CONCORD VET CENTER PAVES WAY FOR NEEDED HEART CENTERED APPROACH TO VET REHABILITATION.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A heart centered cause versus symptom rehabilitation approach, fueled by gratitude and forgiveness, for active duty veterans suffering from PTSD has been implemented at the Concord Vets Center with great success. Under the direction of Salvador Ueda, MSW, and the encouragement of team leader, Jeff Jewell ~ a total of 18 Band of Brother's transformation support groups have been accomplished with well over 100 veteran graduates in the last five years. I have helped both initiate and implement this program as a heart centered volunteer consultant with my ability to connect the heart dots of their individual life charts and utilize my proven self-healing exercises and Kindle book as a guide for their self-healing: Allen L Roland, PhD  

 

Since the driving force of my self-healing heart centered consultations is gratitude, it is with heart felt gratitude that I thank the Concord Vet Center and in particular adjustment counselor Salvador Ueda for suggesting and giving me the opportunity, as a fully vetted VA volunteer consultant, to share my truth and help facilitate and build a successful Healing the Wounded Heart transformation program over the past five years ~ but particularly in 2015.

It's been an incredible personal joy to witness with Sal the heartwarming transformations that occurred as many of these emotionally wounded veterans burst into full flower by going through their fears and finding joy beneath their deep pain and despair. We literally saw the light come on as they began to see through different eyes.

This outside the box program is simple and effective but it all starts with the adjustment counselor Sal Ueda who initially screens each applicant and determines if they are ready for this inner transformation self-healing work. Sal then has each veteran complete a life chart, as described in my book, which summarizes their life in terms of being a quest versus a struggle. At the same time they begin to read my book as well as watch my You Tube sessions.

They all have access to these self-healing steps in my updated Kindle Book RADICAL THERAPY, SURRENDER TO LOVE AND HEAL YOURSELF IN SEVEN  SESSIONS (not seven years). Here is the Kindle link http://www.amazon.com/Radical-Therapy-Surrender-Yourself-Sessions-ebook/dp/B00JGE5VQE

Most people are not aware that you do NOT need a Kindle to read an Amazon eBook. You can download a free program from Amazon called Kindle for PC, and read it on your computer. Link below:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/digital/fiona/kcp-landing-page?ie=UTF8&ref_=kcp_pc_mkt_lnd

And here's a link to the YouTube Skype sessions of the self-healing process I teach ~ Watch, in the first 20 minutes of session five, how Marina conquers her deepest fear by going through it and she demonstrates that beneath her pain and fear is boundless joy. See video  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r12MoNnwPKg&feature=youtu.be

 

My book is a passionate call to heal your heart by surrendering to love. Initially by sharing gratitude with the many people in your life who have not been thanked for being a gift ~ and then all others as you open your heart and begin to not only see through different eyes but also slowly reconnect with your original joy, intention and purpose.

It is important to note here that all of my work over the past 45 years, both in my private practice and now as a heart based coach and consultant, has been inspired by my desire to demonstrate my Unified Field ~ that deepest within us, even below our deepest pain is a psychic energy field of love, joy and soul consciousness (The Unified Field) which exists not only beyond time and space but also beneath our deepest fears, and whose principle property is the universal urge to unite.

Note ~ If you google The Unified field ~ you will find my explanation on page two of 7.5 million results.

I have answered an important question I posed long ago when I started my practice ~ Why are most people afraid of their Joy ?

The answer is because their psychic pain, quite often experienced at birth or early childhood, has over ridden their original joyful memories and they are afraid of or mistrust their deepest joy and are living their life and still making life decisions based on ego based fear.

In the third tenet of my PhD dissertation, The Unified Field, I describe the process by which psychic pain (the seeming separation from love) can over-ride joy and how most people are afraid of or mistrust their deepest joy ~ It would appear that the pain of not feeling loved for oneself and being seemingly separated from our original state of soul consciousness and the Unified Field is of such deep psychic proportions that, early in childhood, processes are triggered in the hypothalamus which result in a left brain imbalance and dominance as well as the denial, mistrust and forgetting of our connection to the Unified Field and the love and joy and a state of soul consciousness deepest within us. It is from this dark tunnel of pain, aloneness, despair and apparent death that the ego and ego consciousness is born - for survival and protection purposes only.

