Mindfulness handout

Here's a handout I use w/ the vets after we practice some of the exercises.


Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a technique and way of being that involves being in the present moment, accepting whatever is occurring, with full awareness. If we reflect on it, much of our energy is devoted to pushing away uncomfortable or “bad” experiences and trying to make “good,” or pleasant experiences last. Part of this struggle also involves trying to prevent “negative” things in the future and ruminating on the past. Mindfulness involves stopping this struggle because it creates more suffering in our lives. Much of the struggle is useless because it does not actually help. By focusing on the present moment, we don’t waste our mental energy on the past and future, which are unimportant compared to doing what we need to do now. Also, by letting ourselves accept what is going on in the present moment, we do not waste energy on the losing battle of pushing away difficult experiences and keeping comfortable ones. Experiences are ever changing and disrupting this natural flow only causes more suffering.

Basic mindfulness breathing instructions:
-Sit comfortably w/ back straight and cross-legged or feet firmly on ground.
-Eyes can be open or closed. Closed is best if you’re w/ others, but if you don’t want to, you can look downward softly.
-Notice the sensation of the breath going in and out at the nose, or the rise/fall of the stomach/diaphragm. Don’t focus too hard but try not to wander.
-Ideally, try to breathe from the stomach/diaphragm. If you’re not used to this, just try to expand your abdomen as you breathe in, and with time you will get used to it.
-When thoughts, physical sensations, or emotions come up, just let them come and go non-judgmentally. As if you were objectively watching this from an outside perspective. This includes just being with anything, such as boredom or fatigue.
-Keep bringing yourself gently back to focusing on the breath, even as distractions come up. Just focus your awareness to the present moment.


Suggestions:
Wear loose, comfortable clothing. When practicing at home, start w/ 5-15 minutes, esp for beginners. If intense thoughts or emotions come up that are very difficult to deal with, ideally it is best to try to accept those and watch them come and go, returning to the breath. However, if it is too intense, it is ok to get up and to do some light work (e.g., housework) or go for a walk.

Videoconference Archive

An archive of the Veterans University Videoconference is now available for viewing:

Windows Media Player stream: http://www.amp.csulb.edu/vets/20080514_vets.asx
Real Media Player stream: http://www.amp.csulb.edu/vets/20080514_vets.smi

Presenter scripts along with their slides are available as follows:
Ursula Bowling: script slides
Col Joe Pecko: script slides
John Huang: script slides
Tracy Stecker/Francis Hamilton: script slides

Dr. Ursula Bowling: Resources for Supporting Veterans and Their Families

Dr. Ursula Bowling: Resources for Veterans and Their Families

The website for "Operation Enduring Families," is now up and running. You may go to the following web address to gain additional information regarding this excellent program.

http://w3.ouhsc.edu/oef/

As Dr. Bowling mentioned during her presentation, she will provide a copy of her program "Operation Enduring Families," to all of you who are interested in reviewing and hopefully implementing it. The manual lays out a step-by-step process for implementing the program at your site, including letters of invitations, announcements, etc., which can be personalized to each site. You may receive your copy by e-mailing Dr. Bowling at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.

Ursula-Bowling@ouhsc.edu

Resources for Veterans and Their Families
Compiled by Michelle D. Sherman, Ph.D. (Revised March 2008)

BOOKS

For Veterans / Soldiers (and Adult family members)

Back from the Front: Combat Trauma, Love, and the Family. (2007). A. Matsakis.

Courage After Fire: Coping Strategies for Returning Soldiers and Their Families (2006).
Keith Armstrong, Suzanne Best, Paula Domenici

Down Range: To Iraq and Back (2005). Bridget Cantrell, Ph.D., Chuck Dean.

