“Just One of the Guys” by Ashley Schlemmer

Military Sexual Trauma is intolerably high in our military today. As estimated 17% of all women in the U.S. Armed Forces have been an MST victim. This is betrayal at the core level and causes a brand of PTSD all its own. Sailor Ashley Schlemmer has been brave enough to tell her story in an effort to connect with others and encourage them to get the help they need to come back stronger from PTSD.

Most people think of PTSD as something that happens to people who have seen combat, who watched friend die, but that’s not always the case. As the only female in the Power Plants shop, I had to act like ‘one of the guys.’ After having to act that way so long I forgot that I wasn’t.

I had been dealing with a lot of personal issues and been feeling extremely depressed. One of the guys that were on the ship with me, who I had met in Bahrain while waiting to fly out to the ship, offered to talk to me. I walked around the ship with him, not thinking much of it; just pouring my heart out to someone I thought I could trust. What happened next was a cruel reminder that even though I was ‘one of the guys,’ I was still a female. He sexually assaulted me in one of the male heads. A friend on the ship made me tell my LPO, then security, and SAVI.

They sent me to counseling, gave me shore duty, then an honorable discharge, but things were never the same. I became jumpy, rebellious and defensive in relationships, snapping at family and friends, and not trusting anyone. This resulted in a divorce from my high school sweetheart, and a trend of bad relationships after.

I finally went to the local VA hospital, where I got diagnosed with PTSD due to the assault. Knowing that was half the battle. Though I’m still fighting to deal with day to day life, I know it’s taxing on my family and friends. It’s hard for them to understand the change in my personality and how to deal with it. Reading the blogs on here gave me hope that I can beat this and live a semblance of a normal life.

ADAN Ashley A. Schlemmer was stationed with HS-5 attached to CVN 69 USS Dwight D. Eisenhower from 2009-2010, then with FRC Norfolk in 2010.

A Holistic Approach to PTSD – Energy Healing, Mindfulness & Spiritual Prayer by Michael E. Goldberg

Guest Blogger Michael E. Goldberg is a Reiki Master, Life and Health Coach and Author of The Road to Healing, Good Health and Wellness (available at amazon.com, kindle and barnes and noble.com), End of Mood Disorders (available at amazon.com and barnes and noble.com) and The Road to Happiness, available for free at http://www.theroad2happiness.com  His Facebook page is entitled “The Road to Happiness” and additional articles on holistic health and happiness are available for free at Ezine.com.

Post traumatic stress disorder is a severe anxiety disorder caused by serious trauma. Post traumatic stress disorder causes flashbacks and nightmares and ongoing negative thoughts and emotions and a negative inner voice. PTSD often results in an inability to sleep or stay asleep. It negatively affects behavior, relationships and job performance.

Many military personnel who return from war experience PTSD. Its symptoms are often quite severe and continuous. Conventional medical intervention can help stabilize and reduce symptoms. But, conventional treatment alone is not enough to end PTSD.

To end PTSD, integrated holistic therapy is also needed.

The holistic approach seeks to end the emotional grip of the trauma that caused the PTSD and help move the person toward happiness – an ongoing feeling of inner peace, peace of mind and joy. This requires a combination of Reiki and other forms of energy healing (such as acupuncture and integrated energy therapy), mindfulness and positive thinking exercises, meditation and visualization exercises and heart-centered, spiritual prayer.

The holistic approach also relies on diet, exercise and natural supplements to help reduce anxiety and depression, common symptoms of PTSD.

The holistic approach is intended to provide the patient with the tools needed to achieve, maintain and get back to inner peace, peace of mind and joy and get back to that state of being on command.

Most of us were born happy, full of wonder and positive energy. Then life hit. The traumas in life often change our beliefs from positive to negative, from “the world is a wonderful place” to “the world is a scary place.” These traumas cause us to hold onto painful memories and the related negative emotions. These traumas change our beliefs from positive to negative in the unconscious and conscious minds. These traumas create negative energy blockages in us that restrict the free flow of chi energy through us (i.e., the free flow of chi energy, positive life force energy, is required for good mental, physical and emotional health).

Negative energy blockages negatively impact brain chemistry and brain waves. They lead to a negative inner voice and negative thought patterns. We tend to live in our thoughts for protection – and not the moment. Uncontrolled thoughts tend to go negative because the intellect is tied to ego and ego operates from a place of fear –i.e., the world is a scary place and our intellect/thoughts will protect us.

Ego and thoughts are empowered by trauma.  Ego and thoughts tend to cut us off from the soul/higher self (all loving, holy and positive) and the inner child (full of wonder, fun-loving and happy). Ego focuses on self and tells the self that it is in danger and needs protection from ego. The thoughts and emotions generated by ego-oriented thought leads us to feelings of anxiety, anger and hate, being powerless and victims, blame, regret, resentment and guilt. While these emotions may tell us what to avoid, they are poison if we allow them to fester.  

Happiness is achieved and maintained when you feel ongoing peace in your heart and torso, sustain a peaceful mind and feel ongoing joy (high vibrations). To achieve and maintain this ongoing feeling, we need to (i) connect and integrate with our soul/higher self and inner child, (ii) heal our energy bodies and (iii) center ourselves and live in our hearts and senses (not our heads and thoughts) and remain connected through our hearts (or heart chakras) with the free flow of chi energy (life force energy) that is abundantly available to us from the Universe.

Negative energy is toxic. It creates blockages to the free flow of chi energy in our bodies and causes mental, emotional and physical illness. Most negative energy comes from our own negative thoughts, acts and speech of us and others. Negative acts and speech (i.e., acts and speech that generate negative energy) start with negative thoughts.