In my role as a heart centered consultant with over 45 years' experience of soul retrieval especially with veterans with PTSD, I retrieve buried souls and empower them through love and gratefulness to not only open their hearts but to also find their unique place in a universal loving plan from a place of celebration and service. They soon begin to realize that everything they have ever wanted is on the other side of fear.

Here are the eight stages of ego transcendence I demonstrate and teach. Remember that the ego is a projection of what we feel we have to be versus being our true authentic self ~ and it is always born out of deep pain and aloneness.

1. Denial    Everything is fine, there is nothing missing in my life ~ I'm in full control of everything

 2. Anger    I can't stay in control and manipulate things any more ~ it's not working, it's making me angry.   

3. Bargaining   I'll hang on to something so I won't get out of control and have to deal with the unknown and all those scary feelings deep inside me that I have been continually avoiding.

 4. Depression  Why am I feeling so sad, and it feels so deep. If only I could get out of this pit of despair.

 5. Acceptance / Connection   I'm feeling deep sadness and it's the same feelings I felt as a child ~ I can't deny these feelings any longer.

 6. Surrender  I'm letting go and trusting that there is joy beneath my sadness ~ what is this excitement I'm feeling beneath this well of grief and it has nothing to do with someone else.

 7. Celebration  I'm truly feeling the joy of being myself and the growing awareness that there is something I'm supposed to be doing ~ I'm beginning to trust the unknown and see through different eyes.

 8.  Service  I'm fully trusting myself, I'm listening and I'm responding to this inner call ~ I want to be in service from this inner place of authentic love, joy and delight.

 

Make no mistake about it, the keys to the magic kingdom of the soul are gratefulness and forgiveness ~ and eventually gratefulness and forgiveness ends with our self.

Sal and I meet these veterans from a joyful place of celebration and service and invite them to finally take their turn!

And what group of people have been more separated from love and the life force than combat veterans (many of whom had significant birth and childhood trauma) and have additionally been taught to hate and kill.

Initially, I review their completed Life chart and help Sal connect the soul dots ~ a life chart which clearly shows their whole life, relationships and war experience as a Quest or journey to where they are now.

From our very first session, they begin the process of thanking the people who have been there in their lives and as they do ~ like flowers, their buried or numbed out hearts begin to open allowing them to see through different eyes.

I then assist Sal in the remaining group sessions, with the veterans, using the sessions in my book as the guide ~ including the experiential exercises.

For example, the last session is a death exercise where every member has the chance to seemingly die and have each member tell them how much they meant to them as well as share from their heart with each other. In other words, in that exercise they not only experience being loved but the thrill of speaking from their hearts.

It's not therapy but it is self-healing and every participant is given the opportunity to explore another heart centered choice of behavior versus a fear based ego driven choice. Team leader Jeff Jewell was very impressed by this self-healing process but could not find the time to make it happen for himself but his support was evident to all participants.

In 2015, I have concentrated on empowering and mentoring Sal Ueda, at his suggestion, to not only see through his heart but connect the dots so that he could carry the program on without my assistance. This work, in essence, is all about soul retrieval for these veterans, who were once taught to kill, are now being reconnected to their deeper urge to love and cooperate with each other

Dr Stanley Krippner describes this process in the foreword of my book ~ "No psychiatric manual lists "soul loss" as a condition in need of treatment but shamans tell me that "soul loss" is widespread in contemporary society. Allen Roland has had the insight to understand what the shamans have told me. He also has developed the skills to help his clients regain their souls"

 

Nowhere is "soul loss" more apparent than with veterans who have been taught to kill or witnessed or participated in unjustified mass human carnage.

 

Band of Brothers #18 was my last hurrah as a volunteer consultant with the Vet Center but I leave with an immense sense of self-satisfaction regarding this unique heart centered approach to self-healing. This program has not only succeeded ~ with well over 100 active veteran graduates who have positively changed through gratefulness and self-forgiveness ~ but more importantly, their hearts have been opened and they have experienced another choice of behavior while their PTSD symptoms have greatly diminished.

