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Alternative Treatments for PTSD in Veterans: Providing Care and Preventing Suicides
Healing Warriors Program tackles suicide prevention through a Four Pillar approach which includes Strengthening Access to Care, Community Resources, Promotung Connectedness and Coping Tools. The VA has awarded Healing Warriors Program with the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant (SSG Fox SPGP) which helps HWP expand and enhance services to veterans and families. This new funding and partnership with the VA allows for HWP to provide more services, enhanced intake screenings, better staffing, and improved client care services to serve Veterans. Click here for more information.
Healing Warriors Program envisions a suicide-free world where all veterans and their families thrive.
Our Mission
Tag line: Freeing veterans from suffering and suicide
We exist to interrupt the factors that lead to service member suicides. Too often our troops leave active duty service and are expected to immediately reintegrate into civilian life without regard to the impact of repetitive deployments, trauma and pain.
We all know the numbers on the suicide rate among our service members. The 22 a day figure only scratches the surface of what is known, and does not include the suicides that happen on active duty bases, or with those not within the VA system. The factors leading up to that are many and complex, from the overuse of narcotics, to the unresolved consequences of trauma, to loss of hope, and to a host of personal and environmental factors that result in tragedy.
The reality is, many of our service members return home suffering from Post Traumatic Stress (PTS), Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) and numerous types of chronic pain. In our integrative care clinic, Healing Warriors Program offers non-narcotic treatment options too rarely provided with standard care. We offer: Healing Touch therapy, used in a ground-breaking PTSD protocol developed by the Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine and part of a 2-year research study with Camp Pendleton combat marines, Craniosacral Therapy which is currently undergoing research with Traumatic Brain Injuries and pain management, and Acupuncture with research-based evidence of significant pain and Post Traumatic Stress relief. All therapies provide relief from the depression, anxiety, insomnia, and chronic pain all too familiar to veterans.
We know that the overuse of opioids can lead to an increased risk of suicide. Healing Warriors Program offers clinical care utilizing non-narcotic therapies acupuncture, craniosacral therapy, Healing Touch therapy and Guided Imagery to alleviate pain, help restore sleep and focus, and achieve improvement in overall health and well-being. Our Client Care Specialist assists with Resourcing and works closely with our fellow community partners to connect services for adjunct needs. Rekindling hope that pain can be alleviated, that trauma can heal, and that we are part of a community that cares, provides a path to restoration of quality of life.
“…The care treatments provided to me by Healing Warriors Program have provided me with a level of relief I have been unable to achieve without the use of barbiturates. Thank you for offering this free service for us….” – Active Duty Air Force Officer
The care of our Service Members is our number one objective and we make our decisions by asking the question, “What is best for the veteran?”
For more information, please visit our Research and Resources information page.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is one of our most popular healing therapies. Results from a number of studies suggest that acupuncture may help ease types of pain that are often chronic such as low-back pain, neck pain, and osteoarthritis/knee pain. It also may help reduce the frequency of tension headaches and prevent migraine headaches. It is a reasonable option for people with chronic pain to consider.
Acupuncture works by using needles to stimulate the energy of very specific points of the body in order to rebalance the energy of the body. Due to wide use and patient demand, insurance companies will often cover acupuncture treatment.
What to expect during your visit
The acupuncturist will usually begin by taking your pulses and checking your tongue. This provides information about the body’s general resources and health, and assists the practitioner in determining a treatment plan. Acupuncturists might request that a specific item of clothing be pulled back or removed. For example, if working on the knee or shoulder, some of the outer wear may need to be removed.
Acupuncturists will insert fine, filiform needles superficially at the specific points. They are so fine that patients often say they don’t even feel them. The needles are sterile, used once and then disposed of according to state and federal health guidelines. The needles usually remain in the body for a specified period dependent on the condition and the client. The client rests during this time and often falls asleep. Once the acupuncturist determines that the treatment is complete, the needles are removed and the client is asked to take their time getting up.
VA Community Care Eligibility
CranioSacral Therapy
According to the Cleveland Clinic, Craniosacral therapy (CST) is a gentle hands-on technique that uses a light touch to examine membranes and movement of the fluids in and around the central nervous system. Relieving tension in the central nervous system promotes a feeling of well-being by eliminating pain and boosting health and immunity.
CST was pioneered and developed by osteopathic physician John E. Upledger following extensive scientific studies from 1975 to 1983 at Michigan State University, where he served as a clinical researcher and Professor of Biomechanics.
What to expect during your visit
The CranioSacral Therapy (CST) provider will begin by asking basic intake questions and your goal for your care. They will specifically want to know if you have any areas of concern, pain and whether you are currently undergoing treatment.
After the intake, the CST practitioner will invite you to lay on the table, fully clothed, and will place bolsters as necessary to support any areas of stress or pain while they perform an assessment of the body. Once the assessment has been made, they will proceed to work on different areas of the body to alleviate pain and restrictions and facilitate proper flow. Clients often enter into a deep state of relaxation and sometimes fall asleep.
Healing Touch
Healing Touch was developed by Janet Mentgen, RN, BSN a practicing nurse for 43 years. Janet Mentgen’s early work was with the U.S. Navy. Healing Touch utilizes light touch on the body in specific sequencing to assist in re-balancing the body and alleviating pain. Our clients have also experienced sleep improvement results with Healing Touch therapy.
A 2012 study with Scripps Hospital and Camp Pendleton returning combat marines found “…a clinically significant reduction in PTSD and related symptoms in a returning, combat exposed active duty military population.”
What to expect during your visit
The practitioner will place their hands lightly on designated areas of the body in a specific sequence. Often the client experiences a sense of deep relaxation or a sense of movement, and often falls asleep. This is common and expected and simply reflects the level of relaxation of the body. After the session, the practitioner will slowly assist the client in waking. The practitioner instructs the client to take their time sitting up and will bring them water.
Healing Warriors Program offers a 6-session PTSD Series based on the Scripps/Camp Pendleton study and a 6-session Sleep Series also utilizing Belleruth Naparstek’s Guided Imagery.
Guided Imagery
Guided imagery, sometimes called “guided meditation,” “visualization,” “mental rehearsal,” or “guided self-hypnosis,” is a gentle but powerful technique that focuses the mind and imagination in proactive, positive ways that calm the body.
Studies show that mindful-based programs may provide viable and effective interventions targeting high stress levels, anxiety, sleep quality, and autonomic balance. Healing Warriors Program uses Belleruth Naparstek’s AM, ACSW, Guided Imagery, which is currently used in over 80 VAMC’s and Veteran centers, at Walter Reed and Bethesda Naval Hospital and U.S. military bases, hospitals and installations around the world.
We have provided a link to the Guided Imagery for Relaxation and Wellness to help ease pain. Learn more about Guided Imagery Meditation
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