The negative thoughts come from negative and rigid beliefs in the conscious and unconscious mind. These beliefs come from the negative energy blockages and these blockages often come from traumas. The negative energy blockages cause us to hold the painful past at the cellular level and to anger about the past and worry about the future.

These blockages compel negative thoughts. Negative thoughts then lead to negative acts and speech. All this lowers our vibrations.

Happiness requires us to raise our vibrations and cultivate a peaceful spirit and mind – ongoing peace of mind, inner peace and joy. Happiness requires us to change our conscious and unconscious beliefs from negative to positive (this is done primarily through energy healing and positive affirmations).

For happiness, we must let go of most beliefs (and certainly all rigid and negative beliefs) and open our hearts and minds. We must change our beliefs through energy healing and positive affirmations and by opening our hearts and minds. When our beliefs change from negative to positive, our thoughts and inner voice will change from negative to positive. When our thoughts change from negative to positive our acts and speech will change from negative to positive.

While rigid and negative beliefs lead to negative thoughts, attached and embedded negative energy compel negative beliefs and thoughts. Negativity is held as negative energy within our cells. Negativity (held at the cellular level as low vibration energy) must be flushed out with positive energy (high vibration energy) to achieve and maintain happiness. So long as we consciously or unconsciously hold onto painful memories, this will compel negative beliefs and thoughts.

Positive energy/life force is the antidote to negative energy. Positive energy is high vibration energy. It counters and burns off negative, low vibration energy. It cleans out the negative energy blockages that come from trauma.

Energy healing is needed to end the emotional/energy grip of trauma. When the energy body is healed, the memory will still be there, but the emotional grip of the memory will fade. When your energy body is healed, it becomes a machine that effectively draws in, processes and distributes chi energy/life force energy throughout your body.

Reiki and other forms of energy healing are important. But, you need to play a role in healing your energy body. Your role is through daily meditation in the heart, prayer from the heart, visualization exercises and positive affirmations. With these daily exercises, coupled with Reiki and other forms of energy healing, your energy body will be healed.  

When you are filled with negative energy, you feel low and lack energy. When you are filled with positive energy, you feel happy, healthy and full of vitality. The only way to get rid of the low vibration negative energy is with high vibration positive energy or chi energy. Positive energy will automatically flow through you freely with energy body healing.

Live your life in a way that maximizes positive energy and minimizes negative energy. Build up positive energy (inner power, balance and love) within yourself through daily meditation and prayer exercises and by cultivating love and positive energy through your daily routine. Reduce stress in your life. Be kind, positive and patient. Focus on the positive. Keep focused on the moment and when negative thoughts come in shift out of your head and into your heart and just be in the moment without thoughts.

To be happy requires you to live in the moment with full awareness and engagement. To live in the moment with full awareness and engagement requires you to live in your heart and your senses and not in your thoughts. This requires you to be mindful of your thoughts and  to (a) stop (i) negative thoughts, (ii) thoughts that are in the past or future and (iii) thoughts that take you away from the moment and then (b) get back to the moment.

The path to happiness is self love, high self esteem and high self confidence. As you do the inner work, you will let go and flush out all fear, anger, anxiety, guilt, shame and blame and focus solely on achieving and maintaining an ongoing feeling of peace and joy. Happiness can only be achieved through inner work. Nothing on the outside can bring sustained happiness – not even money, possessions or relationships. They can help lift your spirits, but the feeling will not be sustainable without inner work. Happiness requires you to cultivate inner peace, peace of mind and joy, i.e., to  achieve and maintain a happy, peaceful and serene feeling inside, to feel whole, to feel empowered and to feel loved. This requires Reiki and energy healing and inner work.

To achieve and maintain peace of mind, inner peace and happiness, we need to substantially reduce stress in our lives. Stress and our negative reaction to it generate negative energy for us. To reduce stress in our lives, we must avoid conflict and drama, negative and toxic people and negative and toxic situations and environments. We must accept, forgive, detach and let go.

It is important to work with counselors and coaches to develop strategies to reduce stress factors and then learn specific strategies and techniques to cope with them. Coping skills involve positive thinking techniques, learning how to get back into mental and emotional balance and being able to put events and situations into perspective.

We can’t change the past and the future is unknown. We cannot control or change others. But, we can change our reactions and we can change our own energy through Reiki and other forms of energy healing and inner work.

Reiki and Energy Healing

Reiki is a method of stress reduction and relaxation and for healing that comes from Zen Buddhism in Japan. It is often used with other forms of energy healing such as integrated energy therapy, acupuncture and massage. The practitioner channels chi energy (Divine, life force energy) into the patient to promote healing. The practitioner can provide Reiki healing hands on or long distance. If provided hands on, the recipient can sit up or lie down, fully clothed.

Reiki and integrated energy therapy work on the energy body. Each of us has an energy body that is incorporated into the physical body. Each cell of our body is mostly energy. Reiki works to restore healthy energy in the cells.  A healthy energy body draws, processes and distributes chi energy through the body. If the energy body is blocked or damages by stress, trauma or negativity, chi energy is not properly drawn in, processed and delivered. Illness ensues.

Reiki is used to help get the energy body functioning properly again. The energy body is described as the soul or higher self, the aura, the chakras, the meridians and the nadis. The soul or higher self is Divine and is our source of chi energy (life force energy) from the Divine. The soul connects to the aura and heart chakra. When we are fully connected to our souls and our aura, chakras, meridians and nadis are cleansed and healed, chi energy flows freely into and through us. This keeps us healthy (mentally, emotionally and physically) and moves us to ongoing peace of mind and an ongoing feeling of inner peace and joy.

