Dear BR and Health Journeys,

My brother witnessed the violence at Virginia Tech.  Since then, when there is news of a mass shooting his mental health suffers.  He gets insomnia, anxiety, short temper and jumpiness during these times. He also gets an anniversary reaction each April that lasts 2-3 weeks.  

I had a terrific, informative chat with Adriana Tarazon, OEF/OIF Psychologist at the Phoenix V.A.  She’s a great proponent of guided imagery (and other mind-body methods), having used hundreds of our CDs with the men and women coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan.  As a result, she’s a mind-blowing encyclopedia of practical information about what works for returning troops and what doesn’t. 

Question: 
Hi Belleruth,
Thanks for the info about how guided imagery is helping veterans at the V.A.  I had a chance to share the research today with a V.A. counselor who is finding that spouses need to navigate how to not get lost in the partner's PTSD, and be open hearted at the same time.  Can you recommend something for the second-hand PTSD population? Would you consider creating relaxation/imagery audios to meet the healing and boundary needs of the spouses and children of the returning vets??
Anna

Researchers from Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust in Wales, UK, explored the impact of various interventions when they are delivered within 3 months of the traumatic event.

The study identified 25 randomized, controlled trials of multiple-session psychological treatments aimed at preventing or reducing traumatic stress symptoms in individuals within 3 months of exposure to a traumatic event.  The studies examined a range of interventions. 

Question:

I attended your workshop in New Orleans. I now have a client who is a perfect candidate for the repetitive nightmare treatment.  Is there someone in the New Orleans area that I can refer my client to for this -- or who can teach me how to go through the process myself with my client?  Thanks.  Roberto

Answer:

Dear Roberto,
The best expert is the wonderful psychologist who developed the method for the veterans at the Brecksville V.A. - Beverly Donovan, PhD.   Sadly for all of us, she's retired from the V.A. – she was very generous with her time and expertise while she was still working there, but, alas, she’s taken to traveling, relaxing and visiting a lot of family.  Darn, I hate it when that happens!
 

In her blog, a trauma survivor credits a paragraph in Invisible Heroes as her impetus for using her “acquired skills” at dissociation to consciously help herself cope.  She refers to a woman from the book named Frannie who was assaulted in a hospital parking lot, quoting this excerpt: 

“Although Frannie was disabled by her traumatic experiences, she was also, in certain ways, empowered by them. Frannie was a natural at using imagery and the altered state to help herself heal. The trance state was her powerful ally, and she was adept at achieving it, rapidly and deeply, thanks to a trauma-induced intensification in her brain’s visual, sensorimotor, and emotional centers.” *

In other words, use your skills at dissociation to get you out of a bad place.

Jennifer Strauss PhD and her team at Duke Medical Center & the Durham V.A.M.C. have conducted one survey and 3 studies assessing SMART (Self-Management Audio for Recovery from Trauma) on soldiers and veterans with posttraumatic stress.  The results have exceeded expectations, and compare with far more expensive, time-consuming, and hard-to-implement best practices currently in use for PTSD.

We gratefully received this very touching and beautiful posting on the blog last week, when so many of you responded to the question of the week being asked.  It speaks to the power of imagery and affirmation to heal trauma – in this case, particularly the longstanding numbness.  It reaches places that talking and thinking just can’t go, because of where traumatic memories are stored in the brain.  That’s why we need imagery!

Hi there. I heard your interview on New Dimensions Radio and it really rang true that I have had issues with post traumatic stress. I was witness to a suicide bomb in Jerusalem a few years ago. I think that my jaw clenching, irritable bowel syndrome and possibly my quasi-addiction to pot are related to this incident. What CDs would you recommend? Likewise, I just wanted to thank you for your work.
Take care,
Curtis