"That which gives light, must endure burning"

Victor Frankle

Holocaust Survivor, Psychotherapist, Author of "A Man's Search For Meaning"

"Because the truth is, even in our darkest moment, even in our saddest moments, even in our most broken moments, we have magic in us; We have glitter and sparkles; we are goddesses and gods, Buddha's, king, and queens."

Amy Ferris

Editor of "Shades of Blue: Writers on depression, suicide, and feeling blue"

"A bit of advice given to a young Native American at the time of his initiation: As you go the way of life, you will see a great chasm. Jump. It is not as wide as you think."

Joseph Campbell

Author of "A Hero With a Thousand Faces" and "The Power of Myth"

“Your visions will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.”

C.G. Jung

Psychologist, founded Analytical Psychology

Veterans
Photo by Cottonbro on Pexels

For my Brothers and Sisters in Arms

This shit is hard. Your not alone though. We have all felt the emptiness that is leaving the service. For some of us it hit harder than others. For some, we keep our uniform pressed and hanging up in our closet, knowing we will never wear it again. It is difficult to express the complexities of military service. How we can, all at once, hate it and miss it. It can be even more difficult to speak to people about it, as few understand what we need in those moments of sharing.

Some of you have been holding on to burdens of your service for decades, while others of us the wounds are still very new. I was lucky. While being completely broken, I had a therapist offer a different type of treatment to me. I say this without hesitation. EMDR saved my life. There is no doubt without it I would have swallowed a .40 cal to end my pain. I was given a gift, one that I now try and give back to y’all. There is a way, a path, out of the darkness. It is well worn, traveled by many who were hurting just like we are. There is a way to reclaim aspects of your life that you have lost, all without losing the important memories along the way.

I once had a fellow Veteran tell me that they were afraid to work on their trauma because they didn’t want to lose the memory of the ones they lost. With EMDR we do not lose those memories, just the extreme negative emotions around them. I still remember the loss of my friend, and I am still sad when I think of his daughter at his memorial service, asking when her father would be coming home. But I am no longer consumed by it. I am able to honor his memory by fighting alongside my brothers and sisters, and helping them see that they are not alone.

I am currently waiting for final approval to be added as a VA Community Care Provider. This means that once approved we will be able to utilize the VA to pay for sessions. I am also In-Network with TRIEAST Humana for any one that may be active duty or retired.

I started working in this field so that I could help my fellow Veterans. While I may be working with a broader populate now, my passion is still the same. Some days I wonder if my rockers and chevrons were surgically installed, as I still feel like a SFC some days, my platoon just looks different.

So please, if you are hurting, reach out to me. Let me help you see the pathway out of this darkness. You are not alone!

Welcome Home,

Michael Shorter, SFC (RET)