When healthy, the aura is an intact and vibrant energy field that surrounds our body. The body contains many chakras. These are whirling vortexes that break down chi energy and deliver it to the meridians and nadis. The main charkas are found on the torso, throat, forehead, and crown. The meridians and nadis are energy channels that correspond to the arteries, veins and nerves. These energy channels deliver chi energy to each of the cells and organs (including the brain).

If the flow of chi energy is blocked, this will result in illness. Blockages come from stress, negativity and trauma. They can be seen as negative or dark energy that is embedded in the cells and blocks chi energy (positive energy) from flowing properly.

Blockages from trauma lead to PTSD and brain disorders. The blockages can be seen as emotional blockages that hold the trauma and related negative emotions in the cells. The blockages can be removed through Reiki and other forms of energy healing including integrated energy therapy and acupuncture.

Trauma also causes rips and tears in the aura. Negative and dark energy fill the space and lead to a feeling of incompleteness, a negative inner voice and obsessive and running negative thoughts. Reiki and other forms of energy healing such as integrated energy therapy repair these cracks and fissures.

 

Reiki and other forms of energy therapy along with meditation and visualization exercises will help repair the energy body and this will lead to inner peace, peace of mind, happiness and feeling balanced and good again.    

 

Mindfulness and Positive Thinking Exercises 

Your thoughts have a direct impact on your emotions. Your emotions determine your well being. Your emotions determine whether you are happy or unhappy. Your thoughts determine whether you feel good about yourself, others and the world.

The people you think about become the most important people in your life. The events or things you think about become the most important events and things in your life. So, if these people, events or things make you feel unhappy, angry, hateful, worried or agitated, they are negative. If they make you feel happy, balanced and good, they are positive.

You can control your thoughts. But, first you need energy healing. This is because a damaged energy body and blockages will lead to negative thoughts, obsessive thoughts, a negative inner voice and ruminations. So, the first step is to get energy healing. Next, you will need to do daily, heart-centered meditation and spiritual prayer exercises along with visualizations. These exercises are set forth below.

To stop a negative inner voice and ongoing negative thoughts, you must assert control over your thoughts and your beliefs. You must adopt open and positive beliefs. Open and positive beliefs lead to positive thoughts. Negative and rigid beliefs lead to negative thoughts. Positive affirmations are a great way to change your beliefs from negative to positive. YouTube contains many positive affirmation exercises that you can do. In the beginning, you will need to do them a few times each day, especially in the morning and at night.

Also, take a few minutes each morning and evening to express gratitude for all you have. Focus on life, health, friends and family, food, shelter, clothing, all the body parts that work, etc.

You can change your beliefs and thoughts through application of your conscious will and intent to that task. As you consciously adopt positive and open beliefs and change your thoughts from negative to positive, you will feel more positive, balanced and happy.

Negative thoughts are thoughts that generate anger, fear, hate and jealousy. These emotions felt on an on an ongoing basis and related ongoing thoughts are toxic and lead to depression and anxiety. They also will drain your energy, the energy you need for life and happiness.

Positive thoughts are thoughts that make you feel happy and good inside. They are thoughts that make you feel balanced and peaceful. To change your thoughts and thought patterns, you must be mindful of your thoughts and emotions.

The key is mindfulness. Mindfulness is the process by which you become fully aware of your thoughts and change them from negative to positive. Through mindfulness, you consciously monitor your thoughts and emotions. Then, you consciously apply your will and change them from negative to positive. Through mindfulness, you quickly identify when you have negative emotions – i.e., anger, fear, worry, guilt, resentment, regrets, etc. Then you quickly identify the beliefs and thoughts that are causing these emotions and you change them from negative to positive.

Positive thoughts require open beliefs and an open mind. This requires you to let go of rigid and narrow beliefs and change them to positive and open ones (through positive affirmations). You then use your mind more for observation and tasks and less about judging and analyzing people.

Positive thinking requires you to forgive self and others and to let go of past wrongs and the grip of past traumas and injuries. Look at the painful past as lessons and nothing more. Then let go of it. To let go and detach from the painful past is forgiveness. This is important for positive thinking.

Rigid beliefs lead to negative thoughts. This is because rigid beliefs lead to opinion and judgment-oriented thoughts. These thoughts tend to generate negative energy/emotions and drain your life force energy. They tend to keep you in a state of agitation. This is especially true with respect to rigid opinions and beliefs about self and others.

So, for positive thoughts and positive thought patterns, it is essential to open your mind, let go of negative and rigid beliefs and stop ongoing opinion/judgment thoughts. Become more of an observer and suspend judgment and opinion to the extent possible.

Go with the flow. Avoid clash of wills and conflict. This leads to negative thoughts and negative thought patterns. Accept others for what and who they are and what they believe. Do not try to change them. Your efforts to change others will lead to negative thoughts. The only person you can change is yourself. So, focus your efforts on that task.

The conscious mind is affected by subconscious beliefs. So, for positive thinking and positive thought patterns, it is essential to change your deeply held beliefs from “negative and rigid” to “positive and open/flexible.” Likewise, it is essential for you to adopt positive and kind beliefs about yourself and purge conscious and subconscious memories of the painful past and past injuries. This will quiet the negative and critical inner voice and replace it with a kind and positive inner voice.

In order to change beliefs and open your mind, do the meditation and visualization exercises and positive affirmations described below.

