Warrior's Return

Tick's approach to healing PTSD cannot be topped.

I first read this book online and before I was finished reading I bought my own copy. Many books that I read, I don't need to own but this one I must have. I am a vet from Vietnam and have suffered from PTSD since I returned. Going to the VA for treatment has been mostly ineffective. I felt like I was in the third grade again because of the material and "rules of engagement". I tried to tell them my issue (and I only speak for myself) was a moral injury. This was minimized as they continued with their mamba pamby curriculum. I ask many times if they are certain that it is the veteran who has the problem or is it a society issue. I know it is both but I was trying to provoke meaningful dialogue but was unsuccessful in doing so.. Furthermore they refused to allow the vets to tell their story which I feel is critical for healing to be able to speak without fear of judgement or rejection. I have resolved most of my issues by first taking ownership of my actions and then forgiving myself. Sounds easy but it took me 45 years to get there. And it was worth it as I found major relief. Warrior's Return serves as an excellent resource not only for the vet but also the family who has suffered alongside that vet.

...but coming home to an indifferent country makes it much worse. I was fortunate enough to meet Dr. Tick a few years ago at a panel about veterans' needs in the college classroom. As a veteran and a student, I can say Dr. Tick is the kind of man who puts his money where his mouth is. His compassion for our nation's warriors is unparalleled and unflinching. As someone who needed guidance and wisdom after a tour through Iraq, I can say Dr. Tick's insights in these pages and in his earlier work, "War and the Soul" changed my perspective on post-combat stress--it's not about pumping yourself full of Zoloft or "just getting over it." The truth of his argument, that it's about being honest and healing your "soul wounds," will stay with me forever.As far as the book itself, the structure, writing, and scope of "Warrior's Return" work to remind us that each generation of veterans is unique in its needs, but that soul wounds resulting from war are as universal as gazing at the stars. They can be tracked in every culture from the ancients to today. This is a must read for anyone who supports the current wars, for anyone who despises them, for anyone who is unsure, and especially for those so fated as to know their toll personally. A "thank you" on Veteran's Day is a start to the conversation, but true healing occurs when we embrace what mature warriorhood has to offer the individual and society. Lives would transform if we welcomed our warriors home properly. What is proper? I’ll let Dr. Tick explain for you…

With this timely and important follow up to his groundbreaking War and the Soul, Dr. Tick breaks new ground in the study and treatment of PTSD. Through his complete view of war trauma, including its historic, cultural, and psycho-spiritual dimensions, his treatment methods provide a roadmap for veterans’ healing. After reading the book I was delighted to learn that United States military chaplains, through a Pentagon-approved program, have begun to use Dr. Tick’s approach to healing the invisible wound of PTSD.Although this book will, I believe, become a standard reference among mental health professionals, it’s smartly written and easily accessible for non-professionals such as myself.The knowledge and wisdom in this volume will be of service to anyone—family member, employer, teacher, or friend—who knows anyone who’s seen action in any of our recent wars. The best way we can truly support our returning troops is to know and understand their mental anguish, and to treat them accordingly and with love.

This book brought me to tears in some chapters; gave me solace in others. It also helped me to understand my own heart. It helped me to understand why "civilians" just don't get it (the veteran's military experience). This should be a required reading in every high school/college in America and Vets need to be invited guest speakers in high schools and colleges across the country. While wartime experiences can be politicized, the wounds of war are not political; and when used in a political manner they further the injury. This book is most insightful to me as a 21 year vet (Vietnam and Desert Storm) and as father of a Wounded Warrior (OIF). The readings have helped my son and I gain a greater understanding and appreciation of our respective experiences (mine in a support role and his in actual combat) to help one another.

Tick is almost a classic Romantic (forgive me is I am getting my schools or thought mixed, it's been a while, but I do think it is "Romanticism"). The themes and authorities he selects share a view of humanity that believes people are inherently good and, in this era, western society got in way. The solution, then, is to allow/uncover the original goodness. It is almost the Transcendentalism of early New England with Thoreau, Emerson and others.Please don't get me wrong. The book is good stuff. Tick knows Veterans. His methods have stacks of favorable outcomes. But he is not of the Calvin, Niebuhr, Stackhouse school. Only additional research will reveal the efficacy and of Tick's methods.Until that kind of lengthy research can take place I would not discourage anyone from embracing and attempting to further the strategies presented. But I would also not discourage other therapies/programs that begin with a different view of humanity and venture down a "road less traveled." If Veterans are being served let us press ahead.

This is a great addition to Tick's first book on PTSD and the warrior model. A vital addition to the literature on PTSD