The Worst thing to ignore if someone you love has PTSD

This simple but effective technique is finding more and more skeptics turning to believers in the therapy world. EFT, or tapping, is easy to do, gives immediate relief and once you know how to do it, you can do it for yourself. So what's keeping the VA from adopting it TODAY? They want more studies.

Considering the massive amount of success that PTSD sufferers have had with this amazingly simple technique, we hope they get their studies done quickly.

Here is a quote from the article in Press Democrat.com about one man's experience...

To treat the post-traumatic stress disorder he's endured for four decades — the sleeplessness, the depression, the troubled relationships — Peter Tracy turned last year to tapping.

"It made a difference," said Tracy, 61, a Vietnam veteran. "I feel like I'm doing OK."

He said his Army service in Vietnam with a combat supply unit felt "like a nightmare I couldn't get out of."

Tapping, known formally as emotional freedom techniques, or EFT, is a therapy in which patients, guided by someone trained in the procedure, tap on acupressure points by the eye, over the lip, on the chest and under an arm. At the same time, the patient describes past traumas, ranks the intensity of the memory and repeats statements meant to affirm self- acceptance in the face of the experience.

For the entire article here is the link from PressDemocrat.com ...

http://www.eftuniverse.com/images/stories/6-4-10/pressdemovets.pdf

Only one in ten veterans who enters treatment for PTSD in the V.A. actually completes it.

This startling statistic should be an alarm that something needs to change in order for more vets to get the help they need for this life changing, debilitating condition. Two men have been in Washington D.C. this year trying to do just that!

On their first visit, Dawson Church and David Feinstein went, with a Second Lieutenant, to attempt to get Congress to set up hearings to plead the case that Energy Psychology is superior to conventional treatments for soldiers and veterans suffering with PTSD. Here is what Dr. Feinstein writes after finally getting in front of Congresswomen Lynn Woolsey.

Our presentation was brief but effective, centering around the Second Lieutenant telling of his story. While serving as a guard and medic in Iraq, he was able to psychologically mobilize himself to perform his duties like a model soldier. He had enlisted in the Army and was deployed to the “Triangle of Death” in Baghdad, where he served in 2006 and 2007. He attended to mass casualties and encountered many bloodied, burned, and dead bodies.  The first casualty he witnessed was a member of his unit who had half his head blown off.  It was a time when fellow soldiers were being kidnapped and beheaded.  At night, lying in his tent, in an area being heavily bombed, he explained what goes on in the mind:  “When the sound of a whizzing rocket fills the air, if you hear an explosion three seconds later, you are alive.  If you don’t, you are dead.”   

Upon returning to the U.S., safety did not provide comfort. In a classroom or other public setting, he would be calculating his response should there be an attack. Sirens were now the screams of approaching rockets.  An ebullient personality before the war, his inner life had become dry and restricted. He no longer found himself laughing.  He realized in retrospect that he had become dissociated from his body.  He gradually came to accept that his undiagnosed PTSD was his new way of life.  Having become an officer, and in training now to become a physician, he knew that reporting a psychological difficulty of this magnitude could have a devastating impact on his career. 

About a year after returning from Iraq, a friend commented on how he had changed. She offered to try a technique that she thought might be helpful.  This led to a three-hour session of EFT (a form of Energy Psychology) where he made a list of every trauma he experienced during the war. Giving a 0-to-10 “subjective units of distress” rating to the first item on his list, he reported that it was a 0.  He felt no distress in his (dissociated) body.  His friend had him tap on the memory anyway.  Within minutes he was sobbing, feeling the full impact of the memory, as high a 10 as could be imagined.  For three hours they went through and, by tapping on acupuncture points, emotionally neutralized every memory on his list.  He described how one of the first things he noticed as the session progressed was a return of sensation in his hands.  He said it was like he was back in his body.  By the end of that single session (followed by a brief follow-up session the next day), he was cured of all his symptoms of PTSD.  Now nearly two years later, although his friend would be happy to provide follow-up at any point, he has been his joyful self again, no longer hypervigilant, and in no need of further help. 