Positive thinking requires you to open your heart and fill yourself with unconditional love. This leads to an ongoing feeling of inner peace and happiness and quiets the negative inner voice. It is difficult to have positive thoughts when you feel bad. So, it is important to cultivate an ongoing feeling of peace and happiness. These wonderful feelings you will experience in your heart and torso. This is done by the meditation and visualization exercises described below and by purging negative energy/emotions you may be holding onto – i.e., anger, fear, anxiety, sadness, resentment, regrets, guilt, etc…

Thoughts that make you feel agitated, angry, afraid, depressed, hateful or jealous are negative thoughts. If you feel agitated, then change your thoughts. Otherwise, stop your thoughts altogether and be in the moment, in your heart and in your senses. When you experience life in the moment, you will stop negative thoughts. When you experience life through your heart and senses and not through your thoughts, you will be more happy, balanced and peaceful.

Positive thoughts are thoughts that are focused on positive and productive activities such as work, errands, the daily routine, studies and enjoyable events. They are focused on details and process and not results. They are focused on positive plans. They are focused on loved ones and how to make loved ones happy.

Negative thoughts are often thoughts that are focused on the painful past, the anxious future or the people who hurt you. These negative thoughts crowd out thoughts about the positive, kind and loving people and pets in your life and happy memories.

Positive thoughts are focused thoughts. Negative thoughts tend to be unfocused thoughts. Negative thoughts tend to come from the side and back of the head. Positive thoughts come from the middle of the forehead. Thoughts become unfocused and then go negative if we do not control them. Unfocused thoughts often lead to a negative inner voice. This negative inner voice is often critical and judgmental toward self and others and it generates a lot of negative energy for us.

Negative thoughts are ego-oriented thoughts. The ego-oriented thoughts that are negative are self -oriented thoughts that make you feel unhappy or bad. These include thoughts in that judge self or others, thoughts that make you feel like a victim, feel self pity, fear, anxiety, anger, hate, etc.

To be a positive thinker, one must elevate heart and soul over ego and intellect in governance of self. Heart centered meditation, spiritual prayer and visualizations will help achieve this. Heart centered meditation, spiritual prayer and visualizations will help subdue ego, negative thoughts, negative thought patterns and a negative inner voice.

To have positive thoughts, positive thought patterns and a positive inner voice, you need to assert control of your thoughts through application of your will. The locus of your will is the middle of your forehead. The middle of your forehead is the place where you focus your thoughts. The middle of your forehead is the place where you control your thoughts. Focus on the positive and still the inner voice.

As mentioned above, what and who you focus on become the focus of your thoughts. Your thoughts then determine your emotional state. But, you have the power to control and focus your thoughts. You just need the tools to make it happen.

Here are some tools:

Heart-Melt Exercise

Negative thoughts, negative thought patters and a negative inner voice come from past traumas that we hold onto at the cellular level. Traumas often cause a hard energetic shell to form around the heart (or heart chakra). This is done to protect us from ongoing emotional injury in a “cruel world.” This then empowers our ego to govern self, leading to negativity. For positive thinking, we must melt the hard energetic shell around the heart. In meditation, close your eyes and visualize a hard gray shell around your heart. Visualize a white light orb above or in front of you. Visualize that this white light orb shoots out laser beams of pure white light that blast the hard gray shell around your heart. Visualize the hard gray shell melt and your heart become pink, open, soft and vital.

Now do some white light meditation. Sit comfortably or lie down. Close your eyes and focus on your breath. Get relaxed. Shift from your head to your heart. Visualize a bright white sun where your heart is and later visualize this bright white sun in front of you. Visualize that this bright white sun radiates bright white light in your entire body and head. Visualize that the white light fills up your entire body and head and creates an intact white aura all around you.

Clasp your hands together and visualize this white light goes out three to six inches to a foot from you. Now hold the visualized white light there with the intention of raising your vibrations. Visualized white light cleanses and heals the energy body and raises your vibrations. Take a few seconds each day to visualize that you are filled up with white light and that an intact shell of white light surrounds you. This will help protect you from negative energy.

Over time, these exercises will work to connect you with soul and spirit. This will enable you to cultivate an ongoing feeling of love/peace, happiness and joy. This state of being will automatically cause your ego to be subordinated to your soul in governance of self. The result will be more positive thoughts. You will then substitute inner power, high self confidence and high self esteem for ego. White light meditation

White, green and blue light meditation

Sit comfortably close your eyes and focus on your breath. Get relaxed. Visualize a bright white, green and then light blue sun where your heart is. Visualize that this inner sun radiates bright white, green and then light blue light in your entire body and head. Visualize that these colors – white, green and light blue- fill up your entire body and head and create an intact color aura around you. White is for inner peace, happiness and joy along with healing. Green is for healing depression. Light blue is for healing anxiety. If you have trouble visualizing the colors white, green and light blue, then look at the colors and then close your eyes and imagine them. Look at the clouds for white, the grass and trees for green and the sky and water for light blue and then visualize them with your eyes closed.

Deep breathing exercises

Sit comfortably or lie down. Close your eyes and shift from your head into your heart. Get relaxed. Breathe deeply through your nose into your heart. Hold your breath there for five seconds then breathe out through your mouth. Focus only on your breaths as any thoughts that come in drift away. Visualize that you are breathing in bright white light as pure unconditional love on the in breaths and exhaling all negativity as black smoke on the out breaths. Let go of all negativity. Fill yourself with visualized white light and inner peace. Focus only on your breath Focus on your deep breaths anytime you get anxious or angry. The mind can only focus on one thing at a time. So, as you focus on your breath, the negative thoughts will drift away. Smile.

