Army Warrior Faces Recovery with Wounded Warrior Project
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., July 27, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Local warriors recently attended a Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) mental health workshop in Seattle, Washington. These gatherings are often the first time warriors leave their homes to connect with others in their communities.
"My most prominent emotion had become fear," said Josh Emer, retired U.S. Army veteran. "My safe place had become aggression or isolation. I feel like the mental health workshop was a changing point for me. I was able to open up with the other veterans because I felt I was cared about. I promised to stop hating myself."
Through the generous support of donors, WWP offers veterans specialized mental health programs and services – tailored to each warrior's specific needs and free of charge.
WWP's multi-day mental health workshops are offered as all-male, all-female, or all-couples. These workshops provide safe, private environments for warriors to express themselves and share their combat experiences. By the end, warriors share lessons learned from the activities that impacted their personal struggles most and set achievable goals for their recoveries.
WWP staff use a recovery model that allows warriors to be vulnerable to the unknown and identify and work through anxieties together. As warriors brave recreational activities that push them outside their comfort zone, they actively honor the oaths they agreed to at the beginning of the workshop, including "to let go and move on," "to care for self and others," and "to be present in their recovery."
"The workshop gave me a second chance at life," Josh said. "I've genuinely smiled several times since, and it feels awkward because it's an unfamiliar feeling. My mind has been less focused on my demise, and I find myself thinking about things like hope, faith, and pushing forward. I have Wounded Warrior Project to thank for all this. I want to get better. I want to be a better version of who I was before my injuries."
To learn and see more about how WWP's mental health workshops connect, serve, and empower wounded warriors, visit https://newsroom.woundedwarriorproject.org, and click on multimedia.
About Wounded Warrior Project
Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) connects, serves, and empowers wounded warriors. Read more at https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/mission.
SOURCE Wounded Warrior Project