Dawson followed with a brief description of the research he has conducted demonstrating that the poignant story just told was not an isolated incident but rather an example of a reliable and unusually effective treatment for PTSD.  He described the Iraq Vets Stress Project, which has offered free Energy Psychology treatment to hundreds of veterans through an international network of more than 100 providers, with many VA therapists referring veterans for treatment. 

For the whole story go here! 

No more rationed care for veterans, thank you IAVA

Dear readers,

If you signed and helped pass this legislation, you've probably received your own letter from IAVA and Paul. If not, the good news is THEY DID IT! These guys are really on the ball, they passed this new GI Bill, by tapping into the Veterans community on and off line. My hat is off to them and I strongly recommend you get on their e-mail list, so you can help them support all veterans, combat and non-combat, male and female, from Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan. Here's the letter they sent explaining more about that recent GI Bill...

Dear Lisa,

I'm writing from Washington, DC, and I have some big news.

The President just signed IAVA's number one legislative priority for the year into law- advance funding for VA healthcare. And it's all because of your support.

Click here to watch a quick video update I recorded at the White House before the signing ceremony, and find out how you played a huge role in today's victory.

The new law requires Congress to pass the VA healthcare budget one year in advance. It means no more rationed care for veterans- regardless of what year it is, or what party is in power. Period.

This is what we've been fighting for since January- and it's a huge win for veterans of all generations.

For the past ten months, you've played a crucial role in this historic process by calling Congress, forwarding emails, making donations, and recruiting others to join the fight. Click here to see how you contributed to this historic victory.

Last year, IAVA made passing a new GI Bill our number one priority. And because of you, we got it done. This year, we chose a new goal, and again, we got it done. You stepped up to the plate, and ensured that the VA will always have a budget that passes on time.

Click here to see how we won this fight together.

Thank you for standing with us.

Sincerely,

Paul

Paul Rieckhoff
Executive Director & Founder
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA)

A tip for vets and first time home buying.

Well here's something I didn't know. It might be news to you vets as well. Looks like you don't have much time to take advantage of it, but if you are in the market or ready to buy a new home, this might save you some money. I hope it will work for you!

Dear Vet's,

Have you been thinking about buying a home or refinancing your current home loan? Did you know that you can still take advantage of the First Time Homebuyer Tax credit or $8,000 (must close by November 30, 2009) if you purchase your first home, (a first home is considered if you have not owned a home for the past three years), using your VA entitlement which requires NO DOWN PAYMENT money? Did you know that the current 30 year fixed rate is 5% with NO PRE PAYMENT PENALTIES?

Enough with all these questions. One fact to remind you of is if you HAVE used your eligibility to purchase a home using your VA entitlement, you do have the option of using your entitlement again. In fact there are no limits as to how many times you use your entitlement, as long as you pay off your current VA home loan prior to buying your next home.

To find out more detailed information please email or visit my website at:

mfriedman@pmglending.com

or

www.pmglending.com/mfriedman

Your VA home loan specialist.

Mitch Friedman

720-434-4784

Hey folks,

this is REALLY important so pay attention . Take 5-10 minutes to read the links and call your senator. I just did it, it takes literally 4-5 minutes to call. Paul from IAVA has provided a call back number, so all you do is plug in your zip code and they take care of the rest. You are connected with your senators office, you can let them know about how you feel about them not getting this vote passed in time for VA hospital funding. thanks for helping to take care of the men and women who are taking care of us!!

Dear Veteran supporter,

This could be one of the most important phone calls you make this year.

Last week, the Senate failed to pass the VA budget, and six million veterans who rely on the VA for healthcare are paying the price. All passing the budget takes is one vote - the Senate just hasn't gotten around to it.

Now, VA hospitals and clinics nationwide can't plan for critical staffing and equipment needs, leading to longer waits for appointments, and rationed care. This is completely unacceptable.

Take action by calling your Senators now. Tell them to pass the VA budget, so that veterans get the care they deserve. Click here to place your call - our online tool makes it easy.