Chakra cleansing, healing, balancing and alignment

Close your eyes and sit comfortably or lie down. Focus on each of the major seven chakra points, one at the time and visualize that you bathe them in white light. Then visualize each of the chakra colors one at a time with your eyes closed. YouTube has good chakra cleansing, healing, balancing and alignment meditation videos. Close your eyes and focus on your breath. Get relaxed. Hold your hands open in a position of receiving from the Universe. Visualize a violet flame in front of you, like a campfire flame. Invite that flame into your body and feel it fill your body up from your belly to your throat. Feel it raise your vibrations as it burns off low vibration negative energy in you. Put citrine (high vibration crystal) over your heart or hold citrine in your left hand when you do this exercise. Citrine will help raise your vibrations. This will help burn off subconscious memories. So, you do not even have to bring these memories to the surface to get rid of their negative effect on you. YouTube has good meditation videos on chakra cleansing, healing, balancing and alignment and the violet flame.

Higher self and inner child meditation/visualizations

In meditation, visualize a pure white angel that looks just like you (but is happy, peaceful and full of love and white light). See an energy cord connect you to that angel from your heart. Visualize that angel (your higher self) now merge with you. Visualize you as a child playing and having fun. Now visualize that you hug that child and tell him or her that he or she is safe and to just have fun. Take a pillow and visualize that pillow is you as a child and hug it. Tell the inner child you love him or her. Now, become the loving inner parent to our inner child. Indulge your inner child everyday by allowing yourself to have fun and do things that make you happy. Smile.

Meditation/visualizations to get rid of negativity

Here is an exercise to get rid of stored anger, fear, anxiety and painful and negative memories: visualize the image of the painful event from the past or the image that worries you about the future. Close your eyes and visualize this image in a glass ball that hovers a few feet in front of you. Put your hands on this visualized ball and push it with force deep into the ground. Hear and feel the energy cords that attach you to the image snap and fall away. Do this over and over until the image no longer has an energetic grip on you and all related anger and fear melt away. As you push the ball deep into the ground say the following to yourself: “Into the ground, into the core go away, melt away, gone.” In deep meditation, visualize positive scenes that make you feel happy. Focus on scenes from nature and celebrations. Smile.

Cut energy cords

The ego spins out energy attachments to people, things, substances and beliefs to fill the void inside us. These energy attachments lead to unbalanced thoughts, obsessions, ruminations, lusts and addictions. As we heal the void inside us (through energy body cleansing and healing), and as we build up the white light within, we will not spin out these energy cords very much. In order to substantially reduce ruminations, obsessions, lusts and addictions and establish balance, it is important to cut energy cords – especially energy cords with negative and toxic people and painful memories. Likewise, it is important to let go of anger and hate and fear. Detaching from and letting go of emotional pain is important for healing.

So, to cut energy cords, do the following: Sit down and close your eyes. Visualize the energy cords that attach you to people, things, substances, ideas and beliefs that cause unbalanced or obsessive thoughts. Visualize them as energy cords connected to your heart and torso. With your weak hand visualize that you grab the cords. Then with your strong hand visualize that you cut them and sever them from you with a visualized knife or scissors. Visualize that they fall away.

Alpha, Beta, Delta and Theta Brain Wave Entrainment

Alpha, beta, delta and theta brain wave exercises can be found on YouTube. They provide sound therapy that will help bring brain waves and brain chemistry back to normal. This will help when it comes to positive thinking, inner peace, peace of mind and joy.

Distract and Substitute

When negative thoughts or images come into your mind, identify it, distract and substitute. Monitor your mind for such thoughts and images. Your mind can only focus on one thing at a time. When it comes to negative thoughts, work with Substitution and Distraction. Substitution – Substitute positive thoughts and images for negative ones. Switch to thoughts about, or images of, positive, happy and loving people, pets and scenes that make you feel happy and good inside.

Distraction – Distract yourself by bringing your mind back to the moment – i.e., substantive aspects of work, process and details of things we encounter in the moment. Focus on the moment with full attention and awareness. Do not analyze or judge. Do not focus on results. Do not focus on the past or future. Do not focus on the negative image. Distract and substitute and return to the moment with full awareness and engagement. Shift out of your head and thoughts and back  into your heart and senses.

Observe and focus on details, process and substance. When in the moment, do not let thoughts take you somewhere else, whether it is the past, the future or another place. Each time they do, re-focus on what we are doing and where you are in the moment. Do not let thoughts rob you of the precious moments of life.

When negative thoughts come in, do the following: smile, close your eyes and do some deep breathing exercises. Breathe deeply into your heart or abdomen and focus only on your breath only. Alternatively, stop thinking altogether and just be focused on what you encounter in the moment… Put your hand over your heart and shift your energy there. Now, just be in the moment. Fully experience the moment in your body center and your senses and not in your thoughts. Become an observer. Suspend judgment or analysis of what you encounter in the moment. Just encounter it.

Distract the negative thoughts with music, prayer and mantras. Focus on lyrics, prayers and words. By focusing on music prayer and mantras, your mind will not be able to focus on the negative thoughts. Focus on others who you encounter with some positive words and conversation, some kind words and acts.

Center, ground and focus

Sit comfortably. Focus on an object or symbol with your eyes open. Now, close your eyes and visualize that symbol in the middle of the inner screen in your forehead. Whenever a thought comes into your head, re-focus more intensely on the object or symbol. Negative thoughts and a negative inner voice come from the back and sides of the head. This exercise helps you develop focus.

