BlackFive

OK I approach a topic like this having a history of Zen, meditation and plenty of other explorations of warrior philosophy. So let's take a look at an interesting experiment in helping warriors re-integrate to society, and ignore the Jesus look of the practitioner.

Opportunity: If you're in the Phoenix Area, former Army Infantry Officer Eric Walrabenstein would like you to participate in a pilot program being tested to help you with stress related issues. 5 weeks long, 2 meetings a week (Monday and Thursday). Participants are paid a stipend of $150. Swing by Yoga Pura for more details or watch this video.

Like most veterans though, there was this nagging question as how to connect his old life to his new one. "I wondered, how can I help? How can I take these teachings beyond these four walls and help someone with significant and immediate problems?" What he found, after meeting with other veterans, is that other than the DOD and VA, the resources are scant. Many live in areas where they don't have access to these services, and many more are reluctant to step forward to get help because of the stigma of mental health. "One veteran who contacted me said that the he'd been taught to fight and kill for three years. But when he left, all he had was a three hour out-processing," says Walrabenstein. So, the question he posed to himself was: how best to reach people on a broad scale?

His answer was the creation of Thrive (note, the name will be changing), which employs modern psychology, yoga, and relaxation techniques. "Thrive is a seven-week program in a box," he says. "It's designed to be done at home with a CD, a DVD and a book. Participants are asked to evaluate their lives, find any unhealthful tendencies or thoughts that make their stress worse. Each week the participant will read a different lesson. It's a self administered program that takes up about an hour a day."

This comes to us from an interesting commenter and pro writer Kanani (Kitchen Dispatch)