The VA budget has been late an astounding 20 times in the last 23 years. And every year we've had to fight to get it passed. But your phone call could change that forever. This year's budget includes a provision that will fund the VA a full year in advance. Advance funding the VA is IAVA's top legislative goal for 2009, and it means veterans' healthcare will never be rationed again.

So please place a call to your Senators now and make sure that the VA is fully funded this year, and for years to come.

The only budget that Congress passed on time last week is the one that pays their salaries. Veterans shouldn't have to wait while Congress gets paid. Help us change that today.

Thank you for making your voice heard.

Sincerely,

Paul

Paul Rieckhoff
Executive Director & Founder
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA)

STRESS PROJECT.ORG

Here's a link to a list from the Iraq Vets Stress web site of

"VA Therapists offering Energy Psychology:

There are a number of therapists who work at Vets Centers, VA hospitals, military hospitals, or VA counseling centers, who are trained in Energy Psychology. Please note that some of these therapists work by phone as well as in person. This is a partial list. Please email us if you have additional names of such resources."

http://www.stressproject.org/vatherapists.html

The mere fact that VA hospitals are using these approaches is really exciting and goes a long way toward giving legitimacy for these 'new' therapies. The are using them because they are getting results.

Also if you feel you don't have the finances to fund this kind of therapy...

Multi City Iraq Vets PTSD Program:

If you're a combat veteran, you may qualify for get six FREE and completely confidential sessions of EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) coaching.

Several cities have therapists or life coaches offering EFT, and help is also available by phone. You fill in four quick one-page forms to determine if you're eligible for this fast and effective program. To see a 19 minute video of Vietnam and Iraq veterans speaking about their experiences click here. (please be aware that watching this video frequently brings up intense emotions).

To find a coach near you, please contact study coordinator Crystal Hawk. You will then be directed to the nearest coach who will send you forms to fill out to determine if you're eligible for this coaching. There are coaches in many cities, and many coaches work by telephone, so help is readily available.

Crystal Hawk, MEd
Phone 416-922-4325
Email Crystal

During Healthcare Speech, Obama Seeks To Reassure Those Insured Through VA

Veterans will be relieved to hear that they won't have to change plans. Hopefully things will even improve with the new reforms!

[AP]
During a tense health care speech before a joint-session of Congress late Wednesday, President Barack Obama sought to reassure veterans that his health care reform proposal will not adversely affect veterans who rely on VA care. "Those who now are getting employer-provided coverage or are insured through Medicare, Medicaid or the Veterans Administration would not be required to change their plans or their physicians," he said.

More exciting news from IAVA and President Obama

Thank you Paul Rieckhoff, IAVA for your hard work on moving the DOD and VA into the computer age and toward a cooperative effort that will benefit us ALL! This new seamless sharing of information and records will: help vets, increase quality of care, decrease waiting time, slash spending and eliminate the waste of unnessasary re-tests and misdiagnosis. Here's more explaination from Mr. Rieckhoff...

"Right now, there is no easy process for transferring service members' medical records from the DOD to the VA when they leave active duty. As a result, some of our most seriously wounded troops are suffering through redundant tests, misdiagnoses, and delayed treatment. This initiative will make medical and military records electronic and transferable, meaning a more streamlined, less bureaucratic process for our injured troops.

But this isn't just a matter of eliminating red tape. This change impacts the health, and lives, of the men and women who have served our country."

Today, IAVA and the nation's leading Veterans Services Organizations stood with President Obama, Secretary Gates and Secretary Shinseki at the White House to renew the nation's commitment to our newest generation of heroes.

Fulfilling two of his campaign promises, President Obama announced his support for advance funding the VA and ensuring a seamless transition between the VA and DOD healthcare, which will have a huge impact on the lives of troops and veterans.

Can you take a minute to join IAVA in thanking President Obama, Secretary Gates and Secretary Shinseki for making veterans and their families a priority? This is an important first step to giving our veterans the health care and benefits they've earned.