Focus comes from the middle of your forehead. The middle of your forehead is the seat of your will and intent. Positive thoughts are focused thoughts. They are thoughts related to the details of positive things such as errands, work, studies and process. Through centering, grounding and focus, you can stop the negative inner voice and negative thoughts, worried and angry thoughts and critical and judgmental thoughts about self and others. Through centering, grounding and focus, you can stop obsessive thoughts and ruminations. Distract and substitute or go to no thoughts. To do this, we must build up our abilities to be mindful and our will intent. We can then apply our will and intent to control our thoughts and to shift from negative to positive.

For grounding, sit comfortably with your eyes closed and your feet firmly planted on the ground. Take off your shoes. Visualize that roots or laser beams shoot out from your feet and into the earth, going all the way to the center of the earth. Visualize that they anchor you firmly to the earth.

Now, with your eyes closed, focus your attention on the middle of your forehead and sit straight. Posture is important. Negative thoughts and a negative inner voice come in when we are un-focused and slouching. So, when you walk or sit hold yourself erect and center yourself in the middle of your forehead and in your heart or body center.

Visualize a big white sun where your heart is located. Close your eyes and put your hand over your heart and shift your consciousness and energy to that spot. Alternatively, visualize an orb of white light above your head and below your feet and visualize that a beam of white light shoots out from the orbs and the light beams meet at the center of your body. With respect to centering in the middle of your forehead, put your fingers on your forehead and shift your energy and consciousness there. Center and focus. To fortify your ability to center and focus, do directed or seed mediation set forth above.

Negative thoughts and a negative inner voice come from the sides and back of the head. Therefore, centering your energy and consciousness in the middle of your forehead is important to still the negative thoughts and negative inner voice. Be mindful of negative thoughts and a negative inner voice. When they come, switch to positive thoughts and images, positive affirmations, deep breathing exercises, centering yourself and staying focused in the moment. Live in the moment and your senses and not in your thoughts. Thoughts tend to always go negative when we live in them. Stop angry thoughts about the painful past or worried thoughts about the future especially. Just Be.

Higher Self and Inner Child Meditation/Visualizations

Higher self and inner child visualization and meditation exercises will help build up your inner power, self confidence, self esteem and happiness. This is important to do to achieve a positive inner voice.

To do this, you must connect and integrate with your higher self (i.e., your soul) and inner child. Your higher self/soul is all loving, happy, holy and peaceful. Your inner child is full of happiness, wonder, energy and fun. When we are fully connected to, and integrated with, our higher self and inner child, we feel happy, peaceful, complete and confident. We have high self esteem, a lot of energy and we enjoy life.

In meditation, visualize a pure white angel that looks just like you (but is happy, peaceful and full of love and white light). See an energy cord connect you to that angel from your heart. Visualize that angel (your higher self) now merge with you. Visualize you as a child playing and having fun. See an energy cord connect you to that child from your heart. Visualize that child (your inner child) now merge with you. Visualize that you hug that child and tell him or her that he or she is safe and to just have fun. Take a pillow and visualize that pillow is you as a child and hug it. Tell the inner child you love him or her. Now, become the loving inner parent to our inner child. Indulge your inner child everyday by allowing yourself to have fun and do things that make you happy.

Spiritual Prayer

Pray from your heart daily with your eyes closed. Pray with complete focus on the substance of your prayers. Thank and praise the Divine, ask for forgiveness from the Divine and offer all negativity to the Divine. Ask the Divine to take all negativity from you. Visualize that the negativity is lifted from you, making you feel lighter. Forgive yourself and ask the Divine for healing, protection and blessings and know you are forgiven and will be blessed. This will generate positive energy for your health and happiness.

Additional Matters

Stay heart centered and in the moment as much as possible

Live in your heart and senses and not in your thoughts

Believe that life is a precious gift and meant to be enjoyed and that your birthright is to feel happy and peaceful inside

Begin to see life as a series of precious moments and then enjoy and fully experience each moment –make the moments positive and happy ones

Control your thoughts-use them for positive matters (positive plans and details of work, errands, day-to-day life and hobbies, etc.)

Get into nature often – breathe deeply when in nature (large bodies of water and running water help relieve anxiety and trees and woods help relieve depression). Get moderate sunlight often

Focus most of your positive attention on the precious loved ones and pets in your life

Focus on positive activities that bring you inner peace and joy

Do something fun, positive and enjoyable each day including nice walks, bicycle, exercise, yoga

Maximize the positive and minimize the negative in your daily routine

Smile and laugh – watch comedies 

Make your home peaceful, harmonious and orderly

Turn off the news and turn on melodic, joyful and harmonious music

Avoid conflict and drama and negative and toxic people and environments

Eat a high nutrient diet (primarily fresh vegetables, fruit, nuts, berries and seeds). Avoid processed foods, refined sugar and starches as much as possible. Exercise daily – cardio and light weights. Stretch and adopt good posture to enhance the flow of chi energy in your body

Holistic research indicates the benefits of the following natural supplements for anxiety and sleep disorders: B complex vitamin, valerian root, holy basil, kava kava, dark chocolate, melatonin, chamomile, passion flower, Gamma-aminobutyric Acid (GABA) and tryptophan (consult your physician)

Holistic research indicates the benefits of the following natural supplements for depression:  vitamins C, D3 and B complex, 5 htp, SAMe, Magnesium, St.John’s Wort, Colloidal Gold and Silver and Omega 3 Fatty Acids (flaxseed and fish oil supplements) (consult your physician) 

Crystals help with anxiety and depression because they interact positively with the energy body to calm and balance it and raise its vibrations; Carry crystals in your left pocket, hold them in your left hand when meditating and put them over your heart when you meditate lying down – angel light or light blue crystals are good for inner peace, green crystals such as green aventurine and jade are good for healing, rose quartz is good for healing the heart chakra and citrine, orgone and clear quartz will help raise your vibrations. Crystals interact positively with the energy body.  Gold will also help raise your vibrations and balance your energy. You can also hold gold in your left hand when meditating and put it over your heart when you meditate yying down.

