Helping our Veterans heal from PTSD.
A veteran came to the barn, exhausted after trying multiple strategies to address addiction and PTSD. He immediately was drawn to JJ, our new draft horse who was struggling with his own PTSD after having done some competitive mounted shooting. He was easily startled and at times would be unpredictable to ride and be around.
As the veteran stood beside the massive horse, he began to brush him and asked about his story. The clinical staff began sharing the story of JJ and the challenges he had been facing lately. The staff shared of how loud noises were bothering him and making him unsafe to be around at times. The veteran stopped brushing, put his hands around JJ's face and said, "when you have IED's going off all around you, you get scared of everything too. We can do this together." He then put his face too JJ's and the two had a moment of genuine connection, of deep understanding. The two worked together for a few weeks before the veteran was successfully discharged from his program through the VA. The veteran shared about the powerful work that was done in connecting with JJ. He shared that it was like nothing he had experienced before and he had a sense of deep connection that he had never experienced before. He shared "finally, someone gets it!"
"There are some who could hear you speak a thousand words, and still not understand you. And there are others who will understand--without even speaking a word." -Yamin Mogahed
It was in that moment that we were reminded of why we do what we do. Traditional talk therapy works for some, but for those who have experience intense trauma, like facing combat, traditional approaches may not be as effective.
Our program seeks to bridge that gap for services to our veterans. When a veteran is seeking services, we want to be able to get them connected to the help they need as quickly as possible. We provide opportunities for healing through individual sessions, veteran groups, or 2-3 day intensives.
Here from another veteran here: https://youtu.be/0UGE5Nhgoxc