While They're at War: The True Story of American Families on the Homefront (2006).
Kristin Henderson

Trust After Trauma: A Guide to Relationships for Survivors and Those Who Love Them. (1998)
Aphrodite Matsakis

For Kids

Daddy, You're My Hero! // Mommy, You're My Hero! (2005). [for kids ages 4-8]
Michelle Ferguson-Cohen

A Very Long Time (2005). [for kids ages 4-8; picture book for children whose parent is deployed].
Geri Timperley, Nikki Arro

Uncle Sam’s Kids: When Duty Calls. (2003). [for kids ages 5-11]
Angela Sportelli-Rehak

Finding My Way: A Teen’s Guide to Living with a Parent Who has Experienced Trauma. (2005)
[for kids ages 12-18] . Michelle D. Sherman, Ph.D., DeAnne M. Sherman.
(available at http://www.seedsofhopebooks.com/)

WEBSITES

National Military Family Association / Operation Purple Camp. http://www.nmfa.org/

Military OneSource (1-800-342-9647). http://www.militaryonesource.com/

Military HOMEFRONT (Official DoD site). http://www.militaryhomefront.dod.mil/

Benefits Facts Sheets, US Department of Veterans Affairs: www.vba.va.gov/benefit_facts/index.htm

Strategic Outreach to Families of All Reservists: http://www.sofarusa.org/

Salute Our Services A Thousand Thanks to Military Kids Program (sends free personalized card to military child): http://www.saluteourservices.org/skins/sos/display.aspx?mode=user&ModuleId=8cde2e88-3052-448c-893d-d0b4b14b31c4&action=display_page&ObjectID=f2cbe28f-381c-475a-a2aa-175371eed89d

Emotional Health:

National Center for PTSD. http://www.ncptsd.org/

National Mental Health Association. www.nmha.org/reunions

Operation Enduring Families: A 5 session psychoeducational program for veterans who have recently returned from a combat theater and their families. Email Ursula-Bowling@ouhsc.edu for a free copy.


S.A.F.E. Program, Support And Family Education: Mental Health Facts for Families. An 18-session curriculum for people who care about someone who has a mental illness / PTSD.
http://w3.ouhsc.edu/Safeprogram/

Mental Health Self-Assessment Program (DOD sponsored mental health / alcohol screening and referral program offered to families and service members affected by deployment) https://webmail.ouhsc.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://tr.subscribermail.com/cc.cfm?sendto=www%25!

Deployment:

Surviving Deployment: Resources for Military Families. http://www.survivingdeployment.com/

Deployment Guide For Families of Deploying Soldiers. Separation and Reunion Handbook
http://www.hooah4health.com/deployment/familymatters/reunion.htm

DOD Deployment Health Clinical Center -- A Soldier and Family Guide to Redeploying.
chppm-www.apgea.army.mil/deployment/FamilyReunionTrifold19Dec03.pdf

Welcome Home: How to make a difference in the lives of returning war zone veterans (includes Dr. James Munroe’s “Eight Battlefield Skills that Make Life in the Civilian World Challenging”). Washington Family Policy Council. www.fpc.wa.gov/Welcome%20Home.pdf

Issues about Children/Youth

Operation Child Care (for National Guard and Reservists).
http://www.childcareaware.org/en/operationchildcare/

National Guard Family Program / Guard Family Youth Website
http://www.guardfamily.org/ // www.guardfamilyyouth.org

DOD’s Military Student Program: The Military Child in Transition and Deployment
http://www.militarystudent.dod.mil/

VIDEOS

Talk, Listen, Connect: Helping Families During Military Deployment. Sesame Street DVD.
Available for free through Military OneSource (1-800-342-9647) OR www.sesameworkshop.org/tlc

When Parents Are Deployed (with Cuba Gooding, Jr). Sesame Street video. Available to view at:
http://www.sesameworkshop.org/wpad/

Youth Coping With Military Deployment: "Promoting Resilience in Your Family" and “Mr. Poe and Friends.” American Academy of Pediatrics. Video from Operation Purple summer camp with interviews by kids. Available: http://www.aap.org/sections/unifserv/deployment/ysp-resources.htm

Getting Home: All the Way Home
Free downloadable DVD created by TriWest (TRICARE Contractor) for soldiers & their families. www.triwest.com/triwest/default.html?/triwest/unauth/newContent/newBehavioralHealth/videostream.asp

Dr. John Huang Mindfulness Resources

Dr. John Huang: Resources on Mindfulness, Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Some resources to obtain training in mindfulness include http://www.meditationandpsychotherapy.org/

http://mindfulness.ucsd.edu/index.htm.

