Retreat to help vets transition after war
Thousands of veterans are returning from Iraq with little help readjusting to life after combat. It's a situation American veterans have faced upon return from war for more than 200 years.
"We give them a little bit of counseling, lots of medication and say, 'OK, there you go,' " said Edward Tick, an author and psychotherapist who will lead a retreat for veterans, families, professionals and community members on healing veterans suffering post-traumatic stress disorder.
The retreat, hosted by the Theosophical Society of America in Wheaton, begins Thursday and ends Sunday at noon. The cost is $395; vegetarian meals will be served at an additional cost throughout the retreat.
Some lodging is available at the Theosophical Society, but most participants will be staying at area hotels, said Ruthann Fowler, program coordinator for the society.
Scholarships are available for those needing financial assistance, and no veteran will be turned away because of an inability to pay, Fowler and Tick both said.
Tick started working with veterans 30 years ago when he opened his practice in upstate New York. It was a remote area, and many Vietnam veterans were moving there and sought help through counseling.
Among those first patients was a high school classmate who had gone to Vietnam when Tick went to college.
"He was ravaged and I was fine," Tick said.
Those early experiences led him to decades of research on the impact of war on soldiers. He also studied other cultures and how they work with soldiers to ease their transition from warrior back to home and family life.
Two years ago, Quest Books published Tick's book, "War and the Soul: Healing Our Nation's Veterans from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder."
Post-traumatic stress disorder has been around as long as war, Tick said. But modern warfare has intensified it. In the meantime, American society and government does little to help soldiers deal with it.
"Therapy can help, but it's not enough to heal PTSD by itself … Other cultures were wiser," Tick said, noting that they recognized the trauma soldiers experienced in war and consciously made efforts to address those issues with spirituality, community and ritual.
Native Americans, Tick said, had extensive ceremonies the men participated in upon returning home. Movies often portray Native Americans doing a war dance before heading into battle, but those ceremonies were actually done after battle, giving soldiers a chance to tell their stories and portray what had happened.
Such rituals turned the energies of violence into a power for healing, Tick said.
The ancient Israelites and the African Zulus also had purification ceremonies after wars. Some of those took place after a soldier's first battle, not after two years or more on a tour of duty.
They recognized that a person is forever changed after experiencing combat, Tick said.
"It is a wound on the soul," he said.
The retreat, "Healing the War Torn Soul," will include several speakers, healing rituals, time for sharing stories and more.
Tick said retreat organizers are not taking a political stance on the war in Iraq or other conflicts, but he recognized that people with strongly opposing views will attend.
"Part of my vision is that this wound is so deep and so bad, but the wound can bring us back together," he said.
For those interested but unable to participate in the full retreat, the public is welcome to attend the opening session, "The Warrior's Journey Home," at 7:30 p.m. Thursday for $9.
The Theosophical Society is at 1926 N. Main St. in Wheaton. Registration and information about the retreat are available by calling Christine Pomeroy at (800) 669-9425, ext. 350, or by e-mailing cpomeroy@theosmail.net.
More information is also available online at www.soldiersheart.org, the Web site for the organization Tick founded to help returning veterans, or www.theosophical.org, under the events link.
If you go
What:Edward Tick, author of "War and the Soul: Healing Our Nation's Veterans from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, will speak during a three-day workshop, Healing Veterans from PTSD.
When:Registration is at 3 p.m. Thursday, with the workshop beginning at 7 p.m. Thursday and concluding at noon Sunday
Where:The Theosophical Society, 1926 N. Main St., Wheaton
Cost:$395; some scholarships are available
Call:Christine Pomeroy, (800) 669-9425, ext. 350