Soldiers Use These Uplifting Programs To Help With PTSD

PTSD or post-traumatic stress disorder affects about 8 million American adults. Typically, members of the military who are exposed to war/combat are at the highest risk of developing PTSD. Here are just four of the many unique and meaningful ways veterans are overcoming their PTSD:

1) Project Welcome Home Troops- Project Welcome Home Troops began in 2006 when several trauma relief trainers from the International Association for Human Values (IAHV) volunteered to give a presentation on stress relief to veterans in Orange County, California. Soon after, therapist Dr. Shad Meshad at the National Veterans Foundation provided additional training on how to help cope with PTSD and 'Project Welcome Home Troops Stress Relief Workshop' was born. Courses soon followed at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and veteran's hospitals, veteran's centers, and community outreach programs across the country. Since 1997 IAHV has been providing effective training for stress & trauma relief to disaster survivors, prison inmates and inner city youth and most importantly changing the lives of our troops!

2) Hug-A-Vet- The Human Hug Project based out of Nashville, TN is using their own experience with isolation, anxiety, and depression to help other veterans cope with theirs – all through the healing power of a simple hug. Their objective is a simple one: to travel across the country giving out hugs at VA hospitals. Human Hug Project has visited more than 20 VA facilities, but are aiming to hit every VA in the country and have a gofundme to help them accomplish that!

3) The Soldier Project- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) affects nearly 3 million veterans! Dancing Well: The Soldier Project based out of Louisville, KY is dedicated to bringing the healing power of music, dance, and community to veterans and families coping with PTSD and traumatic brain injury (TBI).

4) Adventure Therapy- Fighting overseas had conditioned him to expect adrenaline-filled days, so returning to a quiet civilian life was a challenge. One veteran named Stephen Simmons uses Adventure therapy as a way to combat his PTSD. "Adventure therapy has given me immense hope for the future, and a new-found determination to overcome my situation."

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that PTSD afflicts:

Almost 31 percent of Vietnam veterans
As many as 10 percent of Gulf War (Desert Storm) veterans
11 percent of veterans of the war in Afghanistan
20 percent of Iraqi war veterans
To find more information on PTSD click here and comment below if you know of any other ways soldiers are combating their PTSD.