As Sanctuary Horses has moved from an idea to a reality, we have learned so much about equine-assisted activities along the way. In fact, we endeavor to never stop learning when it comes to horses and the special connection horses and humans can develop. Time and time again, we have seen both horses and humans benefit from spending time together. These interactions may be as simple as petting a horse, or learning how to groom it correctly. We have also witnessed significant conversations happen around these simple activities, which is one of the things we love about the horse-human connection. Our dream is to be able to facilitate these kinds of conversations for many of our friends and neighbors who may benefit in different ways. Veterans rank high on that list simply because we are grateful beyond words for the many sacrifices they’ve made in order to serve our country.
As we celebrate our veterans this month, we wanted to shift our focus to these men and women who face unique challenges, which are directly related to their service to our country. In order to better understand our veterans, we reached out to someone who knows firsthand about these challenges they often face. Kris Searles is a veteran himself, and spends most of his time these days working alongside fellow veterans as they navigate the unique challenges faced by many of those who have served in the military. He is a Veterans Talking To Veterans coach, the chair of the North County Wellness Coalition (which aims to prevent suicide and substance abuse in Sublette County, and (in all of this spare time) has started his own nonprofit organization for veterans called Overwatch 6. (I’D LOVE TO LINK THESE) Kris was so gracious to offer his insights to us, with the hope that we civilians might be able to better understand the complexities of adjusting to life after military service.
What are some of the most commonplace stressors that veterans deal with in their everyday lives, once they're back home from active service?
Figuring out where we fit into our families again is one of the hardest stressors. Oftentimes we are separated from our families for many months, sometimes over a year. When we're deployed we think time stands still at home, so when we return we expect everybody and everything to be the same. But it's not. Our families have gone through their own struggles and challenges, but because we were not there to experience it, and since most of our spouses take on the role of both mom and dad, we come home to a completely different family environment from the one we left. Add to that, our experiences in combat have changed us, which makes for a very difficult transition on both sides of the relationship. When healing does not take place, these stresses often lead to a broken family, addiction or suicide.
Fitting into our community and society in general can be difficult as well. When you experience real combat and come home to a country that can have food delivered to their door at the touch of a button, and their biggest struggle is the wifi not working, you can no longer relate to the 99% of the population that has not experienced combat. There are endless other examples of day-to-day struggles that come with being deployed, which are nearly impossible to relate to unless you’ve actually been deployed. This all contributes to isolation and feeling like you don’t belong.
Another key challenge is suppression. We are trained to bury our feelings and accomplish the mission. When we lose friends, or are injured in a way that affects our ability to do our jobs and support our buddies, that hurts. Not to mention the terrible things we do on the battlefield that come with war. We do not deal with that in the moment; we suppress it and move on to the next task. The problem with this is that eventually, you have no more room to suppress the emotions and they start to affect you in infinite ways: anger, rage, depression, anxiety, etc. This can lead to isolation, addictions and suicide. We must break the stigma that taking care of your mental health is a sign of cowardice.
Have you seen a theme in the kinds of activities or conversations that tend to help veterans feel more comfortable as they move toward healing?
Being among their peers is key. That can be a vet from any branch of the military, or a first responder here at home. If that person has experienced deep trauma where people have died, been seriously injured or has been in a life-threatening situation, then the vet can relate to them and they feel comfortable opening up. Talking about what has happened to them is not always the best route for healing and growth, but it can lead to it eventually, which is what matters. From what I have experienced, getting vets and first responders among their peers in a low-threat environment allows the walls to come down and the emotions to come out. When there are members of that group who have experienced healing and post-traumatic growth, that is when others start to think that maybe there is hope for them. It opens them up to the idea that maybe they need to get treatment for their minds, just like we do for our bodies.
The treatment itself is a whole other conversation. There are many forms but what I feel works best is when you can focus on the whole body at once. Post Traumatic Stress issues and Traumatic Brain Injuries are related, and when possible, should be treated the same way. The one thing I have seen that seems to resonate with this community is explaining to them that PTSD is NOT a disorder. It is normal for a perfectly healthy brain to hold on to memories and other sensory inputs from a very stressful event. That can be a car accident, the death of a loved one, combat, or all the things our first responders see. This is a survival mechanism that is in the most primal part of our brains. Where we are failing as a society is not to stigmatize it with a label such as Disorder, but rather teaching people how to process that trauma so we can go on to lead productive, healthy lives. And if you're in law enforcement or an EMT, proper healing allows you to carry on doing that job that we all need you to do.
What do you see is the most pressing need as it relates to supporting the veterans in our local area?
Getting them together and educating the public on our experiences and how they relate to that veteran's current mental and physical health status. Vets are becoming more and more isolated, but when they get together it's like a reunion of friends that you never knew you had. They can be total strangers but once they find out they served, they instantly start talking. Places like the local gyms, martial arts gyms, shooting ranges, churches, local clinics, hospitals and charitable organizations in our small towns are all good places and things to find vets. These are also great places to market events, organizations and resources that are out there for them to get involved with. If you know of a vet or spouse of a vet that is not doing as well as they could be, you yourself can be the one to help them. Many times we avoid crowds such as concerts, events, festivals or even the grocery store because we don't feel comfortable in those settings. But if a friend or someone they trust goes with them to one of these events, like Veterans Talking to Veterans or something similar, they may feel better about attending if they have someone with them they can trust. Just because you're not a vet does not mean you can't help. If they communicate with you, that means they trust you. You can use that trust as a way to connect them with something that can help them start their journey of post-traumatic growth. If you know a vet, don't be afraid to ask to hear their stories. Saying something as simple as, “You served? I didn't know that. I'd love to hear about your experiences someday, if you don't mind sharing.” That can get them to open up and feel like their service matters.
I cannot end this without speaking about the spouses and families. They are the underserved members of this community, they shoulder the burden of these wars in a different way than those who deployed. They need to be heard and supported just as much as the veteran. The spouse had to take the stress of that soldier who lost a friend. They were the ones still home that had to bury the servicemen and women then deal with the Post Traumatic Stress of their loved one. Maybe it was waking them up out of a terrifying nightmare, or dealing with their anxiety or panic attack in a crowded situation. So please, if you know of a spouse or family member of a veteran or first responder, thank them for their service and take them to an event just like you would a vet as mentioned above.
Kris - thank you so much for taking the time to teach us more about what our veterans are facing, and for sharing ways we can come alongside to support them in their journey of healing. To all of our veterans, we want you to know that we are deeply grateful to you for your countless sacrifices. Many of these sacrifices will likely never be fully known, but we want you to know that we honor you. We want to do our very best to learn more about healthy, helpful ways to show you our care and our gratitude.
As far as it relates to Sanctuary Horses, we can’t wait for opportunities to bring our horses into these healing activities. We want to see walls come down and healing to begin with people of all ages, from all walks of life. And we want the veterans in our community to experience the benefits that can be gleaned from equine-assisted activities. We are indescribably grateful for them and to them!
For more information on:
Overwatch 6
Sublette County Wellness Collective
Veterans Talking to Veterans
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