By KAREN SELF,
Support group facilitator
The Military Veterans Peer Network’s mission is to provide education and support to veterans, their families and others who suffer from the effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), sexual assault and traumatic experiences in our lives and the lives close to us.
We move toward our goals by sharing our experiences, strength and hopes with each other in a safe environment. Our purpose is not to place blame, but to understand the profound effect trauma has had on us and become free to grow and accept responsibility for the way ahead. The primary purpose of our group is to learn to deal with the effects of trauma on our lives and develop healthy patterns to cope with these.
We wish to encourage open sharing by giving our full attention to the person who is sharing. Confidentiality is absolutely essential for the survival of this group. In a support group we have a chance to talk about our traumatic experiences, fears, pain, shame, confusions, the behavior of others that was stigmatizing and abusive.
The horrible sense of estrangement exists when you are in a terrible situation and there is no one who understands what you are going through, the hatred and contempt of oneself and the world, and the debilitating sense of personal weakness.
Describing the awful things that have happened to us in detail can be disruptive to the group so we must learn to be non-judgemental. We relate our feelings and outline what we can do or have done to change.
Through support of the group we see that we are not alone. My objective is to lead the group, and those who care for them, to understand and be supportive, to establish camaraderie and trust with each other. To help each individual learn what triggers flashbacks and how to avoid and handle those situations when they arise.
The Veterans Peer Support Group meeting currently takes place at 4 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month at Advanced Rehabilitation and Healthcare, 700 U.S. Highway 287 South.