of you who donated. We have since located new property and still need to raise $50,000 to be able to make a purchase. Why give? Your gift will make possible our ability to purchase 35 acres in beautiful southwest Colorado. VetREST will use this land and build lodging to: a) provide a pristine environment for helping veterans suffering from post traumatic stress (PTS) by allowing selected vets to live here, work the land and receive coaching; b) train the trainers–educate and train our chapter directors, coaches and volunteers in how to effectively help veterans suffering from PTS across the nation in our newly-forming chapters. Phase 2: Help us raise the remaining $450,000 so the land and property is paid in full. Watch the thermometer to track our progress and please put the word out to any prospective sponsors. VetREST is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit—all gifts are tax-deductible. Use the PayPal donate button below to make a donation or even better send a check made out to VetREST to 14520 Westchester Dr., Colorado Springs, CO 80921. |