Finding Peace Within: Heartfelt Thanks from a Traumatized Soldier

We got this note from a grateful veteran. It meant a lot to all of us. 

Dear Belleruth and Health Journeys,

Several years ago, I was deployed to Iraq with the Army. During this deployment, I witnessed and experienced many events and circumstances that still stay with me. You could say I’ve been haunted.

With the help of the guided imagery for posttraumatic stress, plus one-on-one and group therapy, I have been able to deal in a much better way with all the trauma I experienced.  

When I first heard the imagery to release grief and anger, I was blown away by how deeply it touched me and my fellow Soldiers as well.

It should be noted that I was grouped with all men. These were veterans from WWII, Korea and Vietnam. I would describe them as a cohort of self possessed, tough-minded, impressive, successful, men, as stoic and matter-of-fact as you would expect. 

At the end of this guided imagery for grief, they were all crying. It reached straight into their hearts, just like it did for me. Their faces were filled with relief, like my face probably looked to them. Relief was exactly what I felt, through and through. It was not until then that I realized how much grief I had been carrying around, like a sack of rocks pressing on my heart.

So, I’m writing this as a thank you. Guided imagery may not be the cure-all instant fix, but it’s a lot - a very effective and helpful tool that I use often, and will continue to do so. It has brought me badly needed relief and moments of blessed peace. 

Many thanks for your talents and efforts. I’m not sure how long it would have taken me to find a measure of peace within me. I would have gotten there eventually, but you gave me a shortcut. The guided imagery is just so powerful. Thank you, many times over.

Teresa Gonzales

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