Veterans PTSD documentary to be finished in May

great news, in spite of announcing his retirement, Gary Craig has given a potential date of May for the finished film on healing PTSD with veterans using EFT. Here's a quote from his most recent newsletter.


"Vets Movie: The vets movie is still in process.  Best estimate for availability is May of 2010.  I will announce it when it is ready."


I'll keep you posted and let you know how and where to go to find this DVD when it's finished!

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

Welcome to Healing Now!

am forwarding this from Ingrid...
here is the link for more information...http://NewEFT4Vets.com

Welcome to Healing Now!

www.eftcoach.us
www.eft4vets.com

June 7th 2009

EFT4Vets 2 day workshop In Concord, NH (30" from Manchester airport)
June 27-28 2009 more info about EFT4Vets

Please forward this email to whoever might be interested in advanced EFT and helping Veterans and their families heal from the trauma of war. Thank You!

Hi Everyone,
as many of you know, I was invited to speak about EFT4Vets at the recent ACEP Conference (www.energypsych.org) in Orlando Florida. I also presented the first results of the first randomized research study "EFT for Combat Veterans" (http://www.stressproject.org, http://www.eft4vets.com).

The results are very promising.

Both presentations were very well received and resulted in wonderful new connections and support for EFT4Vets.

It was an exciting weekend (especially the last 15 minutes before the presentation, where I felt I had to completely redo my PPT...:-), and the night before, when my printer broke and I stayed up until 3:30am to learn how to use the new one and print out some worksheets...

There is so much to speak about, teach, demonstrate and practice with EFT4Vets. This work has truly become a spiritual journey, not just as an EFT coach, but as a Minister as well. I embrace all the lessons learned and am very grateful for my Veterans and the many wonderful teachers who have been sharing with me many of the insights that allow for me to do my work this way.

So in less than 3 weeks, on June 27th-28th 2009, I will be teaching the full EFT4Vets program with a new and expanded curriculum at the Holiday Inn in Concord, NH. I very much hope you can join us!

Even if you are not interested in working specifically with Veterans, the advanced methods that will be taught will enhance your skill level as an EFT practitioner greatly.

Here are some testimonials from the presentation:

"I so thoroughly enjoyed your breakour session and I loved your passion. There is so much to learn and do!" T.
" I loved meeting you in person! You are great, and so is your mission. I know we will interface in our lives." R.

EFT4Vets workshop
When: Sat-Sun, June 27th-28th 2009
Time: 9:00am-5:00pm
Where: Holiday Inn, 172 N.Main St., Concord, NH 03301 (30 min. from Manchester/Boston airport)
Cost: $275.- ($245.- when sign up before June 20th)
An wonderful, inexpensive Lunch buffet will be available

In this EFT4Vets 2 day workshop, attendees will learn how to use Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) skillfully and successfully with returning Veterans and their families.

EFT has been showing very convincing, positive and lasting results even for the release of severe combat trauma. Read the Research results! Watch the EFT for Combat Veterans video on the home page for a demonstration!

But helping Veterans and their families heal from the trauma of war often requires much more than just an effective tool to releasing past trauma. To truly understand how we can help a Soldier heal, we need to know more about the archetypal "warrior" and the spiritual and historical meaning of war as a rite of passage and initiation. We need to understand the specific circumstances of different wars, and the meaning behind the stories that the Veterans might only want to touch on. The Veterans Community is in many ways very different from "the outside world", and having insights about the unique needs and background can make all the difference for a healing.

Some of the topics that will be covered in this seminar are:
- Several hours of demonstration and practice
- Research and discussion about the situation of returning Veterans
- The archetype of the "Warrior"
- War as a rite of passage and initiation
- Establishing Trust and Rapport
- Introducing EFT concepts to Veterans
- How to begin with EFT
- Discussion of specific issues that need to be addressed
- Insights into war specific trauma
- Practice of different gentle EFT approaches, including making the right choices
- Reframing of traumatic memories
- Spiritual discussion of forgiveness
- Childhood issues in the context of war
- Discussion of issues that often occur together
- Proper goal setting for a session
- The legal and ethical boundaries of this work for licensed/non-licensed practitioners
- Insights into the situation of the military families
- Helping family members heal with EFT
- Outlook into the Future of EFT4Vets and support for returning Veterans and their families

A certificate of completion will be given at the end.
Please contact me with any questions you may have!

