Copyright 2009 Project Welcome Home Troops
2401 15th Street NW ~ Washington DC ~ 20009
2401 15th Street NW ~ Washington DC ~ 20009
A Program for Veterans for Stress Relief
Project Welcome Home Troops provides training in a unique set of natural stress relief practices to veterans and their families. The project is not-for-profit and is sponsored by the International Association for Human Values (IAHV), a nonprofit 501(c)3 humanitarian organization. A mainstay of IAHVs work has been providing aid and trauma relief worldwide at disaster sites.
The program's stress relief practices have been used successfully by other organizations in a variety of settings including: police departments, United Nations forces, prisoners and corrections officers, war veterans and war survivors in Kosovo, tsunami victims in Indonesia, earthquake victims in India, Iraqi civilians in Baghdad, traumatized New Yorkers after 9/11, and Australian Vietnam veterans with severe PTSD.
STUDIES OF THE TECHNIQUES
Clinical studies of this practice, as reported by the Harvard Mental Health Letter, April 2009, report:
-- Australian Vietnam veterans diagnosed with severe PTSD lowered their symptoms by 26% in 6 weeks and improvements persisted at a 6 month follow-up;
-- hospitalized depression patients found 67% had remission in 4 weeks;
-- depressed alcoholics found a 75% drop in depression scores after 3 weeks of practice;
-- depressed alcoholics showed a decrease in stress hormones in the blood. (stress hormones cortisol and corticotropin did not drop at all in control group).
Clinical studies of this practice, as reported by the Harvard Mental Health Letter, April 2009, report:
-- Australian Vietnam veterans diagnosed with severe PTSD lowered their symptoms by 26% in 6 weeks and improvements persisted at a 6 month follow-up;
-- hospitalized depression patients found 67% had remission in 4 weeks;
-- depressed alcoholics found a 75% drop in depression scores after 3 weeks of practice;
-- depressed alcoholics showed a decrease in stress hormones in the blood. (stress hormones cortisol and corticotropin did not drop at all in control group).
"As a dedicated trauma specialist, working personally with veterans for over 30 years, I have found these unique breathing techniques can help relieve the stress and anxieties that combat Veterans contend with upon returning from being deployed."
"This valuable tool is easily learned and tremendously helpful to me and my staff when dealing with the pressures and stress of what we experience each day.
I would recommend
Veterans of all eras to take part in this program."
- Shad Meshad,
Vietnam Veteran,
Founder & Director,
National Veteran's Foundation
NVF Veteran Lifeline:
888-777-4443
9AM-9PM Pacific
www.NVF.org
"This valuable tool is easily learned and tremendously helpful to me and my staff when dealing with the pressures and stress of what we experience each day.
I would recommend
Veterans of all eras to take part in this program."
- Shad Meshad,
Vietnam Veteran,
Founder & Director,
National Veteran's Foundation
NVF Veteran Lifeline:
888-777-4443
9AM-9PM Pacific
www.NVF.org
(202) 558-6646
info@pwht.org
info@pwht.org
Project Welcome Home Troops
Importance of an expanded approach to stress
The fact that many Vietnam era veteran's lives are still influenced by the trauma they experienced forty years ago, despite many years of therapy, demonstrates the need for an expanded approach.
Today, many trauma experts agree that some form of a physical approach is necessary to relieve severe stress because of the connection between mind and body in the way traumatic memories are stored. Traumatic memories are buried deep in the unconscious, inaccessible to the rational thinking mind. Yoga based stretching and breathing techniques have the ability to release stress from the system without the need to talk or recollect about the stressful memories.
Today, many trauma experts agree that some form of a physical approach is necessary to relieve severe stress because of the connection between mind and body in the way traumatic memories are stored. Traumatic memories are buried deep in the unconscious, inaccessible to the rational thinking mind. Yoga based stretching and breathing techniques have the ability to release stress from the system without the need to talk or recollect about the stressful memories.
Trauma expert Dr. Bessel van der Kolk's paper "The Body Keeps The Score" suggests strongly that only using trauma-relief methods that rely on talking have limited effectiveness. He is now a strong advocate of yoga practices combined with other physical and mental therapies. Another therapist with similar experiences, author Peter Levine, argues that trauma is "locked in the body, and it's in the body that it must be accessed and healed".
Yoga based Body, Breath, & Mind practices, in a variety of forms, have been used successfully for health improvement for thousands of years. Yoga based practices are also self-administered. Having tools to relieve stress on one's own, at any time, brings a feeling of control and empowerment.
Contact Project Welcome Home Troops
United States:
2401 15th Street NW
Washington DC 20009
(202) 558-6646
info@pwht.org
In Arizona:
(520) 232-2138
2401 15th Street NW
Washington DC 20009
(202) 558-6646
info@pwht.org
In Arizona:
(520) 232-2138
Project Welcome Home Troops is supported by volunteeers and donations and does not charge veterans for this training.