B0038M1ADS EBOK (2 page)

Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii

Introduction: Postwar "Transition-Readjustment" . . . . .
. . . . . x

How to Use This Book . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . xx

1. Combat Stress and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder . . . .
. . . . 1

2. Combat Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI/Concussion) .
. . 37

3. Navigating the Home-zone Area of Operations: Introduction to "LANDNAV" . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . 48

4. Life Survival Skills-Warrior Reflexes and Sleep . . . .
. . . . 51

Skill 1: Become more aware of your reactions by writing about them

Skill 2: Learn to accept your reactions without judgment or anger

Skill 3: Improve physical conditioning and relax muscle tension

Skill 4: Improve sleep

Skill 5: Learn how alcohol or drugs affect your reactions

5. Attend to and Modulate Your Reactions . . . . . .
. . . . . . . 87

Skill 1: Learn to pay attention to your physiological reactions and anxiety level

Skill 2: Learn to pay attention to your feelings and emotions

Skill 3: Create space between your reactions to stressful events and behaviors

Skill 4: Learn to monitor and eliminate "should" and related words or phrases

Skill 5: Notice your breathing

Skill 6: Improve your focus and attention through meditation and mindfulness

6. Narrate Your Story . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

7. Deal with Stressful Situations . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . 134

Skill 1: Resiliency inoculation training (facing your fears)

Skill 2: Dealing with the "stupid stuff"people do

Skill 3: Dealing with more-serious situations involving people

Skill 4: Dealing with anger, rage, and related emotions

8. Navigate the Mental Health Care System . . . . . .
. . . . . . 170

Stigma and other barriers to care

Road map for getting help

Types of treatment offered: the cold, hard facts

Disability and treatment

9. Acceptance: Living and Coping with Major Losses . . . .
. . . . 213

Skill 1: Understanding the emotions of loss

Skill 2: Exploring the connections between complex and primary emotions

Skill 3: Letting go of unanswerable questions

Skill 4: Coping with grief and survivor's guilt

Skill 5: Accepting other difficult events that happened in combat

10. Navigation Strategies for Spouses,

Partners, and Family Members . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . 253

Deployment affects everyone

Your strength and independence

Tapping into your resources

Strengthening your relationship and considerations for coping with postwar reactions of your warrior

Considerations for coping with infidelity

Helping your children cope with the stresses of deployment and transition

11. V = The "V"s!-Vision, Voice, Village, Joie de Vivre, Victory.
. 273

References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294

About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304

"What is grace?" I asked God.
And he said,
"All that happens. "

-ST. JOHN OF THE CROSS

(TRANSLATED BY DANIEL LADINKSY)

This book wouldn't exist without the insights, knowledge, and counsel of
Herb M. Goldberg. Fundamental concepts he's developed and employed
over the past thirty years were foundational to this work. Additionally,
his objective feedback and precise edits of the entire manuscript were
invaluable. I am grateful for his contribution.

This book would also not have happened if it weren't for the unwavering support of my wife, Charise, through the entire process (starting long
before the writing began). Her review and edits to the book and contribution to the chapter for spouses and family members were wonderful. I'm
filled with gratitude for her presence in my life. A heartfelt thank-you to
my daughters, Alex and Amelia, my parents, Tom and Jeanne, and my
brother, Mark, for their love and encouragement. Thanks to VJ for his
compassion and care for my father.

Thanks to First Sergeant Michael Schindler (Retired) for the strength,
courage, and wisdom expressed in the stories he shares in this book. It was
truly an honor to collaborate, and I learned so much from him. Thanks to
Noriko for introducing us.

I want to thank my professional colleagues, Carl Castro, PhD and
Victoria Bruner, LCSW, for their suggestions, based on their wealth
of experience, on important material to add or modify. Thanks to
the many researchers and clinicians at Walter Reed Army Institute
of Research, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, U.S. Army Research
Unit-Europe, Deployment Health Clinical Center, and Uniformed Services University for Health Sciences, whom I've had the pleasure to
work with over the last twelve years, and for the countless lessons I've
learned from them.

Thanks to the service members, veterans, and family members I've
had the privilege of treating; you have given me the priceless gift of your
trust and life stories, and the inspiration and confidence to write this
book.

Thanks to my agent, Celeste Fine, at Folio Literary Management, for
discovering me, and for her faith and support throughout this process.
Finally, I want to thank the many service members and veterans (of several
wars) who reviewed the manuscript at various stages and provided critical
feedback to ensure that this book is on point and relevant. I'm grateful
and honored for the support that each of you has given me.

If you are a service member, veteran, government worker, or contractor
who has ever deployed to a war zone, or their spouse, partner, or family
member, then this book is for you. It provides essential knowledge on what
it means to be a warrior and to transition home from war. It addresses
what medical professionals call "PTSD" (post-traumatic stress disorder)
and other reactions to war (e.g., "combat stress," "mild traumatic brain
injury," "crazy"). It provides skills for navigating the transition no matter
how much time has passed since leaving the war zone.