Returning Home: An SE™ Retreat for Vets

                       



                                                                Community Health SE™ Fundraising Campaign

                                                                                                Returning Home



Dr. Peter A. Levine's Community Health SE™ is raising money for a very special project, RETURNING HOME.

RETURNING HOME will be presented by Dr. Levine and is the first Somatic Experiencing® trauma healing retreat for veterans diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). 


                                                                                                  Retreat Dates:

                                                                                       October 10th -15th 2019


Thanks to your donation, no RETURNING HOME veteran pays for the retreat. Retreat costs include travel expenses, food, lodging, and program services.
             
HOW WILL RETURNING HOME WORK?

Returning veterans with PTSD are at a much higher risk for suicide than other people. Your donation can help a veteran with PTSD be less likely to commit suicide.

RETURNING HOME will help 30 veterans develop the skills they need to reduce trauma symptoms and manage physical discomfort. 

The retreat curriculum integrates the Somatic Experiencing® (SE™) trauma healing model with wellness practices that unify the body and the mind. As part of the daily program, veterans will receive individual SE™ sessions, equine and yoga therapies, and group therapy with guided  SE™-based practices.

In addition, veterans will be able to enjoy canoeing on the camp's lake, hiking on forest trails, quiet reflection, and conversation around evening campfires.

After RETURNING HOME ends, each veteran will be offered the chance to be part of an 8-week SE™ support group. Veterans will receive help to use and integrate SE™ tools and techniques learned during the retreat to further decrease states of distress and physical discomfort.

WHERE IS THE RETREAT LOCATED?

RETURNING HOME will be held at Fair Haven Camps in Brooks, Maine.  Fair Haven is on a beautiful lake surrounded by over 300 acres of pristine pasture, hiking trails, and  woods. This natural environment is ideal as a safe, nurturing place for the retreat. A rustic setting complete with a camp lodge, chapel, campfire site,  horse stables,  and an indoor basketball court. All meals will be home cooked.

WHY IS RETURNING HOME IMPORTANT?

According to recent data from the Department of Veterans Affairs, the number of suicides among military veterans is 20 per day - nearly one suicide every hour.

There is an acute need for programs like RETURNING HOME. There are now more casualties attributable to suicide than to combat among the military’s active-duty population. Many of those who take their lives have been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Right now nearly 8 million American adults are living with PTSD. Approximately 7% of all civilians experience PTSD at some point in their lives. For people in the military, especially returning veterans, that number leaps to as high as 30%. Among all active duty military service members, the suicide rate is one per day. Among combat veterans, that total jumps to nearly one every hour.

The demand to address the needs of military veterans with PTSD is so high that last year, the VA Mission Act became law. It directs the Department of Veterans Affairs to expand access to VA-funded care in the private sector. This will increase effective alternative therapies that provide trauma-informed treatment to women and men dealing with PTSD as a result of their military service. 

HOW Will YOUR DONATION HELP?

All tax deductible donations will be used for meals, lodging, and travel to and from the retreat plus Somatic Experiencing®-based clinical and therapeutic services (individual SE™ sessions, group therapy, equine and yoga therapies, and an eight-week post retreat online SE™ support group). 

Your gift of

✯$2,000 supports a RETURNING HOME participating veteran for the entire retreat.

✯$1,000 supports all 6 days of Somatic Experiencing®  services for a participating veteran, including an   eight-week post retreat online SE™ support group. 

✯$500 supports a travel stipend for a participating veteran.

✯$400 supports food and lodging for a participating veteran.

✯$250 supports Equine therapy for a participating veteran.

✯$100 – or any amount – supports needed costs for a participating veteran.



To learn more about Returning Home click here 

To learn more about Somatic Experiencing® click here 

To learn more about Somatic Experiencing®-based research click here 



Thank you for your contribution to this cause that means so much to Peter and all of us here at Community Health SE™.