Healing and the 21st Century Warrior

As a combat vet I am just now after 19 years starting to put back together memories and now I have an understanding of where my emotions come from. Before, I was unable to distinguish the roots of my emotions, which resulted in disorganized thinking processes and seemingly eruptions of emotions and questionable behavior.

I would have argued, and have in the past, that healing was a myth for the combat veteran. But, that was before I started doing research in sleep disorders, trauma-based disorders and the mental constructs of such, and found parallels to my life and quested further to understanding the nature of trauma and its effects on a person. Trauma-based disorders; evolutionary defensive mechanisms stuck on shock and awe.

The dissociative nature of Combat PTSD and the integrative features of healing to the Combat Vet feel much like defensive positions and we will avoid doing so. Even if a vet believes they cannot be healed probably has more to do with sense of self-worth. I believed for many years that I was unworthy of healing because of the lives I ended 19 years ago. I battled everyone because thats what I was made into; a constant warrior. This false belief was compounded by my inability to reconcile my emotive responses from within and attributed them to the environment, the juxtaposition of the Combat PTSD Vet.

Healing has to come from within, but we can facilitate other needs of the Combat Vet until the warrior is ready to process further. The resources of the community needs to be marshaled together and bring support to the families in their communities. This is how we will help our warriors heal, at home with family, loved ones, mentors and spirit guides for those inclined.

The word heal is misleading and thats the trouble I have with using it. I am filled with images and inclinations of something having been done already, to mend the soul is an ongoing process and we Combat Vets can operate on the slippery slopes, but usually we try to avoid those. I think more of myself on a journey of healing...