It remains to be seen if the VA will integrate this self-healing approach into their clinical approach but it is obvious that no amount of psychiatric drugs can ease the painful psychic pain carried by many of our returning veterans with PTSD ~ as witnessed by the rising veteran suicide rate.

Gen. Peter Chiarelli, the Army’s No. 2 officer, who has long been an advocate for soldiers suffering from the invisible wounds of war (such as PTSD and TBI) ~ also advocates the need for other alternative approaches ~ ” I want to understand what drugs we should use to treat these symptoms, if we should use any drugs at all. I want to look into alternative pain management. We are finding there are other ways to handle pain that are more effective and allow a person to feel a lot better than throwing a bagful of drugs at them.”  See http://www.veteranstoday.com/2013/05/23/unsaid-issue-behind-veterans-rising-suicide-rate-is-shame-based-guilt/

As a former active duty Naval aviator and carrier pilot who served seven years in the Navy, the last two as a weekend warrior ~ I can honestly relate to veterans and consider it an honor to have touched many of their hearts in my work as a heart centered consultant.

They have all, including myself, faced their deepest fears and been in service to their country. Many have been to the dark side and long for another choice and I am proud to have facilitated that process in my ongoing heart centered consultations.

There is no true healing without love and gratitude is the life blood of soul consciousness.

 

“Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.”
~ A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

 

Allen L Roland, PhD
http://allenlrolandsweblog.blogspot.com/2015/11/concord-vet-center-paves-way-for-needed.html
 

Heart centered spiritual consultant and advisor Allen L Roland can be contacted at  allen@allenroland.com Allen is also a lecturer and writer who shares a weekly political and social commentary on his web log and website allenroland.com. He is also featured columnist on Veterans Today and  guest hosts a monthly national radio show TRUTHTALK on www.conscioustalk.net

 

BAND OF BROTHERS ( HWH ) #18 / DEFEATING MILITARY RACISM THROUGH LOVE AND FORGIVENESS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Six Pacific Islanders and combat veterans with PTSD as well as victims of military racism and prejudice face their deepest fears (the fears of their hearts) in Healing The Wounded Heart (Band of Brothers) Workshop # 18. Through the power of love, gratefulness and forgiveness they all discover not only their true authentic self but awaken their closed and wounded hearts in the process: Allen L Roland, PhD

 Everything we have ever wanted is on the other side of fear: Jack Canfield

In my role as a volunteer heart centered workshop consultant, advisor and coach/mentor, I have recently assisted in the heart felt inner healing of six more combat veterans with PTSD at our local Vets Center. All of them found the courage to go within and beneath their pain and anguish ~ and they found, in the process ~ their original innocence, joy and delight as well as a need to be in service from that very same place of love and gratitude ~ and all within seven weeks.

Make no mistake about it, the keys to the magic kingdom of the soul is gratefulness and forgiveness  ~ and eventually gratefulness and forgiveness ends with our self.

Initially, each one of these participants with the assistance of their adjustment counselor complete a Life chart ~ a chart which clearly shows their whole life, relationships and war experience as a Quest or journey to where they are now.

From our very first session, they begin the process of thanking the people who have been there in their lives and as they do ~ like flowers, their buried or numbed out hearts begin to open allowing them to see through different eyes.

They all have access to these self-healing steps in my updated Kindle Book RADICAL THERAPY, SURRENDER TO LOVE AND HEAL YOURSELF IN SEVEN  SESSIONS (not seven years). Here is the Kindle link http://www.amazon.com/Radical-Therapy-Surrender-Yourself-Sessions-ebook/dp/B00JGE5VQE

And here's a link to the YouTube sessions of the self-healing process I teach ~ Watch, in the first 20 minutes, how Marina conquers her deepest fear and demonstrates that beneath her pain and fear is boundless joy, See video  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r12MoNnwPKg&feature=youtu.be

In the third tenet of my PhD dissertation, The Unified Field, I describe the process by which psychic pain can over-ride joy and how most people are afraid of or mistrust their deepest joy ~ It would appear that the pain of not feeling loved for oneself and being seemingly separated from our original state of soul consciousness and the Unified Field is of such deep psychic proportions that, early in childhood, processes are triggered in the hypothalamus which result in a left brain imbalance and dominance as well as the denial, mistrust and forgetting of our connection to the Unified Field and the love and joy and a state of soul consciousness deepest within us. It is from this dark tunnel of pain, aloneness, despair and apparent death that the ego and ego consciousness is born - for survival and protection purposes only.