Click here to watch a quick video and add your name! http://www2.iava.org/o/436/t/8492/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=1906

New Treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Delivers Rapid, Long Lasting Results for Iraqi War Veterans--No Drugs Necessary

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) -- Stanford engineer Gary Craig introduces EFT, a new "acupuncture without needles" technique for helping Iraqi War Veterans gain relief from their Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

EFT stands for Emotional Freedom Techniques and involves the stimulation of certain meridian points on the body by tapping on them with the fingertips. This stimulation has been clinically shown in thousands of cases to dramatically reduce, or completely eliminate, the sting of trauma.

"Conventional psychology has been looking in the wrong place for clues to the PTSD puzzle," says Craig. "We have found repeatedly that the nightmares, sweats and intrusive memories of our war veterans occur because their war memories disrupt the proper flow of their bodies' subtle energies."

"Once these energies have been properly balanced," maintains Craig, "the war veteran couldn't get upset about the memory if s/he tried. This is also true for other emotional issues including phobias, grief, rape, depression and anger."

Susan Hannibal is a San Diego therapist and consistent user of EFT who often feels frustrated with the military's use of conventional and ineffective methods for PTSD. "One of the biggest problems facing our military today is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder," she says, "but no one in authority wants to break new ground and use the most effective treatment available."

"Even when they don't sustain physical injuries," says Hannibal, "their lives can go into a tailspin. Traumatic memories are an underlying cause of health problems, social isolation, domestic violence, divorce, alcohol and drug abuse, and shattered families."

Everyone agrees that conventional treatments do little to help. Psychiatric drugs can dull or numb PTSD symptoms, but drugs have side effects and do nothing to address the disorder's underlying cause. Conventional talk therapy can even make the problem worse by reinforcing traumatic memories.

But Hannibal and other EFT practitioners worldwide routinely neutralize haunting memories - in soldiers, accident or abuse victims, and survivors of disasters - in record time. The simple EFT process often does its job in one or two sessions and, in some cases, has done it in minutes.

One of Hannibal's clients is Navy Corpsman Wilbur Hurley. Just before leaving Iraq, he had to deal with a young Marine's suicide. That event triggered memories of a murder-suicide Hurley witnessed as a child, and he began having vivid nightmares. Returning home, he isolated himself from friends and family and suffered debilitating anxiety attacks, flashbacks, auditory hallucinations, anger, and irritability.

Hurley's symptoms disappeared when Hannibal taught him EFT. After his first session, which Hannibal videotaped, Hurley left her office singing. "It was pretty much the greatest day of my life," he said. Even when he concentrated on the worst events he witnessed in Ramadi, he couldn't find a single memory that bothered him.

Corpsman Hurley has remained free of PTSD symptoms since his three-session treatment in December 2004.

Results like these don't surprise Gary Craig. In 1994, Craig and a colleague visited a Veterans Administration hospital in California, where they worked on-camera with six Vietnam War veterans.

"These men hadn't had a moment's peace in 20 years," says Craig. "Their lives revolved around their terrifying memories." But after just a few minutes of tapping, all of the men experienced profound release.

"Traumatic memories and phobias usually respond quickly to EFT," he says, "and the results are often permanent. EFT not only prevents post-traumatic memories from causing problems, it successfully treats memories that are decades old."

Despite the dramatic results achieved by patients at the VA hospital, says Craig, none of the staff were interested.

Today the Department of Veterans Affairs pays compensation for PTSD to nearly twice as many veterans as it did six years ago, at an annual cost of $4.3 billion. Most recent applicants are Vietnam War veterans.

"It would be wonderful if military chaplains, counselors, and psychologists learned EFT and taught it to everyone," says Hannibal, "but it's so different from what they're used to that no one knows what to make of it."

In addition, she says, there is still a bias against seeking help in all branches of the military. "It's cultural conditioning," she says. "It's unfortunate."

The EFT basics can be learned by anyone by downloading the free EFT Manual from Craig's website at

http://www.emofree.com/downloadeftmanual.asp

Alpha Company hit hard by post-traumatic stress resulting from combat

By Tom Infield-Philadelphia Inquirer-staff writer
Of all the things that Alpha Company has had to struggle with since it came home from Iraq, the most pervasive may be post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.

Of the 126 veterans interviewed or surveyed by The Inquirer, almost half - 46 percent - said they had been treated for PTSD, most at VA hospitals and clinics in the region.

