http://www.iraqrose.org/
I went to a UCLA class on PTSD with a speaker: a lesbian war veteran. Her service timing was such she never saw combat. She shared about arriving at base and being immediately harassed by "25 men" banging on her door every day in the co-ed dorm: "Looks don't matter...married don't matter...race...nothing...we're all dressed the same. They don't care. It never stops... If you do give in you get labeled 'whore', 'easy'."
"The first thing you are told when you arrive at base is: 'You are now the property of the United States Military. Civilian law no longer applies to you or anything that happens here.' Man, you look around at everything. Every darn label in every piece of the clothing reminds you that you are 'property of the United States Military'. It's there, everywhere...The other thing is this: When you arrive they know who you are. They know everything about you।" On a break from duty she got married to a man hoping that might help her social safety. When back at base she put up the "I'm married" husband photos but nothing changed. Explain to your commander you were raped and, well...unless you have physical evidence to prove DAMAGE TO U.S. MILITARY PROPERTY, you hear: "Where is your military bearing?" They don't care anyway. The basic idea for military success is you need to be free of feelings. She emphasized, "It's all about Military Bearing." She admitted military bearing still comes in handy for things like car accidents and so forth. "Helps to automatically take a breath and stay calm and things like that."
Sunday the Dali Lama in a TV interview was asked if he would pick his successor. He got into a discussion of reincarnation. He said reincarnation happens so you can finish a task that was started in an earlier lifetime.
When I pulled into the college parking lot to start nursing school I remembered "The Dream". The Dream happened when I was age 3 or 4. I awoke from a vivid, very odd, experiencial dream. In it I was a: Grown woman, cloaked in black cape, white garmets underneath, carrying black doctors bag, walking very briskly as if driven by a mission, by light of oil lamps in mist, passing brick buidings and through wet cobblestone streets. I was hurrying past a tower clock that looked like Big Ben. Might have been the old Portland train station. I opened my child eyes to distant fog horn. We lived a couple blocks from the Atlantic and Fort Williams in Maine. Looking at my pink checkered wallpaper I was spun out. Wa waz that? I really pondered. I still rememeber it well. I was a nurse. I sure would like to know what happened to me.
Monday, the news reported 5 U.S. soliders killed in murder-suicide. Suicide is a listed side-effect of Prozac. Over 18% of our troops are medicated with psychiatric drugs on the front lines. This is not looking good on any account. It will be interesting to see how far the military goes in integrating Battlefield Acupuncture. The VA is still a no-go for acupuncture except for pain and except when performed by nurses (there is a massive nurse shortage as it is) and doctors. They say "We have doctors that do that." But what about all the PTSD cases? In California acupucturists are "front line" primary care providers. Veterans don't need an MD for acupuncture or to tell them to see us.
Martha D., RN, L.Ac., DAR
I went to a UCLA class on PTSD with a speaker: a lesbian war veteran. Her service timing was such she never saw combat. She shared about arriving at base and being immediately harassed by "25 men" banging on her door every day in the co-ed dorm: "Looks don't matter...married don't matter...race...nothing...we're all dressed the same. They don't care. It never stops... If you do give in you get labeled 'whore', 'easy'."
"The first thing you are told when you arrive at base is: 'You are now the property of the United States Military. Civilian law no longer applies to you or anything that happens here.' Man, you look around at everything. Every darn label in every piece of the clothing reminds you that you are 'property of the United States Military'. It's there, everywhere...The other thing is this: When you arrive they know who you are. They know everything about you।" On a break from duty she got married to a man hoping that might help her social safety. When back at base she put up the "I'm married" husband photos but nothing changed. Explain to your commander you were raped and, well...unless you have physical evidence to prove DAMAGE TO U.S. MILITARY PROPERTY, you hear: "Where is your military bearing?" They don't care anyway. The basic idea for military success is you need to be free of feelings. She emphasized, "It's all about Military Bearing." She admitted military bearing still comes in handy for things like car accidents and so forth. "Helps to automatically take a breath and stay calm and things like that."
Sunday the Dali Lama in a TV interview was asked if he would pick his successor. He got into a discussion of reincarnation. He said reincarnation happens so you can finish a task that was started in an earlier lifetime.
When I pulled into the college parking lot to start nursing school I remembered "The Dream". The Dream happened when I was age 3 or 4. I awoke from a vivid, very odd, experiencial dream. In it I was a: Grown woman, cloaked in black cape, white garmets underneath, carrying black doctors bag, walking very briskly as if driven by a mission, by light of oil lamps in mist, passing brick buidings and through wet cobblestone streets. I was hurrying past a tower clock that looked like Big Ben. Might have been the old Portland train station. I opened my child eyes to distant fog horn. We lived a couple blocks from the Atlantic and Fort Williams in Maine. Looking at my pink checkered wallpaper I was spun out. Wa waz that? I really pondered. I still rememeber it well. I was a nurse. I sure would like to know what happened to me.
Monday, the news reported 5 U.S. soliders killed in murder-suicide. Suicide is a listed side-effect of Prozac. Over 18% of our troops are medicated with psychiatric drugs on the front lines. This is not looking good on any account. It will be interesting to see how far the military goes in integrating Battlefield Acupuncture. The VA is still a no-go for acupuncture except for pain and except when performed by nurses (there is a massive nurse shortage as it is) and doctors. They say "We have doctors that do that." But what about all the PTSD cases? In California acupucturists are "front line" primary care providers. Veterans don't need an MD for acupuncture or to tell them to see us.
Martha D., RN, L.Ac., DAR
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