Hope to see you on the 27th!
Love
Ingrid

Please forward this email to whoever might be interested in advanced EFT and helping Veterans and their families heal from the trauma of war. Thank You!
http://eftcoach.us/NewEFT4Vetsdescription.html

Here is some news from the EFT Community ...

A dedicated group of EFT'ers is voluntarily helping our war veterans. To date, 131 vets have enrolled in the project. A big thank you to Dawson Church, Crystal Hawk and the 64 EFT volunteers (many can do it by phone). The project is open to all vets who have served in the American Military (including nurses). Details

If you know someone who needs help but doesn't have the financial resources to get it, or simply doesn't know where to go, is tired of a run around, hasn't got the energy for the paperwork, then encourage them to get in touch with these folks. It's a great way to start feeling normal again!

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

2 spaces left!

Ingrid Dinter writes...

The first ever:
EFT4Vets
Life seminar

watch the EFT for Combat Veterans video on www.eft4vets.com

Learn top notch EFT techniques, gain insights, enhance your effectiveness

Helping Veterans and their families heal

Hi Everyone,
this is the last reminder of the EFT4Vets workshop this Saturday.

This class has filled without much announcement, which is very exciting. There are two spaces left, if you are interested in joining us.

What is EFT4Vets:
EFT4Vets is an advanced EFT program for practitioners who wish to help Veterans who suffer from Combat Stress.

Using a combination of different media, coaching, in depth training with advanced EFT approaches, insights into the world of Veterans and a multitude of techniques to help them, I will help you feel prepared to working with Veterans and their families.

One of the Veterans I am working with has volunteered to do some sessions during the class, so that you can experience the power of EFT with Veterans.

We will use the manuscript of an e-book chapter that I wrote for Gary Craig. Part of this will be published in his new book about using EFT for PTSD. Here is the link on amazon, so that you can get a preview: http://www.amazon.com/EFT-PTSD-Gary-Craig

Please email me (ingrid@eft4vets.com) so that I can send you the information you need.

Looking forward to seeing you on Saturday!
Hugs
Ingrid

EFT for Iraq veterans suffering from PTSD for FREE!!!!!

More good news from Gary Craig and the EFT team. This help is free and in the California area. With so many bases, this is a great place to have this project available to veterans wanting to heal the post traumatic stress symptoms that they may be suffering. If you or someone you know or love is having a hard time getting life back to normal after Iraq or Afghanistan, get to LA or San Francisco and get some help! The e-mail to Eric Huurre is below and good luck!!

EFT for our Iraq vets--no charge: As you may know, we have been filming some spectacular results with our PTSD burdened war veterans. Nightmares have faded, sleep has improved, intrusive thoughts and flashbacks have been minimized, etc. We are looking to complete this project with Iraq vets located in the Los Angeles or San Francisco areas. To be eligible, you must have recent Iraq/Afghanistan combat experience and be diagnosed with PTSD. Gary Craig and/or an EFT expert will work with you personally on camera without any cost to you whatsoever. If interested please write to our film's producer, Eric Huurre, at eric@skywriter.ca. Please write with some details about yourself or the person you are recommending for consideration. We are particularly interested in veterans with spouses or partners who would be prepared to appear on camera and also undergo EFT treatments on camera. Your story could help the lives of multitudes of your combat brothers and sisters.

EFT offering free help to Veterans

this just in from the EFT website...

Now, the Iraq Vets Stress Project, which offers EFT to ALL veterans free of charge, and which many of you have supported with your donations, is launching a nationwide study of vets with PTSD (whether or not they served in Iraq). If you know of a veteran who is suffering from nightmares, health problems, flashbacks, insomnia, or some of the other symptoms of PTSD, please encourage them to apply for the study. Help is available in many cities, as well as over the phone. Go to http://www.StressProject.org/multicitystudy.html for details. You can also call Crystal Hawk at 416-922 4325 if you have questions or need direction.

it's a great opportunity to get a vet you know and love some FREE help!! The success they have had on previous studies have encourage and lead them to offer more help. The exciting thing is they are looking at long term changes for the better, with this relatively new and VERY easy technique.

ptsdcombat.blogspot.com Thanks to Ilona Meagher for the cool poster!

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.

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.