Alpha's rate of PTSD is higher than that of most U.S. troops who served in Iraq or Afghanistan - partly, no doubt, as a result of its being a frontline combat unit that lost six men.

Shelley M. MacDermid, a Purdue University professor who served on a Defense Department mental-health task force last year, said typical PTSD rates among returning veterans were about 14 percent.

"Those are big numbers," she said of The Inquirer's Alpha findings.

National Guard and Reserve units, in general, have shown slightly higher PTSD rates than have regular Army units, she said.

The Defense Department task force said this might be in part because civilian-soldiers were separated after they returned home, rather than staying together as units in which the members could support one another.

Ira Katz, director of mental-health services for the Department of Veterans Affairs, said that among the 300,000 or so veterans who have been seen by the VA, about 20 percent have been diagnosed with PTSD.

But he said that twice that number - about 40 percent - have had some "mental condition."

"That's not all that different from your [46] percent," he said.

Both MacDermid and Katz said that PTSD had become a popular shorthand for all sorts of emotional symptoms that veterans experience. These may include depression and anxiety disorders, but not rise to the level of PTSD.

Steven Silver, who recently retired as director of the inpatient PTSD unit at the Coatesville VA hospital, predicted that as time went on, more and more combat veterans would be shown to have the high PTSD rate Alpha now shows.

PTSD, as a term, has been used only since 1980. World War II soldiers talked of battle fatigue. In World War I, it was shell shock.

Silver said that both the military and the VA had become more aggressive in warning troops about PTSD and getting them treatment.

He said that although Alpha's rate was high, "in some ways, it's good news. It means that people are coming in for help." (I agree this is very good news, it may be we are approaching a time of new understanding of this trauma. Which means we HAVE learned something from the Vietnam vets who suffered alone so terribly.)

(unfortunately however...) PTSD typically is treated with psychotherapy and antidepressant drugs, including Zoloft and Paxil. (which treats the symptoms but not the causes)

About two-thirds of Alpha veterans have received care at VA hospitals and clinics - for PTSD, physical ailments, or both.

quick fix for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?!?

Hard to imagine if you've got it.

The horrible PTSD symptoms veterans are experiencing are so debilitating and so enervating that it seems impossible there is a quick fix. Many believe there is not. One VA therapist I talked with believes it takes years of talk therapy and finding ways to integrate one's various roles and experiences to overcome PTSD.

He believes EMDR works for simple, one-time traumas such as a car accident. But this therapist believes for the complex situations that develop from killing people, seeing others killed and/or being in danger of being killed, it takes long and intensive therapy to heal. Perhaps he is right.

But what if there is an easier, quicker, safe way? Would it be worth a try?

We have written a self-help book called Recovering from PTSD YOUR Way to give you or your loved one an alternative to years of therapy. We are so confident it will help you that we are giving a money-back guarantee.

More good news!

Things are starting to move!

PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake today said an expansion by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) of its Vet Centers, which provide readjustment counseling and outreach services to returning combat veterans, is well ahead of schedule.

In February 2007, VA announced it would open 23 new centers during the next two years. Fifteen of those centers are already operational, and five others are seeing patients in temporary facilities while finalizing their leases. The other three facilities will begin operations later this year.

"Building on our past successes, 2008 will see a permanent increase in the number of Vet Centers, as we bring the remaining facilities on line to reach a record 232 Vet Centers by the end of the year," Peake said.

"To support this expansion and augment the staff at 61 existing Vet Centers, this year we are channeling a 44 percent increase in funding to the Readjustment Counseling Service, which operates the Vet Centers -- nearly $50 million more than last year's budget," he added.

The community-based Vet Centers are a key component of VA's mental health program, providing veterans with mental health screening and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) counseling, along with help for family members dealing with bereavement and loved ones with PTSD.

The 15 new Vet Centers that are open in permanent locations are in Binghamton, N.Y.; Middletown, N.Y.; Watertown, N.Y.; Hyannis, Conn.; DuBois, Pa.; Gainesville, Fla.; Melbourne, Fla.; Macon, Ga.; Manhattan, Kansas; Escanaba, Mich.; Saginaw, Mich.; Grand Junction, Colo.; Baton Rouge, La.; Killeen, Texas; and Las Cruces, N.M.