But to these proud Pacific Islanders, the shame of racism and prejudice was added to their military experience and all had unresolved anger and trust issues.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The group has bonded through their sharing and homework ~ here is a summary of their response to three questions;

 

1.Where were you when you started ?

 

2. What did you want to accomplish during this transformation workshop ?

 

3. What did you learn about yourself during this process ?

FC ~  1. I wanted  to find my real self

          2. I wanted to go through my fears and stop numbing out               with alcohol

          3. I found myself and can finally accept love

 

MC ~  1. I wanted to get beyond my guilt

          2. I want to just be myself

          3. I know I now have a choice

 

RT ~   1. I want to get beyond the chip on my shoulder

           2. I want to get beyond my anger

           3. I know I have another choice besides anger

 

SA ~   1. I am consumed with survivor guilt

           2. I want get beyond my guilt and reunite with my family.

           3. I have forgiven myself and reunited with my family.

 

ML ~   1. I Like myself but I want to be able to share all my joy

           2. I want to really find my deepest joy

           3. I have found my joy and am reconnected to the childhood friend I originally shared it with.

 

LL ~   1. I'd like to find more joy within myself

           2. I want to tap into my deepest delight

           3. I found that delight within myself and am ready to fully share it.

 

This Pacific Islander group has overcome military racism and prejudice through love and forgiveness and they have all discovered not only more of themselves in the process but truly another choice of behavior in their life.

They all graduated with honors for finding the courage to face their fears as well as find another choice of behavior versus anger and resentment.

 

“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”
~ Mahatma Gandhi, All Men are Brothers: Autobiographical Reflections

 

Allen L Roland, PhD
http://allenlrolandsweblog.blogspot.com/2015/10/band-of-brothers-hwh-18-defeating.html
 
Heart centered spiritual consultant and advisor Allen L Roland can be contacted at  allen@allenroland.com Allen is also a lecturer and writer who shares a weekly political and social commentary on his web log and website allenroland.com. He is also featured columnist on Veterans Today and  guest hosts a monthly national radio show TRUTHTALK on www.conscioustalk.net

 

 

BAND OF BROTHERS (HWH) #17 / HEALING WOUNDED HEARTS THROUGH THE POWER OF GRATEFULNESS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Four combat veterans with PTSD face their deepest fears (the fears of their hearts) in Healing The Wounded Heart (Band of Brothers) Workshop # 17 ~ and through the power of gratefulness discover not only their true authentic self but awaken their closed hearts in the process: Allen L Roland, PhD

 

“What happens when people open their hearts ~ They get better.”  ~ Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood

 

                 

 

 

 

 

Brotherhood

In my role as a volunteer heart centered workshop consultant, advisor and mentor, I have recently assisted in the heart felt inner healing of four more combat veterans with PTSD at our local Vets Center . All of them found the courage to go within and beneath their pain and anguish ~ and they found, in the process ~ their original innocence, joy and delight as well as a need to be in service from that very same place of love and gratitude ~ and all within seven weeks.

 

Make no mistake about it, the keys to the magic kingdom of the soul as well as soul retrieval is gratefulness ~ and gratefulness and eventually forgiveness ends with our self.

 

Initially, each one of these participants with the assistance of their adjustment counselor complete a Life chart ~ a chart which clearly shows their whole life, relationships and war experience as a Quest or journey to where they are now.

 

From our very first session, they begin the process of thanking the people who have been there in their lives and as they do ~ like flowers, their buried or numbed out hearts begin to open allowing them to see through different eyes.