Training in DBT is also available and information is provided on theirwebsite, www.behavioraltech.org

Training in ACT is readily available, and see their website,
www.contextualpsychology.org

Dr. Albert "Skip" Rizzo and Commander Scott Johnson Virtual Reality Therapy

Dr. Albert “Skip” Rizzo: Institute for Creative Technologies and Other Resources

Institute for Creative Technologies PTSD Research
http://ict.usc.edu/projects/post_traumatic_stress_disorder_assessment_and_treatment_ptsd/

May 12, 2008 “New Yorker” Magazine article:
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/05/19/080519fa_fact_halpern

“BrainFitness Article:
http://bfc.positscience.com/brain/spotlight/rizzo.php

Colonel Joseph Pecko Battlemind Resources

Website detailing Battlemind Program and other support resources for combat servicemembers, veterans and family members.

Colonel Joseph Pecko: New Battlemind Website and Related Resources

https://www.battlemind.army.mil/

Innovative Interventions Videoconference

Mental Healthcare For Veterans and Families
Wednesday May 14th, 2008
10:00am - 12:00pm PDT

Register at http://www.uces.csulb.edu/innovativeinterventions

Presenter Biographies

Ursula B. Bowling received her PsyD in clinical psychology from Fuller Theological Seminary and undergraduate degree from Baylor University. She is a clinical psychologist in the Family Mental Health Program at the Oklahoma City VA Medical Center and a clinical assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (Department of Psychiatry/Behavioral Sciences). Through funding from the South Central Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC), she recently completed a treatment manual, titled Operation Enduring Families, focused on adjustment issues of returning veterans and their families. Areas of interest include trauma recovery, the impact of mental illness and trauma on family relationships, the impact of domestic violence on children, care giving and altruism.

Tracy Stecker, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor at the Psychiatric Research Center in the Department of Community and Family Medicine at Dartmouth Medical School and a Health Research Scientist at the White River Junction VA. Dr. Stecker is a psychologist and mental health services researcher who focuses on help-seeking behavior in individuals with mental illness. She has been funded by NIMH to develop an intervention to increase treatment seeking among OIF veterans returning from war, and has applied this work in another funded project through NIAAA focusing on individuals with alcohol use disorders in primary care settings.

Albert 'Skip' Rizzo conducts research on the design, development and evaluation of Virtual Reality systems targeting the assessment and training/rehabilitation of spatial abilities, attention, memory, executive function and motor abilities. He also conducts research on VR applications that use 360 Degree Panoramic video for exposure therapy (social phobia), role-playing applications (anger management, etc.), journalism studies and digital media art creation. In collaboration with Jeff Gold at LA Children's Hospital, he is investigating the use of VR for acute pain distraction during at painful medical procedures and for discomfort reduction during chemotherapy. His latest project has focused on the translation of the graphic assets from the Xbox game, Full Spectrum Warrior, into an exposure therapy application for combat-related PTSD with Iraq War veterans. In spite of the diversity of these areas of research, the common thread that drives all of these applications involves the study of how VR simulation technology can be usefully applied to serve the needs of the user/client/patient in a manner that goes beyond what is available with traditional 20th Century tools and methods!

Dr. Scott Johnston received his bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Davis and his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the Pacific Graduate School in Palo Alto. In addition, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Pediatric Psychology at Harvard Medical School. He has been a Licensed Clinical Psychologist since 1995 and a Diplomate of the American Board of Psychological Specialties since 1997. Dr. Johnston is a Commander in the United States Navy and currently stationed at the Naval Medical Center San Diego. He has served around the world including San Diego, Iceland, District of Columbia, Japan, Hawaii, and the Persian Gulf. He has participated in two combat deployments to Iraq and one aboard an aircraft carrier. His clinical specialties include fitness for duty evaluations, operational psychology, child and family issues, and forensic psychology. His recent research on screening combat Marines from Iraq was presented at the 2006 and 2007 conference of the American Psychological Association. He is currently the Primary Investigator on three Office of Naval Research studies looking at treatment of PTSD in combat veterans.


