Warrior (n) a person who shows or has shown great vigor, courage or aggressiveness.
Trauma (n) a deeply distressing or disturbing experience.
For years, Brandon* attempted to numb the inevitable flashbacks of what he’d experienced during his 20 years in the military (to include time in SOCOM), with bourbon; shoving them to the back of his mind where they festered. Memories from his 12 deployments became his personal nightmare. He served his country, protecting his teammates, and erasing the enemy as a threat.
Yet the feelings of survivor’s guilt, the “I should have stayed in and done more,” haunted him. He saw things, no person can ever be fully equipped for or prepared to see…let alone, do.
Many of our nation’s heroes are faced with fighting this personal war, every day. They’ve used alcohol, prescription medication or self-medication to reduce the impact of these memories. However, life hasn’t become easier. In fact, these surface level managements only seem to drive deeper into that darkness. Have you ever pulled a weed from the ground only to see a new weed spring up in its place a few weeks later? This is how it is with the struggles our heroes face – if you don’t dig deep to grab the issue by the root, it will continue to exist and grow out of control.
The battlefield at home has proven to be a far greater a foe than any frontline – domestic or overseas. Veterans, active members of the military, first responders, and firefighters are often faced with traumatic events during their service. The experiences they live each day slowly cause a feeling of dread that can lead to PTSd and unravel into a dependency on alcohol and substance abuse as they seek comfort from nightmares, flashbacks, and more; further heightening the damage caused by the memories of those events.
One of the biggest obstacles for those who are living PTSd, is the fact that’s it’s considered a disorder. With many arguing that if we remove the ‘D,’ we can possibly remove the stigma. The stigma that many think is a lifelong diagnosis; however, it doesn’t need to be.
When talking about trauma from the front lines of war or the street, this duration can go on for a long time. The team at Warriors Heart, a private treatment facility, exclusively for Warriors, providing care for addiction, chemical dependency & PTS for active military, veterans, law enforcement and first responders, works through the trauma with their evidence-based and experiential modalities, to where the event is no longer hijacking the lives of these Warriors. Traumas that can lead to drinking, isolation, irritability, and more. “The understanding is that we don’t forget the event and that it happened, but it no longer controls our behaviors,” stated Lisa Lannon, Co-Founder of Warriors Heart.
Taking on several different names throughout history, it’s been referred to as shell shock, battle fatigue, soldier’s heart and, most recently, post-traumatic stress disorder; with an increasing number of supporters advocating for dropping the “D” in hopes to reduce the stigma associated with PTSD. Many argue that an “Injury” can be overcome, while a “disorder” implies something permanent.
While this name change request, which originated with the US Army, may sound simple, it’s proving to be anything but. One of the major concerns being faced is that altering a diagnostic label may have financial implications for health insurers and disability claims; with some insurers and government agencies being unwilling to reimburse mental health providers for a condition that isn’t considered a disease or disorder.
The DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health), by the American Psychiatric Association is what is used by the medical, mental health and insurance companies to diagnose and treat disorders. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that can occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event, series of events or set of circumstances. An individual may experience this as emotionally or physically harmful or life-threatening and may affect mental, physical, social, and/or spiritual well-being. Examples include natural disasters, serious accidents, terrorist acts, war/combat, rape/sexual assault, historical trauma, intimate partner violence and bullying.
“We at Warriors Heart like to think of the D in PTSD as duration, rather than disorder,” said Lannon. “What is the duration of the symptoms one has of the traumatic event. Everyone suffers from PTSD at some time in their life. Many may not even notice it because the duration is short.”
An example being a car crash – the PTSD can last 5 minutes for something minor like backing into a sign that causes no damage or injuries. A person may be rattled for a few minutes and then goes on with life. A major car crash, the duration could be longer. If major injuries were sustained, a person may avoid that intersection for a while, and when they do, they may subconsciously tighten their grip on the steering wheel, heart rate increases, and they may slow down. Eventually, over time, that intersection no longer affects them, and the car crash is something that happened and doesn’t cause duress.
One of the main concerns of dealing with those suffering with PTS is that it’s not visible. “You don’t see a missing a limb, scars or burns,” stated Tom Spooner, Co-Founder of Warriors Heart. “To the outside world you don’t appear any different from the person standing beside you. You’re not special, you have no issue, no disability to really claim. For many, they don’t feel as though their issue, isn’t severe enough.”
“There are many different forms of PTS,” added Spooner. “You can’t simply look at someone suffering from trauma and expect to treat them the same. Volunteer PTS, which is most common in Military and First Responders, requires a much different level of care than that of victim PTS. The trauma is different; therefore, the healing must be as well.”
The role of a warrior requires you to be combat-ready, while maintaining the capacity to serve as a counselor, executioner, priest, lawyer or social worker all at once. This deep sense of dignity, respect and courage is more often the reason why so many of these men and women are unwilling to seek help, fearing it will jeopardize their jobs or make them look weak.
Warriors Heart recognizes the need for a cultural shift to provide these warriors with the support they deserve, without the stigma of appearing fragile; offering a sanctuary for sick and suffering members of the Warrior community to come together under one common goal – to recover.
Having experienced or witnessed a deeply distressing or terrifying event, seen innocent life taken, witnessed friends being wounded or been caught for what seemed like days in the heat of a firefight, some memories you’d rather forget. Some of your experiences leave a mark on you that changes the way you see the world.
There is a well-known saying among veterans and first responders, “The only one that knows what a soldier is going through is another soldier.”
Regardless of how strong you are, how fit for battle you might believe yourself to be, some battles require a force. Warriors Heart knows first-hand the magnitudes of being in battle, and provides a place where that mentality, warriors helping warriors, resides in the hearts of every member of the team. Other warriors and team members personally connect with those who have reached a point in their life where they think they have nothing to live for; showing them that strength is found in this unique facility, that simply and truly believes in the power of the warrior community, the power of each human who walks through the door of Warriors Heart and the power of each graduate who proudly emerges through the gates after graduation.
Ecclesiastes 4:12 And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.