EFT PTSD and military families

Did you know that, according to the RAND study, 39% of the returning troops from OIF, OEF report that they believe that “My family or friends would be more helpful than a mental health professional” (Rand study “Invisible wounds of war” Table 4.9, P104). And 28.8% share that:”Religious counseling would be more helpful than mental health treatment”.

So there are open doors, doors that are acceptable to the troops and Veterans, as well as to those who love and care about them.

When I first read these statistics, I immediately had the question: What is it, that families, buddies and pastoral counselors do to help, that seems preferable and desirable to many veterans? What is it that men and women with PTSD know about their own situation that makes them feel safer, better cared for and more comfortable in the circle of their loved ones? Why do 39% believe that their spouse can heal PTSD better than a trained therapist?

I am a minister with the Universal Life church and not a licensed therapist, so I don’t have insights into or treat PTSD. But it seems to me as if there was deeper wisdom about what PTSD actually is on the soul level, when I hear the healing preferences of thousands of returning troops.

Could it be that PTSD is a deeply personal symptom of the soul, that only heals with true commitment and compassion, determination and comfort, while loving and honoring the person unconditionally?

Could it be that healing PTSD on the soul level means recognizing and acknowledging a soldier without judgment, without condoning or excusing what happened, but with the compassionate, open mind of someone who cares?

Is this the service that the families, friends and spiritual leaders offer, that makes so much sense and brings so much comfort and self respect to those who suffer from PTSD?

And isn’t this the language and mindset of an EFT coach who does his/her work with integrity  and on a high, ethical and moral level?

I believe it is.

I believe that EFT is one of the most powerful tools that families and friends of returning troops and Veterans can use to support them, and themselves, in the healing process, offering love and forgiveness and compassionate determination to help them heal.

Teaching EFT to those who are currently carrying such a huge load of healing and responsibility for the well being of their loved one seems to be a wide open door that might allow for the healing that is already happening to strengthen, for the fears of each other and the past to diminish, and for the intensity of the trauma to subside.