Source: Click here It’s the holiday season and for many it’s a joyous time with family and friends… but for others, the season brings painful reminders that lead to depression. “The majority of people are trying to cope with issues of loss, mainly.” said Mike Monic who is a licensed therapist in Jennings. He says the pain of loss is often magnified during the holidays because that time of year can be linked to their most precious memories. Also, people are less physically act

Source: click here "This week on Inside Appalachia, we’ll travel to Sugar Bottom Farm in Clay County West Virginia to meet Veteran Eric Grandon, the first veteran to go through the Veterans and Warriors to Agriculture program. Grandon is 50 years old. His struggles with PTSD went undiagnosed for decades, but he said he started having symptoms back in 1990. His wife noticed, but they didn’t talk about it for years. Now, four years after he started farming, he said he feels lik

Source: click here for video "Before soldiers are sent into combat, they're trained on how to function in an immensely dangerous environment. But they also need training on how to return from the battlefield to civilian life, says psychologist Hector Garcia. Applying the same principles used to prepare soldiers for war, Garcia is helping veterans suffering from PTSD get their lives back." #video #ptsd #ptsdawareness #coping #mentalhealth

Source: click here Bill Alexander, a U.S. Navy veteran at Weatherford College’s Veteran Center, is studying nature and it’s effects on healing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder for women veterans (PTSD) by researching nature-based and horticultural therapy. PTSD has long been one of the primary mental concerns for military members and nature may play a pivotal role in helping tackle the subject, Alexander said. Cognitive behavioral therapy and medical drugs are considered the mo

For individuals who mourn the sudden loss of a death by suicide, the grief process can be extremely tiring and overwhelming without a healthy network of support. We want to introduce individuals who are currently grieving the death of a loved on who served in the military at any time, to explore the non-profit organization named, "TAPS", or Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors. The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) offers compassionate care to all those grie

Can you remember the sense of peace and enjoyment you felt coloring as a child? Can coloring really help me relax? From choosing colors to the gentle, repetitive motion of your hands as you bring color to paper, coloring can be seen as a form of “active mediation”. Oftentimes when you think of meditation you think of sitting still for a long period of time. With active meditation it is just the opposite. Repetative motions such as coloring (or running, walking, dancing or eve

An article written by Dustin Jones, a USMC veteran who served tours of duty with Cpl Dane Freedman. Please click the link below to read the article. He writes... "This is an article I wrote while I was in Australia. It was published on the school site, which was pretty cool, and it got a pretty emotional response from a few students and staff. It's about a good friend of mine, back in Australia, and his struggles with the Australian VA and reintegrating into civilian life.

I keep getting the same email over and over again, and my heart aches each time I read it: “I have tried everything to overcome my depression, but nothing has helped. Is there anything else I can do or will I have to live the rest of my life plagued with sadness?” First, hear these three words: There is hope. If there wasn’t any, I would not be alive writing my blog. I am one of the worst cases out there like you are. I have spent more years of my life fantasizing about death

#coping #ptsd #awareness #article #veteran

Please click this link for resources on PTSD, coping skills and self help information. This is a great resource for all veterans, and their families and friends. This section provides you with information on what to expect following a traumatic event and how to manage stress reactions. Most people experience some stress reactions following a trauma, such as nightmares, flashbacks, difficulty sleeping, and feeling detached. The fact sheets below can help you learn how to cope.