 

They all have access to these self-healing steps in my updated Kindle Book RADICAL THERAPY, SURRENDER TO LOVE AND HEAL YOURSELF IN SEVEN  SESSIONS (not seven years). Here is the Kindle link http://www.amazon.com/Radical-Therapy-Surrender-Yourself-Sessions-ebook/dp/B00JGE5VQE

 

And here's a link to the YouTube sessions of the self-healing process I teach ~ Watch, in the first 20 minutes, how Marina conquers her deepest fear and demonstrates that beneath her pain and fear is boundless joy, See video  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r12MoNnwPKg&feature=youtu.be

 

In the third tenet of my PhD dissertation, The Unified Field, I describe the process by which psychic pain can over-ride joy and how most people are afraid of or mistrust their deepest joy ~ It would appear that the pain of not feeling loved for oneself and being seemingly separated from our original state of soul consciousness and the Unified Field is of such deep psychic proportions that, early in childhood, processes are triggered in the hypothalamus which result in a left brain imbalance and dominance as well as the denial, mistrust and forgetting of our connection to the Unified Field and the love and joy and a state of soul consciousness deepest within us. It is from this dark tunnel of pain, aloneness, despair and apparent death that the ego and ego consciousness is born - for survival and protection purposes only. As such, death or the idea of death, is an illusion measured by the limits of our consciousness. It is within that cocoon that the innocent and loving child awaits its turn to be seen and released from its own bondage.

Think of the ego as a protective cocoon that is eventually meant to be shed. The Unified Field can be visualized as a grid of great luminosity joining all living beings within its energy field of love. The words of Longfellow would seem appropriate in describing this all-encompassing field or grid: "The thread of all sustaining beauty that runs through all and doth all unite.

                    

 

 

We see this same thread celebrated  in nature

So after sharing their life charts with the group, with my assistance, and taking accountability for their life and the decisions they alone have made to perhaps run away from love and joy and hide in a cocoon of ego consciousness ~ they are ready to meet their real coach (the trapped child within) through a guided visualization. They then begin the process of listening and responding to their own inner guidance ~ and their dreams become an important guide in this internal spiritual reunion with their original state of love, joy and soul consciousness.

Here's a breakdown on where each member of Band of Brothers #17 started and what they eventually gained from these seven sessions ~ in their own words

 

1.Where they were when they started,

2. What they wanted to accomplish during this transformation workshop and

3. What they learned about themselves during this process.

 

Rich ~ 1. I feel inadequate and unworthy

            2. I want to be happy and enjoy peace of mind.

            3. I am now happy and positive about life.

 

Mike ~  1. I'm supposed to be here

             2. I want to be an open book and empower people with my   presence.

             3. I'm a strong light of authenticity

 

P.A.      1. I'm lost and need to find myself

             2. I want to find my true self and purpose in life.

             3. I am the obstacle to my own joy and peace of mind.

 

Den     1. I want another choice in my life

            2. I want to enjoy an inner sense of peace, belonging and love.

            3. I feel clarity and peace in my mind and heart.

 

P.N.      1. I'm confused and disoriented

             2. I want a sense of inner direction and purpose

             3. I've learned to enjoy the moment and get out of my head

 

All of them have taken major steps not only in finding and healing themselves but in embracing their deepest joy, authenticity and love ~ which they shared with each other in the final session death exercise.

 

It is really so obvious that many of these active duty Veterans want another choice versus drugs and going through the motions in their rehabilitation. The Healing the Wounded Heart program with its emphasis on healing soul damage through gratefulness and heart centered action is a beacon of light in the seemingly impenetrable darkness of PTSD as well as an obvious antidote for our rising Veteran suicide rate.

 

 

As a former Navy all-weather fighter pilot trained to kill with my heat seeking and radar controlled missiles ~ I am now helping to train veterans with PTSD to heal themselves from the mental ravages of war by opening their hearts through gratefulness and eventually forgiveness.

 

Perhaps now with over 100 graduates of the Band of Brothers HWH program ~ the VA will realize that the time has come to recognize that a heart centered approach to Veterans rehabilitation has an important role to play in returning our veterans to useful, intentioned and fulfilling lives.

