Another observation from the recent retreat, written about earlier, here:
There was somewhat of an attempted mutiny among the younger male OIF/OEF combat veterans that they had come to the retreat to learn "tools," but felt that they weren't actually come away with any. Gathering tools wasn't the focus of the retreat; building community was. However, their frustration was real, and it seemed that what they meant was tools for reintegrating with their families, and tools for dealing with their PTSD. But here's something that really stood out, and spoke well of the Vietnam veterans who were there in the process.
Two of the "tools" that were being offered at the retreat were qi gong -- which we've written about at length on this site, and encouraged many veterans with PTSD to try, always with positive results -- and meditation. Meditation is an important mind-body skill, and eminently teachable. The classes were offered, optionally, first thing in the morning, and sometimes later in the afternoon as well, for non-early-risers. At one point during the retreat, classes in both were offered for the whole group, during a mid-day session that everyone could attend (and childcare was offered, every time -- making it possible for anyone who wanted to attend to be able to go.) As the graduate of two week-long sessions (the practitioner training, and the advanced training) at the Center for Mind-Body Medicine in Washington, D.C., in a track called "Healing the Troops," I know that these skills, among others, are both worth learning, because they increase resilience and promote internal peace, better stress management and balance. In other words, good tools for any of us to learn, including combat veterans with PTSD or their families, who are under a lot of stress.)
The early morning sessions were well-attended by a broad cross-section of the retreat's participants, and you could see people responding to various degrees to these new experiences. But one thing happened that puzzled me.
Right after I learned of the frustration of some of the younger vets about not having access to the "tools" they were looking for, the mid-day session of both qi gong and meditation was offered. Many of these same guys sat in the back of the room, not participating, and generally (though lightly) mocking the goings-on of the other, more interested participants, some of whom were also vets, until they were asked to leave the room so the others could better concentrate. Those who stayed appreciated the renewed ability to concentrate without them, and after the sessions wrapped up, they gave some important feedback. One veteran apiece from the older generation had gravitated to each of the new practices. The qi gong had helped one to begin to feel more peace than he had in a long while (according to him), and while qi gong didn't resonate with another older vet, meditation really had. He said that he found while he practiced it, it allowed him to go within and get some much-needed peace from a long-term chronic pain.
I thought about how wonderful it was that both these veterans had persevered, tried something new, opened their hearts and minds to an unfamiliar experience, and yet had their lives blessed by that. They were literally leaving the retreat with new "tools" to practice...while the ones who had been so vocal in their frustration about not getting tools had actually missed the opportunity to learn the same. It's not that the tools didn't work...they had only to look to the experience of the older vets to see how. But unfortunately they missed the whole experience. And it made me wonder whether there's something about being an older vet...and suffering for decades, not just months or years...that somehow also creates a great openness and humility when it comes to trying new things that just might have a blessing encoded within them. Two sets of combat veterans, each with PTSD. Two sets of different frustrations. But one successful experience when it came to accessing new tools. There's a lesson in that for all of us, I'm sure.
Editor's note: If you want to know more about meditation, click here.
