edward
05-29-2009, 02:48 PM
Horse therapy helping Ft. Huachuca soldiers cope with war stress
For soldiers coming back from Afghanistan or Iraq, the transition back into society can be a tough one.
The Warriors in Transition Unit helps soldiers adjust their feelings of isolation, anger and grief.
One way to help is with horses.
Far from the battlefield, Staff Sergeant Joshua Wright is fighting a different kind of war.
He's suffered from post traumatic stress disorder. "That's what's hard for me to talk about,"
he says.
It's hard for a lot of these soldiers to talk about.
"Many times soldiers tend to suppress stuff like that, suck it up and push on instead of paying attention to it. They just keep going, and they're trying to teach that's not always the case," Wright says.
But with the help of a four legged friend, they're learning how to cope.
"We really feel like we're benefiting from it," Wright says.
As strange it may sound, horses are helping them overcome survivor's guilt, battlefield nightmares and the transition back into society.
"We were seeing that horses had an incredible ability to teach able bodied people some advance human development skills, like leadership, parenting skills, relationship skills," says Linda Kohanov, director of the Epona International Study Center.
The horses at this ranch near Sonoita have helped abuse victims, and Vietnam vets for years. But at this seminar, they're helping those recently back from the battle, and their families.
"It's teaching us new techniques how to talk to each other and how to understand what each other is saying without being on the defensive," says Joshua's wife Heather Wright.
"It may not always be when I snap at her something she did. I just may be reacting to the feelings I have something else going on with me," Joshua says.
The bond between man and animal is strong. And it's helping soldiers recover.
For soldiers coming back from Afghanistan or Iraq, the transition back into society can be a tough one.
The Warriors in Transition Unit helps soldiers adjust their feelings of isolation, anger and grief.
One way to help is with horses.
Far from the battlefield, Staff Sergeant Joshua Wright is fighting a different kind of war.
He's suffered from post traumatic stress disorder. "That's what's hard for me to talk about,"
he says.
It's hard for a lot of these soldiers to talk about.
"Many times soldiers tend to suppress stuff like that, suck it up and push on instead of paying attention to it. They just keep going, and they're trying to teach that's not always the case," Wright says.
But with the help of a four legged friend, they're learning how to cope.
"We really feel like we're benefiting from it," Wright says.
As strange it may sound, horses are helping them overcome survivor's guilt, battlefield nightmares and the transition back into society.
"We were seeing that horses had an incredible ability to teach able bodied people some advance human development skills, like leadership, parenting skills, relationship skills," says Linda Kohanov, director of the Epona International Study Center.
The horses at this ranch near Sonoita have helped abuse victims, and Vietnam vets for years. But at this seminar, they're helping those recently back from the battle, and their families.
"It's teaching us new techniques how to talk to each other and how to understand what each other is saying without being on the defensive," says Joshua's wife Heather Wright.
"It may not always be when I snap at her something she did. I just may be reacting to the feelings I have something else going on with me," Joshua says.
The bond between man and animal is strong. And it's helping soldiers recover.