 

“One single gift acknowledged in gratefulness has the power to dissolve the ties of our alienation.”
~ David Steindl-Rast

Allen L Roland, PhD

http://allenlrolandsweblog.blogspot.com/2015/08/band-of-brothers-hwh-17-healing-wounded_9.html

 

Heart centered spiritual consultant and advisor Allen L Roland can be contacted at  allen@allenroland.com Allen is also a lecturer and writer who shares a weekly political and social commentary on his web log and website allenroland.com. He is also featured columnist on Veterans Today and  guest hosts a monthly national radio show TRUTHTALK on www.conscioustalk.net

 

WHEN JOHNNY CAME HOME

 

 

 

 

 

A heart centered approach to assist combat veterans with PTSD has not only proved effective but has led to inner transformation for many combat veterans in the past five years. I present a composite of two graduates of the Healing the Wounded Hearts (Band of Brothers) program in Northern California where Johnny finally came home to a life of meaning , value and framed in gratefulness: Allen L Roland. Ph.D

 

“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.”  ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

It is estimated that at least 40% of combat troops suffer from Post traumatic Stress disorder (PTSD) ~  a disorder that an individual is diagnosed with after being directly exposed to an extreme traumatic event such as witnessing an actual or threatening death experience, serious injury, or someone who has been fatally injured.  PTSD can also be triggered by a threat to one’s physical integrity or learning, or witnessing an unexpected or violent death, serious harm, or being threatened of death or injury by a family member or other close associate.

             The person with PTSD that is exposed to a particular event usually has experienced intense fear, helplessness, or a horror event ~ which results in disorganized or agitated behavior and usually reinforces earlier emotional separation where it then becomes an emotional block to joy and happiness.

Many people who have PTSD have experienced the trauma event through military combat, violent personal assault (sexual and/or physical), robbery, mugging, taken against their will as a hostage, terror attack, torture, prisoner of war in a concentration camp, involved in various disasters, horrendous auto accident, or diagnosed with a life threatening illness ~ in other words civilians can also experience all the symptoms of PTSD.

              This post will share with you the experiences of a composite person who I will call Johnny, who has been diagnosed with PTSD as a result of being in the military and being exposed to a traumatic event.  Johnny served in the military for 28 years and his last deployment was in 2007.  Although it has been eight years since Johnny was active in the military, his experiences and the PTSD still impact his daily life today.

SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION OF PTSD SYMPTOMS

        According to the DSM-V, there are five symptom clusters for PTSD: stressor, intrusion, avoidance, negative alterations in cognitions and mood, and alterations in arousal and reactivity.  Johnny, who is a composite of two actual combat veterans with PTSD as well as graduates of the Healing the Wounded heart (Band of Brothers) self-healing group, experienced multiple symptoms in each of the five clusters.

With respect to stressor symptoms, Johnny witnessed the traumatic event of a military vehicle hitting an improvised explosive device (IED) along with witnessing the aftermath of what happened to those individuals that were in the vehicle collision as well as  the individuals who were trying to save them which included himself. 

This event dramatically impacted Johnny as there was a shift in his personality, as he acted in unexpected ways before and after being deployed, which was particularly noticeable to those closest to him.

He became constantly on edge, hyper vigilant, more irritable, easy to startle, and feared leaving the house and having social interactions when before, he was very easy-going and social. The event also impacted his transition to civilian life and his ability to cope with day-to-day stressors.       

        Intrusion symptoms include having recurring, or reliving intrusive memories of the trauma. These symptoms include having traumatic nightmares, dissociative reactions such as flashbacks, intense or prolonged grief after the event and marked psychological reactions after being exposed to the trauma related stimuli.

         A month after Johnny returned from his deployment he started experiencing traumatic nightmares and was reliving the event over and over in his head. He started to feel a sense of responsibility of not being able to change the event and wanted to go back in time to that day and change the outcomes by thinking about what would have happened if the military convoy left earlier, took a different route, etc.

         The nightmares were so real to Johnny that he would relive the traumatic event in his dreams to the smallest details, from how pretty it was that night and morning, to the smell of explosive, diesel, dirt, etc.  For months, Johnny experienced these nightmares daily when he first returned from the military.

         These days the nightmares are minimal but sometimes still impact Johnny’s sleeping habits.  The impact of the recurring nightmares included lack of sleep, jumping out of bed in a pool of sweat, and a fear of getting a good night’s sleep.  The lack of sleep, or getting to sleep further exacerbated Johnny’s feelings of being on edge.

         Experiencing the nightmares affected Johnny’s job performance at work as he struggled to concentrate on the task at hand and was eventually let go after two years after his return from combat.   

