Developing our National Injured Warrior Alliance (NIWA) - serving injured warriors, vets and their families

NASW New Mexico State Conference Workshop-Serving Injured Warriors by Gerald Vest

National Injured Warrior Alliance (NIWA) - Serving Injured Warriors, Vets & Families with Integrative Health Practices.

Feb. 22, 2012, 1:30-5:00pm – “Welcome Home with Daryl Worley – our returning warriors giving the StressOut with elder Vets in Nursing Home.”See, Article - Ft. Bliss Monitor, http://jerryvestinjuredwarrior.com (Video by SSG Paul Jeffers--A true welcome home for new returning Warriors giving StressOuts and visiting with their elder Brother & Sister Warriors.)

Presentation Outline

1) Jerry Vest’s Team Presentation/Workshop, NASW-NM Conference Workshop, Welcome Returning Warriors, Vets and your Families;

2) Engaging Injured Warriors & Families with extensive & intensive Integrative & Holistic Health Practices; 15 Minute StressOut-Melting; Fight-Freeze-Flight Nervous System Reaction in War & grounding energy & agitation; calming & slowing down the Mind with breath & meditation;

3) Using the Power of Touch & Vitality of Breath to reconnect, restore our health and recover from this catastrophic injury affecting body, mind, emotions, spirit and social relationships, especially the family;

a. Practice Experiences…..Breathing—Integration Breath followed by “Laying on of Hands – Melting” [link]

b. Developing Mindfulness & Meditation experience with breathing & color—focus on Kath Point (three finger widths beneath navel—lower belly, palms of hands and soles of feet – Color Red—element Fire.)

NOTE: While exchanging the "Laying on of Hands & Breathing together, the Power of Touch unites with the Vitality of the Breath. Our energies produce a calming effect as our instincts will be safe and trusting. We are also developing our breathing awareness throughout the experience of "Melting."--a transcendal Empathic Connection, Relationship-Compassion. This Partner Breathing Awareness exercise assists us with joining and being One with our "internal breath"...very calming and peaceful--Mindfulness. see our [link]

Primary Goals of NIWA – Modeled after world premier Ft Bliss Restoration & Resilience Center (R & R)—Join us as a Collaborative

1) Identify every returning Warrior, Vet & Family returning to our communities;

2) Develop Professional Integrative Health Self-Care Plan with NIWA Support Group;

3) Assign and connect our trained & certified NIWA Community Support Advocate-Battle Buddy with every Warrior, Veteran and their Families;

4) Experience intensive & extensive Integrative Health & Education Services

NIWA’s Health, Education, Restoration & Resilience Engagement Plan

Our NIWA Community will do everything possible to help our participant members restore health and recover from catastrophic injuries that affect their Whole Being. Evidence shows that every physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social-family health system is in the process of healing, and recovery from extensive tours of duty. War Trauma is a natural human response with enormous stress on every organ affecting the mental, emotional, physical, spiritual, and social systems. Our Alliance views WarPost Traumatic Stress as a catastrophic Injury of great proportion and intensity.

Stress, Anxiety and Depression are the basic symptoms or killers of the human being’s body, mind and spirit. There is significant evidence that War Trauma produces this extensive injury to the whole being, beyond the Behavioral Health’s ability to measure this debilitating injury with validity and reliability tools. Some schools of thought suggest that using the mental health DISORDER Label (DSM) prevents most injured warriors from seeking treatment . NIWA’s response to Welcoming Home and Engaging our Injured Warriors and their Families is with health & healing, love, appreciation for their service, compassion, respect, caring and offering Comprehensive, Extensive & Intensive Integrative Health Practices; with a Community Support Advocate or Battle Buddy; with a Professional Self-Care and Family Plan; and, with a commitment to transcend and transform injuries into health, restoration & resilience. NIWA recognizes that our Returning Warriors, Vets and their Families are our Country’s greatest treasure and will not be left out and we will not “…leave a fallen comrade”…without health, services and resources.

**********************
Ft Bliss Restoration & Resilience Center – “Coin” – The Wolf-Pack – Coming Home Strong

“I Will Always Place the Mission First; I Will Never Accept Defeat; I Will Never Quit; I Will Never Leave a Fallen Comrade”

Thank you for joining with our National Injured Warrior Alliance (NIWA) to advance the quality of our lives, health and relationships.

Acknowledgement (picture)

SSG Lance Bradford, decorated, injured, and wounded warrior--Bronze Star with Valor & Purple Heart returns to Iraq 3 following extensive and intensive integrative health treatment, Ft. Bliss Restoration & Resilience Center & Warrior Transition Battalion. We Salute You Lance for your Dedication, Courage, Devotion and Honor for our Country. We look forward to a safe return for you and all of our great Warriors and their Families.

National Injured Warrior Alliance (NIWA)– Organization Leadership

Gerald Vest, LISW/LMT, Vet. Tricare Provider & Organizer; Ike Trevino, MHA, Ex. Dir. Vet, Traditional Healer; Sean E. Pearson, BCJ & Vet Rep, Program Coordinator; Patti McClure, MFA, Tesoro Owner/Practitioner; A. Remic-Barlow, LISW, Counseling & Equine Assisted Programs at Spirit Ranch; Jennifer Switzer, MA, LMSW¸ I &R Advocate Specialist; Grey Wolf, Traditional Healer

Contact: seanepearson@gmail.com or geraldvest@comcast.net