E-Support on Not Alone

In case you might not know, in Not Alone’s commendable effort to help a nation and its warriors and families deal with the trauma of war is not just a lofty idea that sounds nice, but won’t be put into practice. No, Sir. This place is serious. Not Alone offers many free programs that provide tangible relief for the struggles of life after war. It’s not all talk here. They want to be your boots when walking the difficult journey of returning to wellness.

Last night I went to visit the Warrior’s Group on Not Alone, to experience firsthand what the site has to offer. I do admit the interface was kind of tricky, which was frustrating, but I’m an old seadog these days (next year is my tenth anniversary of graduation from boot camp), so I imagine anybody a little bit younger (and therefore, more technologically savvy) wouldn’t have the same problems.

I spoke with a counselor named Larry, a veteran of the Vietnam War. He was quick to point out that even though he served in Southeast Asia, he never saw any combat, but the man knows his stuff. Also, he can relate. Anybody who puts their life on the line can relate to that pain in the gut, and nagging fear, of being deployed.

This warrior group was a place to start opening up and learning about PTSD, and about what to do if you're still struggling when you return home. Larry was quick to point out to me that “even if a vet doesn’t have PTSD – they have depression or guilt or whatever else – we still want them here.” In the group, you get to learn about the symptoms of PTSD and you get a gut check about your own life and mental health. Do you have flashbacks? Did you experience a traumatic event? Are your emotions numbed? Are you always on guard (hyper vigilant)?

We also talked about different techniques for remaining calm and processing emotions appropriately: meditation, guided visualization, and breathing techniques. Larry is also a big advocate of yoga, which, as wimpy as that sounds, he totally sold me on. There are a lot of parallels to military things, such as breathing techniques and firing positions, in the practice of yoga. And doing those things, as you proceed in overcoming your trauma, can help you achieve better health in a sort of familiar way.

Larry reminded me flat out: there are some things we’ve lost because of our experiences that we can never get back. Maybe that’s a marriage. Maybe it’s a job. Maybe it’s a drunken incident we’d like to undo. But the sooner we start addressing what’s wrong – the sooner we can create a pleasant future for ourselves.

It only takes one step. That one initial step.

On forced marches at boot camp, with my rifle and dozens of pounds of gear, I wanted to quit once. The burden was too much. A drill instructor sensed my feelings. He said, “Just put your chest out, and then put one foot in front of the other; the momentum of all that extra weight will keep you going.”

I think that’s appropriate for dealing with life after war. Use your burden as motivation. Once you start, I think you’ll find that you can’t stop, and wellness is the mission.

Good luck and Semper Fi.

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