Take salt baths with lavender essential oil to calm your energy and extract negative energy

Take showers to extract negative energy (visualize that the water from the shower that streams on your body washes away all negative energy

Smell essential oils that calm, raise and balance your energy; these essential oils include lavender, rose, floral, orange and citrus, bergamot, cypress, geranium, jasmine,  melissa, neroli, sandalwood, vanilla and ylang-ylang

Burn white sage in your to clear away negative energy

Eliminate caffeine  

Stop smoking

Focus on the following goal in your daily routine: to achieve and maintain an ongoing feeling in your heart and torso of inner peace and joy and peace of mind. Do not focus on negativity, loss, illness, worries about the future or what is lacking. Focus on feeling good. Avoid people, situations, environments and anything else that agitates you.

What Those Affected by PTSD Want You To Know by V. J. Cruse

On 23 October, we posted this discussion question on our Facebook page:

“If you could tell others one thing about PTSD, what would it be?”

The responses from our members were poignant, honest and some of the more instructive writing on the subject we have ever read.  We hope you will take the opportunity to add to the conversation here and pass this along to others.

Be inspired today, and take note – this is what those affected by PTSD want you to know:

“If you could tell others one thing about PTSD, what would it be?”

Susan Applegate, Daniel Richard, David W. Sisco and 15 others like this

Jennifer Norris – Just accept that I have it, don’t question it, and no I don’t want to talk about it. 23 October at 10:01

PW Covington – IT. IS. REAL. 23 October at 10:01

Rebecca Simpson Arnold – If you are the spouse or loved one of someone this is diagnosed then learn to be patient, accepting as they are going through hell! 23 October at 10:05 via mobile

Bruce Whitey Knight – Alcohol and drugs don’t help. They just heighten the senses and create anger 23 October at 10:06 via mobile

Joanne Lopez – I’m not sure one thing could say it…. Hmm IT ROBS ThEIR SPIRIT 23 October at 10:06 via mobile

Lori Westedt Enghusen – Some days are bad days and makes it hard to do daily tasks let alone focus on my work. PTSD is nightmare we live each day and it is NOT an excuse for not doing tasks! I’ve actually had people tell me I enjoy my PTSD and I use it as n excuse. Really if you think its that enjoyable I would gladly trade places with you! 23 October at 10:07 via mobile

Lisa Lyon – Taking a deep breath, I know that I am safe in the present moment. 23 October at 10:07 via mobile

Onager Daywalker – You just push through it and hopefully it goes away eventually. 23 October at 10:08 via mobile

Russ Stover – Don’t believe what you see!!! 23 October at 10:09 via mobile

Trauma Relief International – PTSD isn’t about what’s wrong with you. It’s about what happened to you. 23 October at 10:10

Madeleine Whitburn – Don’t be afraid to talk to someone we are ready to listen love you all 23 October at 10:10 via mobile

Jessica June Patience- …it’s not about you 23 October at 10:12 via mobile

NookieLee Green – it sneaks up on you 23 October at 10:17

Melissa Flaherty – Same as Jessica June – ”Patience…it’s not about you” 23 October at 10:18

Melissa Flaherty – I too wish I could do as you suggest, and pull myself together and get over it. 23 October at 10:19 ·

Demetrius Sellers – I wish I get my life back..the old me. 23 October at 10:20

Glenda Morris – You are not the only one… 23 October at 10:27

PTS Treatment – PTS is long-term issue lasting a minimum of 10 years. The only affect way to treat it is with an Alternative Specialist using Integrative Trauma Care for the veteran and entire family! 23 October at 10:30

Brian Zmf Anderson – Stop telling me, “You did what you had to do to survive.” as if that is a magic phrase that will make everything ok. 23 October at 10:32

Lee Alderson – I never knew why I was a different person, or why I acted different, even 25 years later, until I was no longer able to the suppress the feelings, and finally got help. 23 October at 10:44 via mobile

Kevin McGreanor – PTSD is a wound though it may not be visable it takes a huge toll on someone. I myself suffer from PTSD and it is a very bumping road…the best piece of advice i can give you is there is someone that is willing to help out. whether it may be you wife, kids, doctor, mom, dad some one is always there for you to help. 23 October at 10:47 ·

Corrinne Gibbs – to get the help they need.. keep friends and family close.. my brother did 2 tours in iraq and afghanistan and was definitely not the same person whrn he came home )o: a hospital pushed him aside and i lost him to suicide later that night.. even though some of these men and women are trying for the help.. some places just dont understand or take it serious enough 23 October at 10:56 via mobile

John L High – PTSD , for me, sometimes seems as if it’s in remission — but it returns. 23 October at 10:57 via mobile

Lizzie Braswell Bacon – It is real. And don’t be afraid to ask for help. 23 October at 11:04 via mobile

D Lewbaby Lewis – It will destroy your life if you let it. 23 October at 11:07 via mobile ·

Angela Light Ross – It changes your responses and limitations, not your convictions and values. 23 October at 11:11

