Page 592 - Total War on PTSD

Paul suffered from PTSD. To outside observers, he told me that he might have seemed like “just another angry, disgruntled Veteran.” He sought help from the VA, looking for guidance, direction and connection but nothing seemed to help and he quit trying. “I was drowning in fear and sadness,” he reflected. “After months of putting away the uniform, I developed a pretty detailed plan for suicide. But while sitting in my truck, ready to proceed, a thought hit me: to die by my own hand was not my birthright. It is not the way of the warrior. Warriors have a deep appreciation for life and are not victims of circumstance.”
Paul reached out to the Boulder Crest Retreat in Virginia, a highly respected in- residence center for Veterans seeking to heal the hidden wounds of trauma. There he learned TM. According to Paul, “TM is different. You can take it anywhere and do it anytime: at home, on an airplane, sitting in traffic, anywhere. Veterans need this meditation. We need to learn how to regulate so we can be calm, cool and collected at home, just like we were trained to neon the battlefield. TM has worked for thousands of my brothers and sisters. It’s given me the opportunity not just to survive on earth but to thrive here — and to live a life that is truly full of purpose, meaning, connection and service.”
Boulder Crest Retreat, which is in Bluemont, Virginia, is the nation’s first privately funded wellness center dedicated exclusively to combat Veterans and their families. It provides a free, safe and sacred place for nearly 700 Veterans and their families each year to rest, reconnect, and recharge. It also serves as a model location for implementing the Operation Warrior Wellness (OWW) “Resilient Warrior" program.
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