I just received my Physical Evaluation Board decision to be medically retired due to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). That means that I should be out of the Army within the next month or so. (Exciting!)
Coincidentally, I got the call from my liaison officer in the parking lot of the Rocky Mountain Hyperbaric Institute, where I have been going to get free PTSD treatments. That’s when I thought to myself, “Perhaps I can celebrate my retirement by asking my friends and readers to donate to this place!” After all, this is the place that has healed parts of my PTSD’d brain for free not just once, but twice in the last decade.
Healing Our Heroes
Ten years ago, I got free hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBOT) from the Institute, thanks to the Rocky Mountain Hyperbaric Association’s Healing Our Heroes program. The program includes 40 free sessions of HBOT, free room and board, as well as a modest stipend for Veterans with PTSD or traumatic brain injury (TBI).
The change to my brain was dramatic–so much so that I wrote all about it in my book, “Heal or Die: A story about trauma, chronic illness, and unexpected help.”
PTSD All Over Again
Then, one year ago, a previously untouched portion of my PTSD-‘d brain revealed itself, and I went back to the therapies that had healed me ten years ago–this time, to do them at a deeper level. Fortunately, I now live pretty close to the Institute, and I have begun the 20 free HBOT sessions that they offer local Vets with PTSD or TBI.
In addition to HBOT, I have been doing:
- Ego-state therapies like EMDR and DNMS
- Somatopsychological therapies like Bowen Method and Somatic Experiencing
- Physiological therapies like myofascial release and HBOT
- Trigger-busting methods like Exposure Therapy
- Spiritual therapies like healing prayer, healing meditations, as well as declarations of faith
- Grounding techniques to keep calm in between healing sessions
It’s working and it’s certainly working much faster than it did ten years ago when I had to spend (waste) so much time just trying to figure out what was wrong with me and which healing approaches worked the best.
Pay It Forward
Of all the help and free therapy I’ve received over the years, the Rocky Mountain Hyperbaric Association’s Healing Our Heroes program has been the most generous and the most immediately life-changing. That’s why I’d like to pay it forward by sponsoring them as my “Partner of the Year” organization so that they can continue funding their Healing Our Heroes program to the max.
Will you donate to them to celebrate my medical retirement this year? I wouldn’t be asking if they didn’t really need it. The Association is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization so it is a tax write-off for you. And I don’t see a penny of your donation; it goes straight to them.
Whether or not you donate, will you please also share this blog on your social media pages to get the word out?
Thanks for your help, friend!
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