Healing War Trauma

Raymond Monsour Scurfield, DSW, LCSW, is a Vietnam veteran who was a social work officer on one of the Army's two psychiatric teams, professor emeritus of social work at the University of Southern Mississippi, and the founding director of the VA's National Center for PTSD in Honolulu, Hawai'i. Katherine Theresa Platoni, PsyD, maintains a private practice in Centerville, Ohio, is a colonel in the Medical Service Corps of the United States Army Reserve, and serves as Army Reserve Psychology Consultant to the Chief in the Medical Service Corps. She is a veteran of four deployments, including Operation Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom.

"Think of Healing War Trauma as a counterinsurgency field manual to battle the invisible and incapacitating wounds sustained by hundreds of thousands during a decade of war. Helping these soldiers requires more than talk therapy and drugs, and the editors, both combat veterans and mental-health professionals, offer an exciting array of creative and complementary treatments—and hope—in this handbook."—Ann Gerhart, senior writer, The Washington Post"This shining gem belongs on the desk of all who seek to heal war trauma. Confronting the complexities of the wounded soul reminds us of the need to broaden the scope of treatment strategies. Clearly, one size does not fit all, and this book opens our minds to possibilities. The chapter on resolving combat-related guilt is alone worth the trip to the bookstore. A beautiful blend of theory and practice."—Glenn R. Schiraldi, PhD, Lt. Col. (USAR, Ret.), author of The Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Sourcebook and The Resilient Warrior Before, During, and After War"Therapist/veterans Scurfield and Platoni are among our most experienced practitioners in the treatment of the psychological traumas of war, and their knowledge has been hard-won in both the clinic and on the battlefield. Here they take an eclectic and pragmatic look at therapeutic alternatives to trauma treatment. This is not only an essential work for health-care professionals, it is an accessible must-read for those seeking to understand the challenges faced by thousands of veterans."—Barry Goldstein, MD, PhD, author of Gray Land: Soldiers on War and associate professor at the University of Rochester

• Part I: Surviving Both War and the Battles Back Home. Rabb, Introduction. Scurfield, Platoni, Rabb. Survival Modes, Coping, and Bringing the War Home: From Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan. Zacchea, Veterans’ Advocacy: Social Justice and Healing Through Activism. Part II: Culture-Specific and Community-Based Approaches. Wilson, Culture-Specific Pathways to Healing and Transformation for War Veterans Suffering PTSD. Valdes, The Journey Home From War: The Quilt and Pillow Pal Ceremony. Csandl, Veterans’ Sanctuary: The Journey to Open a Therapeutic Community. Part III: Expressive-Experiential Approaches. Wise, Nash. Metaphor as Heroic Mediator: Imagination, Creative Arts Therapy, and Group Process as Agents of Healing With Veterans. Capps, Writing by Service Members and Veterans: A Medium to Promote Healing in Self and Others. Daniels, War-Related Traumatic Nightmares as a Call to Action. Part IV: Mind-Body Approaches. Mizuki, Mindful-Awareness Practice to Foster Physical, Emotional and Mental Healing with Service Members and Veterans. Platoni, Hypnotherapy in the Wartime Theater and Afterwards: OIF, OEF and Beyond. Kirsch, Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation (CES) with Alpha-Stim Mild Electrical Triage of the Brain with War Veterans. Part V: Animal-assisted/Outdoor Approaches. Cortani, Service Dogs and Other Canine Assistance Services for Wounded Warriors. Buckley, Raulerson, Back in the Saddle and SCUBA Warriors: Innovative Therapies to Healing. Part VI: Technological/Web-based Approaches. Casura, Healing Combat Trauma: The Website, the Vision, the Impact. Rizzo, SIMCOACH: An Online Intelligent Virtual Human Agent System for Breaking Down Barriers to Care for Service Members and Veterans. Part VII: Other Creative Approaches. Scurfield, Platoni, Resolving Combat-related Guilt and Responsibility Issues. Williams, Slogging the Bog of War to Return to the World of Work. Lanham, Pelletier, Spirituality in Facilitating Healing From War Trauma. Scurfield, Platoni, Afterword.