Barriers During and After Military Service
Colorado Springs boasts five military installations (Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station, Fort Carson, Peterson Space Force Base, Schriever Space Force Base, and United States Air Force Academy) with approximately a third of Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak region remaining home to active-duty military, families, and veterans. Service comes at a price. Active service military and veterans suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, and substance abuse at rates nearly twice that of the civilian population. The National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study (NHRVS) reports that approximately one out of every four people serving will experience a formal diagnosis of PTSD. Based on the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study, 92% of active military who have experienced deployment engagement will be formally diagnosed with two or more mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, panic disorder, and substance abuse.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder among active and non-active service military and veterans remains one of the most common experiences. Throughout our careers as licensed clinical social workers, we have worked to overcome the barriers non-active and active military and veterans report encountering to access the housing, mental health supports, and services they need. At EMDR Center of Denver, we remain committed to bridging this gap through fully confidential EMDR therapy and support for active and non-active military and veterans and their families. EMDR can be a very effective approach for veterans in processing their trauma and experiences.
Veterans and PTSD
Are you having flashbacks or nightmares? Do you feel on edge or that you get easily angered? Are you experiencing unexplainable physical symptoms after military service? It can be very difficult coming back to “normal” life after military duty and common to feel that no one understands what you’re going through. You might feel alone and alienated from others, including people you used to be close with. It can be difficult to make sense of and process the experiences you have had. PTSD, or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, was initially recognized and described in the context of military service and combat experiences. PTSD can include a variety of symptoms and look different for each person. You don’t have to experience every symptom to be diagnosed with PTSD, but some common ones are:
- Intrusive Symptoms: Flashbacks, nightmares and intrusive thoughts
Avoidance Symptoms:
-Avoiding reminders that might trigger memories of the trauma
-Emotional Numbness: difficulty experiencing emotions and/or feeling disconnected
-Avoiding Conversations: not wanting to talk about the trauma or related topics- Arousal Symptoms:
-Hypervigilance: easily started, excessively alert, feeling on edge
-Irritability or anger
-Sleep difficulties
-Concentration problems - Negative Mood Symptoms: feelings of sadness, guilt, and shame, negative beliefs about yourself, and difficulties in feeling joy
- Physical Symptoms: persistent pain without a clear cause, headaches, stomachs, etc.
- Emotional Symptoms: feelings of hopelessness, trouble managing and expressing emotions appropriately
If you are experiencing some or all of these symptoms, EMDR can be a helpful and successful tool in decreasing and managing different trauma symptoms.
Why EMDR?
EMDR, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, was initially created for trauma and PTSD to help process traumatic memories and decrease distressing symptoms. You can read more about trauma here. EMDR is a 7-phase approach proven effective by research that uses bilateral stimulation to help process traumatic memories and the emotions and symptoms associated with them. Some benefits of EMDR for veterans include:
- Reduced symptoms of PTSD
- Quicker processing of trauma and making sense of experiences compared to other therapies
- Increased coping skills and ability to handle difficult emotions
- Increased self-esteem and quality of life
Ensuring Privacy for Active and Non-active Duty Military, Veterans, and Other Personnel with Security Clearances
Some active military and other service personnel in Colorado Springs and Denver have reported concerns of their private information being disclosed to the military, government, or insurance if they seek counseling. EMDR Center of Denver does not report any information to insurance as we are not paneled with insurance providers in promotion of full privacy and flexibility for our clients. We conduct all sessions on an encrypted platform that remains fully compliant with the U.S. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) to promote full privacy for all health information. Session notes are recorded by paper only and securely stored preventing any possibility of an electronic data breach for session records. No formal diagnoses of military personnel, veterans, or others with jobs involving security clearances are ever formally given or documented in the client record. Session notes remain available to each client upon request with no “additional” information remaining in the client record. Like all service providers, EMDR Center of Denver remains compliant with state and federal mandated reporting laws. Mandated reporting laws require a therapist to disclose if a client reports active intent to die by suicide, intent and plan to harm others, or engagement or knowledge of current child or elder abuse. All clients are informed prior to a mandated report occurring. In addition, EMDR Center of Denver remains compliant with lawfully issued state and federal court subpoenas. EMDR Center of Denver works to protect the privacy of the client through adherence to legal protections afforded through client-therapist privilege.
Contact the EMDR Center of Denver to schedule your free consultation today to learn more about how EMDR might help you.
Additional Colorado resources for active military and veterans:
Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center
For more research on the effectiveness of EMDR for veterans, follow the links below:
Gessica Cross, LCSW
Gessica Cross has helped people find greater joy and healing from prior trauma, anxiety, and depression, as well as processing sexual and/or gender identify and life transitions. She is formally trained in EMDR and graduated with a Master’s in Social Work from the University of Illinois with honors. She moved to Colorado after completing a post-graduate fellowship in India in which she provided pro bono work among survivors of kidnapping, abduction, and human slavery. She has specialized in helping people recover from situations of trauma, depression, and anxiety for the last ten years. She is excited to work with you!