COL Joseph Pecko is a PhD social work officer who has served in the US Army for the past 22 years. Currently he is assigned to the Army Medical Department Center and School as the Chief of the Soldier and Family Support Branch and Director of the Army – Fayetteville State University Master in Social Work program. In this capacity, he has successfully designed and led multiple critical initiatives at the core of the Army’s reengineering of behavioral health training for all soldiers and for care providers. He executed the challenging stand-up of the Army’s first Master of Social Work program. His Battlemind initiative is creating a paradigm shift in how behavioral health training is provided to our diverse populations. This and his other initiatives such as provider resiliency and PTSD training are focused on wellness and post traumatic growth with the goal of increasing leader awareness, reducing stigma to warriors with behavioral health issues and increasing their access to care.
The programs he leads have been relevant and timely to sensitive behavioral health issues at the Department of the Army and Department of Defense levels. His efforts have been recognized by the Army Surgeon General and senior Department of the Army leadership.

John S. Huang is a clinical psychologist at the VA Healthcare System in Long Beach, CA. He received his Ph.D. from the University of California at Santa Barbara and his B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley. He works on the PTSD clinical team as a full-time clinician. His interests include effective treatments for PTSD as well as incorporating diversity issues, meditation, relaxation, and spirituality (including Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, and Native American approaches) into treatment.

CDR Scott Johnston (live panel only) received his bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Davis and his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the Pacific Graduate School in Palo Alto. In addition, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Pediatric Psychology at Harvard Medical School. He has been a Licensed Clinical Psychologist since 1995 and a Diplomat of the American Board of Psychological Specialties since 1997. Dr. Johnston is a Commander in the United States Navy and currently stationed at the Naval Medical Center San Diego. He has served around the world including San Diego, Iceland, District of Columbia, Japan, Hawaii, and the Persian Gulf. He has participated in two combat deployments to Iraq and one aboard an aircraft carrier. His clinical specialties include fitness for duty evaluations, operational psychology, child and family issues, and forensic psychology. His recent research on screening combat Marines from Iraq was presented at the 2006 and 2007 conference of the American Psychological Association. He is currently the Primary Investigator on three Office of Naval Research studies looking at treatment of PTSD in combat veterans.

Adam Renteria (single veteran) attended St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower California and graduated in May, 1999. He joined the US Army and attended the Infantry Basic Training course at Fort Benning Georgia in August of 1999. After basic training PVT Renteria was assigned to Charlie Company, 1-41 Infantry, 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division at Fort Riley, Kansas. PVT Renteria deployed for two training tours in Kuwait; one from August to December, 2000 and the other from May to November, 2002. On September 1st 2002 Adam was promoted to sergeant E-5. In February of 2003, his unit received orders for Operation Iraqi Freedom and they were deployed back to Kuwait on the 1st of March. SGT Renteria and his unit began combat operations on 20 March, 2003. His unit was attached to other divisions such as the 82nd Airborne Division and the 101st Air Assault Division throughout the war. Adam redeployed home on 13 July 2003 after 5 months of combat. On 20 December, 2003 Adam left the service and returned home to California. Since then, he has been attending school at Golden West College in Huntington Beach and Pasadena City College. He has served as the Los Angeles County Chairperson for the Veterans for the Bush organization and the Viva Bush Coalition. He is now pursuing a Juris Doctorate as a History major and working as a personal trainer at 24-Hour Fitness. Adam has a nine-year old son A.J.

Traci Garrett (Adam’s former spouse) is the mother of A.J. and was a military spouse for five years. She has worked as a cosmetologist in Long Beach for the past five years. She and Adam were separated when he returned home from Iraq.

Francis Hamilton, MPH and presenter for Dr. Stecker, is a Project Coordinator at the Psychiatric Research Center in the Department of Community and Family Medicine at Dartmouth Medical School and at the White River Junction, Virginia. Ms. Hamilton's focus is on implementing research techniques involved in help-seeking behavior in individuals with mental illness. Ms. Hamilton is working closely on Dr. Stecker's research to develop an intervention to increase treatment seeking among OIF veterans returning from war.

Art Levine, moderator. Dr. Art Levine is a professor of ethics and legal studies at California State University, Long Beach. He has taught at CSULB for over 30 years and is the recipient of the 2002 CSULB Distinguished Faculty Teaching Award. He is an attorney and a graduate of Yale Law School. He is quoted regularly in the press on issues of ethics and political reform. Professor Levine is also the host/executive producer of the Straight Talk Television Show. The show focuses on politics, the arts and business and has been on air for fifteen years. Straight Talk airs in Long Beach on Charter Cable Channel 3 is also seen on cable systems in
35 surrounding cities. The show is viewable anywhere from the website--www.StraightTalkTV.com.