Bob McCuaig – I get really annoyed with people telling me “just work through it”. I am. 23 October at 11:11

Kimberly Jean Harden – TALK about IT 23 October at 11:24 via mobile ·

Divita Elliott – That it is an illness and will take time to heal. People with PTSD need support and understanding. They can’t help how they feel or react. We, as supporters, should be patient and not react to their actions (symptons) by belittling them or pushing them. Become knowledgable about PTSD and find help. It takes love, patience and understanding to help those suffering from PTSD. 23 October at 11:29 via mobile

Courtney Williams – Each persons experience is unique, and they are the expert on what they need. Talk to them. 23 October at 11:31 ·

Isaac Arroyo – PTSD is with me now and will not go away. But through my treatment and hard work, it’s not what defines me and a Veteran or a Man. 23 October at 11:56 via mobile

Nyla Griffith – It’s the worst thing that ever happened to me or my family. 23 October at 12:02

Angels for Ike – My ex-husband has it and it wrecked our marriage but I still till this day stick by him. He’s now one of my bestfriends. It’s an ugly wound that can’t be seen but if you’re on the receiving end from someone who has it, it can be really scary. I ask him and ask him to get help and he did and I am so thankful. He is one of the reasons I took on Angels for Ike. I met Ike years back and saw his story and was like this could have been my ex, something needs to be done. Either way PTSD is no joke and all Vets deserve the best treatment we can give for giving us all they could give in war. 23 October at 13:12 ·

Chanelle Khrisette Badgett – My father has it and It’s hard to live with at times. 23 October at 14:22

David W. Sisco – Not fun !! 23 October at 14:29

Cynthia Hildenbrandt – Please don’t leave me. I’m still here somewhere inside this shell of PTSD hell. I will get better. I always do. Just don’t leave me. 23 October at 14:34

Reba Verrall – 2 yrs of treatment & some marked improvement does NOT equal: “you should be pretty much all better by now” 23 October at 15:02 via mobile

Margaret C Gayton – Dont take it personal 23 October at 16:28

Kelley Macek – You’re not a freak, nor are you a bad person because you get mad sometimes. 23 October at 16:58

Steve Lowe – It has taken me a long time to know that I have had it a long time. 23 October at 18:33

Jana Lutovsky – a good friend with a good ear can help you but there are good people with good training who can help you thru, and a great Savior with strong shoulders will never let you down. ever. 23 October at 20:19

Terri True Awakening Harris – Learn to accept because I find not accepting makes it harder to deal with and you begin to make that struggle much more greater. By accepting it leaves your heart and mind open to find more positive and effective solutions to deal with it. It also drives you to recreate a relationship with your self because you become more aware of what is triggering you and how you are affecting the people who are around you. 23 October at 23:10 via mobile

Chad Copass – I’ve battle with ptsd since I was a child I had a traumatic childhood and teenage years but kept it in the closet with a lot of drugs and alcohol when I was deployed it all came out like a freaking time bomb all at once when I came home I threatened to kill my wife my kids I finally got what you call help a hand full of meds and a kick in the ass. Three years later I’m still the same numb to my kids the wife hates me. But yet ppl tell me to get over it drive on or it a crutch man f those ppl I wish for a day they could feel our pain and maybe then they would realize its killing me from the inside it already tool my soul what’s next 24 October at 03:49 via mobile

Jack Moran – PTSD is like a virus. It infects you. It infects your kids, your friends, your family. It slowly eats away at your stability, your sleep, your ability to be happy. It makes you see danger everywhere. It chains you to your house. It chips away at your s…See More 24 October at 23:41 via mobile

Susan Applegate – Prepare to follow me as I have done the research & development for the job of the future. The employer will hire the PTSD at short hours to become at least a tax payer, likewise the PTSD can educate after being educated at a more suitable rate of high pay for short hours. I’d say write the President, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 20500-0001 Thursday at 09:39

Melanie Marie – I am listening. Thank you for sharing and educating the rest of us. 15 minutes ago via mobile

We are all listening.  Thank you for allowing us to share this beyond our Facebook group so that we can educate others.

The Glass by Beauregard Storm

Poet Beauregard Storm started writing and rhyming as a part of art therapy. As a Veteran, he would like to share this piece with those who have PTSD and tell them this: “Never give up the fight to find yourself again. Never let anyone take away your pride in your service.”

This is a powerful piece of writing; we feel honored to share it with you.

The Glass by Beauregard Storm

Three times I was asked the age old question

Was the glass half full or half empty

Always afraid of a trick, I could not make sense of the axiom

The possibility of either did make me think a plenty

One day, two friends came over for drinks and filled theirs to the brim

I took my own glass, curiously looked, and filled mine halfway

Not to boast, but asked for a toast, and let out a grin

I asked them the same question, each one, to let them say

Both were concerned for me and afraid of my mental disorder

I drank, drained the glass, and washed it in the sink

I finally had made myself think it through in logical order

I saw it as both, neither, and a tool from with which to drink

I saw optimism as always being naive and ‘exactly’ half full

I saw pessimism as always being ‘exactly’ half empty and no fun

I saw realism as the glass is just a glass with the question void and null

Opportunism is all three combined and my answer is done.

It is only because of freedom bought by our veterans that we may not have known

That we get to own, keep, share, and drink from such a thing as our own glass

I have also stood the watch for 20 years – even though I did not make it on my own

So I reserve the right to use the glass that I bought with my shares, to drink, share, and or smash

My glass again sat upon my shelf

I drank from it all alone

I washed it all by myself

Because it is mine to own