Five additional Vet Centers are providing services in temporary space while they finalize their leases: They are in Toledo, Ohio; Ft. Myers, Fla.; Montgomery, Ala.; Everett, Wash.; and Modesto, Calif.

The final three locations where Vet Centers will open for clients later this year are in Berlin, N.H., Nassau County, N.Y., and Fayetteville, Ark.

Vet Centers provide counseling on employment, plus services on family issues, education and outreach, to combat veterans and their families. Vet Centers are staffed by small teams of professional counselors, outreach specialists and other specialists, many of whom are combat veterans themselves.

VA's Vet Centers have hired 100 combat veterans back from Iraq and Afghanistan as outreach specialists, often placing them near military processing stations, to brief servicemen and women leaving the military about VA benefits.

These outreach specialists meet with returning veterans, work through family assistance centers and visit military installations to carry the message that VA will be there for the troops and family members after discharge.

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

VA simplifies PTSD claims for some veterans

EXCELLENT NEWS!!!!!

this is a really solid example of the growing awareness for the need to change and help these veterans-FASTER. From the Army Times...

By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Feb 20, 2008 9:43:24 EST

The Department of Veterans Affairs has scrapped a policy requiring combat veterans to verify in writing that they have witnessed or experienced a traumatic event before they can file a claim for post-traumatic stress disorder — but only if the military has already diagnosed them with PTSD.

“This change provides a fairer process for veterans with service-connected PTSD,” Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, said in a written statement. “[It] leaves claim adjudicators more time to devote to reducing the staggering backlog of veterans’ claims.”

In the past, a veteran has needed written verification — a statement from a commander or doctor, or testimony from co-workers — that he or she was involved in a traumatic situation to receive disability compensation from VA if they had not already been diagnosed by the military during a disability retirement process. But PTSD is the only condition that a veteran must “reprove” to receive disability benefits from VA.

“They don’t have to reprove their diabetes,” said Mary Ellen McCarthy, special projects counsel for the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee. “They don’t have to reprove a leg injury. I have never seen any other condition diagnosed in service [for which] people had to reprove their injury.”

The VA regulation was written at a time when the military was not diagnosing PTSD among troops, McCarthy said.

She travels to VA regional offices to check the progress of veterans going through the disability claims system. Even though many of the former troops had already proven they had witnessed a traumatic event in writing as they went through the military disability retirement system, often that paperwork had been lost by the time they reached VA, McCarthy said.

“It could take months to get that paperwork,” she said.

That slows up the paperwork process. And the veteran has to go through the stressful process of reproving that they lived through a roadside bomb explosion or that they witnessed a friend’s death or that they killed an insurgent.

“Revisiting those stressors in a non-therapeutic environment can make the diagnosis worse,” McCarthy said.

Akaka said he asked VA Secretary Dr. James Peake if the rule was necessary and requested that it be removed, and Peake agreed.

“I am pleased that the secretary took quick action to reverse this requirement after it was brought to his attention,” Akaka said.

Peake has already informed VA regional offices of the decision, Akaka said. VA officials could not be reached for comment by press time.

Homeless vets-VA has a bigger count than Bill O'Reilly

Last night, Bill O'Reilly talked about the plight of homeless veterans on his television show. Unfortunately, he got the facts wrong.

O'Reilly: "They (homeless veterans) may be out there, but there's not many of them out there. Okay?...If you know where there is a veteran, sleeping under a bridge, you call me immediately, and we will make sure that man does not do it."

I'm not sure where Mr. O'Reilly got his statistics but according to the Department of Veterans Affairs, almost 200,000 veterans sleep on our nation's streets each night. And Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are joining those ranks at an alarming rate. In fact veterans make up about a third of the homeless adults in America.

If you would like to drop Bill a line go to http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/436/t/26/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=884
and sign the open letter that Paul Rieckhoff from Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America has organized. Awareness is the first way to encourage the healing that these vets deserve.