I wanted to follow up on my last blog about returning veterans who suffer from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), and the extremely difficult challenge they and their families face in "adjusting" to being home.  (I know this may be a bit of a heavy subject for a blog, but hey.... you don't have to read it, right??)  As one of those who are reaping the benefits of having liberty and being at peace in their homeland, I feel we start to change things for the better only after we start talking about it and acknowledging we have a problem in the first place.  The cost of war is high and the fact is, in one way or another, we all have to share in paying that price.  I find it helpful to remember to separate out political issues from that of returning war veterans.... after all, enlisted or not, service men & women really don't get a vote about where they go or if they go!  ON THE LIGHTER SIDE .....

Who says treating truama has to be painful??  I read a great article about a new type of trauma therapy which is already in practice in California.  It's called "Ocean Therapy" or "Surf Therapy"!  Just hearing the words "ocean" and "surf" hopefully conjures up some fun and relaxing pictures of being out in nature, walking or laying on a beach, listening to the sound of the waves lapping up on the sand.... Or perhaps "surf" brings to mind a tan, blonde surfer, screaming down the vertical face of a wave, maybe getting "tubed inside the green cathedral"?!  Well thanks to the Jimmy Miller Foundation, many veterans from Camp Pendleton are now receiving relief from their PTSD symptoms, along with some of the even more amazing feelings of peace and joy which surfers the world over already know about.  Along with individual surf instructors, the veterans also work with physical therapists and mental health counselors as they take on the surfing challenge along with the challenge of moving through their trauma.  As a surfer, I can attest to the bliss which is a regular benefit of launching out into the ocean on my board, not to mention the obvious benefits of fresh air, sunshine,exercise and just being in the ocean itself.  As far as I'm concerned, surfing is fantastic therapy for anyone who is game to give it a try.  This program is also a testimony to the benefits of using physical exercise/activity to enhance one's sense of self, which simultaneously mitigate feelings of anxiety and depression.  As you will find when you chase down the following link, one of the first symptoms to leave a vet w/ PTSD is the sleeping issue.  If you've ever been out for a surf session, I'm sure you know that sleeping soundly afterwards takes very little effort.  Check out more by clicking on:  http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/19/uk-surfing-veterans-thera...