        

 

 

 

 

 

 Isolation is the principle precursor to the rising Veterans suicide rate.

 

To deal with some of these difficult life issues, and his growing isolation, Johnny resorted to abusing alcohol and pain killers. 

Although he had returned to the U.S, he lacked the ability and desire to follow his own path in life.

         In other words, although he had physically come home, he didn't feel as though he was really here. It was as if there was an invisible wall between him and life. There didn't seem to be much of a reason for life, survival or the future. He tried to hide from his real feelings, by using drugs and alcohol and lots of it.

          Johnny was so haunted by these memories that he didn’t want to keep remembering so he dulled his senses with alcohol and drugs. He self-medicated in order to avoid dealing with the issues at hand, thus delaying his recovery and reinforcing his isolation.

          Johnny also had problem remembering simple things, like what day it was, losing things, forgetting to bathe and brush his teeth, driving and forgetting where he was going.  He also reported feelings of depression and feeling unmotivated to make behavior changes since his feelings of self-worth were also affected.  Johnny would get in the car and start driving and then lose his train of thought and end up missing his destination.  Johnny also became disorganized and had difficulty prioritizing his day. 

           Johnny said he would keep from driving down crowded streets as well as heavily trafficked and loud places.  As a result, Johnny didn’t like to drive in the mornings and evenings during peak traffic times, he felt like he was closed-in.  In the military, Johnny was trained to constantly be on the move as to not be a sitting target, but while in the car and sitting in traffic, Johnny felt on edge because he could not control his environment and he was afraid that the next car was going to explode or another driver was going to take a shot at him.

          Johnny was always very defensive, jittery or irritated of other drivers, feeling like he was not in control, breathing heavily, sometimes pulling over to gather his thoughts to remind himself that he was okay and was not in the environment he left behind.              

          Johnny avoided shopping malls and grocery stores because he felt stressed by the proximity of so many people around him, which caused him to hurry up and want to leave the threatening environment right away. Many times Johnny tried to avoid public events, because it would make him think that something bad was going to happen and he had to be on guard and keep focus of his surroundings.

This caused his heart to race and be easily distracted rather than enjoy the event with the people he was with. 

           For example, when Johnny went into a crowded store, he took notice of the exits in case he started to feel overwhelmed and needed a quick escape. He also sat with his back against the wall and a view to the door when eating at a restaurant.

        Johnny stated that he would avoid watching action movies that depicted combat or involved explosions and violence in order to not have recurring intrusive thoughts of his experience of combat.  Watching such movies would cause him to have sudden flashbacks of the past and the events that occurred during the trauma.  When the symptoms of the PTSD were really bad, Johnny’s wife noticed him wanting to stay home all the time, a sense of withdrawal on the weekends, and even at family gatherings.

          . Johnny felt that there was a disconnect between him and society and he did not feel safe outside his perimeter (his house).  It was becoming very difficult for John to manage his life.  John also became very apprehensive of people who looked as though they came from the Middle East because he perceived them to be dangerous.

        A fourth symptom of PTSD is experiencing negative alterations in cognition and mood that begins or worsens after the traumatic event.  This symptom manifested itself in Johnny as he had persistent negative beliefs and expectations about himself and the world.  Johnny stated that he would beat himself up because he did not have a sense of direction after returning from the military and struggled with leading a meaningful life.  Some of the repeated thoughts that John would pose to himself included, “Johnny, you have lost your edge” and “Johnny, why can’t you get it together?” 

          Johnny would also experience persistent negative trauma-related emotions.  For example, years after the event, John would continue to feel a deep responsibility for what occurred.  Moreover, Johnny would continue to ask himself, “Why not me?  I was just in the next vehicle behind.”  

            Lastly, Johnny also experienced a diminished interest in (pre-traumatic) hobbies and leisure.  For example, prior to the event, Johnny was interested in gardening, bike riding, and doing outdoor activities.  After the traumatic event, Johnny lost his motivation and desire to work in the yard, riding his bike on trails, or wanting to go for nature walks.

