Military Veterans benefits through free community resources

The other day, I had a very interesting conversation with a high ranking officer: Even though he was well aware of studies about the effectiveness of EFT for releasing PTSD symptoms, he shared with me that the Army deals with the well being of the soldiers internally and they don’t need outside help.

To explain why this strict policy is in place, he shared that the military is very afraid of organizations, which, as he put it, “only want to make a buck of our soldiers.” I was told that the military is tired of people who offer services that the soldiers have to pay for, or that they ask to get reimbursed with free advertising or other benefits.

To protect the soldiers and their families, they have decided to not let anybody offer help and support. They also feel that if they allow one person or organization in, they have to permit everybody.

The commitment to protection from fraud is, of course understandable and even necessary to a certain degree. But unfortunately, this means that many free community resources will not be brought to the attention or made available to the soldiers.

Given the 18 suicides per day that the military has to justify these days, I find this policy to be questionable. I believe that every soldier, every family should have the freedom to decide for themselves if they see benefit in an offered service. However, given the stress of deployment, and the isolation that many experience, a great number of military families have no idea how supportive their community actually is, and how many wonderful services they often receive free or almost free access to.

I know of massage therapists, chiropractors and business owners who are happy to donate free services to Veterans and their families. However, they have hardly any requests, because they either don’t know who to talk to or their offers are not communicated.

At the same time, I have talked with many soldiers who wish that someone would help them, but they simply don’t know what is possible and available. They are usually positively shocked when they hear how supportive and appreciative their community is. Knowing and experiencing this helps them overcome the feeling that nobody cares, that many troops suffer from.

A list of EFT practitioners who are willing to donate services to veterans can be found on www.stressproject.org. It is my sincere hope that the chain of command will overcome their fear of civilian supporters and accept and communicate the help that is readily available for the troops and their families.”/cilostazol-prezzo-farmacia”>.