             Another symptom caused from experiencing negative alterations in cognitions and mood was Johnny having these constant sudden anger responses when confronted, and reactions to stressful situations were not favorable, and were affecting his concentration. This occurred during times of stress that triggered a “fight or flight” response, such as someone cut him off while driving. 

          Johnny started noticing these constant undesirable responses, and that they were affecting his physical and mental health; being able to recognize familiar things, such as remembering to turn at a familiar exit.  To cope with such undesirable responses, Johnny learned to separate himself from the situation, by leaving the environment and taking a walk, or pulling over to a safe area and taking time to calm down, and putting things in perspective.

        The final symptom of PTSD is trauma-related alterations in arousal and reactivity that begin or worsen after the traumatic event.  In Johnny’s experience, he developed irritable and aggressive behaviors.  For example, when Johnny went out to family events and in groups he had a low tolerance for people who were rude and negative and he wanted to confront such people about their wrongdoing and would get into physical confrontations in order to control the situations. 

        Johnny also experienced hypervigilance and was always looking at his surroundings and noticing who was where and identifying his safe zones.  Johnny shared that when he experienced the hypervigilance he noticed that every muscle within his body tightens to a flight or fight response.  Moreover, Johnny shared that it was noticed by his friends and people who were around him that if there was a sudden loud noise, John had the reaction of jumpiness, was startled, and lost the ability to concentrate because he became so focused on where the noise came from.  This reaction of being startled bothered Johnny because he was always tense, and upset with himself that he reacted to all sudden loud sounds and sudden movements in his close proximity.  To this day, Johnny is still working on trying to contain how he reacts to loud noise and attempts to not lose his concentration.

 

The single most important act for Johnny to come out of his self-imposed isolation shell and avoid suicide, although he attempted it twice, was reaching out for help ~ starting with the VA and ending up with the Vets Center and the Healing the Wounded Heart program and Band of Brothers self-healing support group. The support and encouragement he felt in these groups greatly facilitated his eventual self-healing.      

    Johnny has developed his coping skills mostly through his association with the Veteran’s Administration and his participation in the heart centered Healing the Wounded heart program in Northern California ~ where he saw other veterans learning to cope with their problems and finding inner direction.

Some of the strategies that Johnny has learned from the Vet Center to help him manage his symptoms were grounding, living in the here and now, proper breathing techniques, and living in gratitude as well as other heart centered strategies.

Johnny also participated in cognitive behavior therapy, and getting treatment through integrative medicine treatments such as acupressure, acupuncture, and massages to help with some of the symptoms of his PTSD. 

Learning and experiencing the helpful tools that do assist with dealing and coping with PTSD ~ Johnny has gained a new perspective on life. He has learned to control his symptoms, and this has resulted in an ability to establish a positive relationship with himself, his family and the people around him. But living in gratitude has changed the way he sees life and has brought joy into his life.

His recent Master's Degree in Recreational Therapy has set him on a career path which he can thoroughly enjoy as well as make a difference.

                He is now saying Yes to himself and is no longer controlled by fear.

Johnny had this to say about his experience with the heart centered Healing the wounded Heart (Band of Brothers) self-healing experience:

"The Healing the Wounded heart (Band of Brothers) program taught me how to get back in touch with that part of myself that really matters ~ the part of me that really never left home. Now, my spirit has value and meaning. Now, I am capable of standing up on my own. I have faith in my own abilities. I am truly home now, and I see that happiness is my purpose in life as well as service to my fellow veterans. I am enjoying life more and more and my need for anything that clouds my perceptions of it has gone away."

 

Johnny came home when he basically learned to love again and his heart was awakened through gratefulness. Once that happened , he felt the joy beneath his fear and anxieties and he was once again in service ~ but this time from his heart.

 

"The key to the kingdom of heaven is Gratitude and God only reveals itself to a grateful heart"

 

Allen L Roland. Ph.D

http://allenlrolandsweblog.blogspot.com/2015/06/when-johnny-came-home.html
 

Heart centered spiritual consultant and advisor Allen L Roland can be contacted at  allen@allenroland.com Allen is also a lecturer and writer who shares a weekly political and social commentary on his web log and website allenroland.com. He is also featured columnist on Veterans Today and  guest hosts a monthly national radio show TRUTHTALK on www.conscioustalk.net