Session Two
Spirituality
Spiritual and religious beliefs can either help or hinder trauma survivors in their attempts to create a healthy understanding of traumatic events, and ultimately make meaning from the events. If trauma survivors believe that their Higher Power failed them, these beliefs could result in anger and disconnection from spiritual or religious support. Some experts say that “Unless we start considering the spiritual fitness of our servicemen, 15 years from now the suicide rate will still be 20 each day.” The videos and resources here are intended to help you explore how meaning develops during exposure to traumatic and loss events, and how religion and spirituality can provide a framework that may aid the development of meaning.
Immediately below are videos. If you scroll down further, there is a list of resources provided for you to explore. Inclusion of any video or resource does not mean endorsement by Friends' Health Connection. Each resource should be vetted properly to make sure it's a fit for you.
Featured Videos
Veterans - Spirituality
Veterans - Spirituality
Faith Based Veteran Service Alliance (FBVSA)
Cory Muscara
VA Chaplains Answering the Call
Resources
Whole Health Info for Veterans - Spiritual Anchors
Whole Health, a program of the VA, is an approach to health care that seeks to empower and enable YOU to take charge of your health and well-being and live your life to the fullest. It starts with YOU. It is fueled by the power of knowing yourself and what will really work for you in your life. Once you have some ideas about this, your team can help you with the skills, support, and follow up you need to reach your goals.
https://www.va.gov/WHOLEHEALTH/Veteran-Handouts/docs/SpiritualAnchors_Final508_07-25-2019.pdf
Veterans Families United
Veterans Families United aims to provide gentle, accessible and holistic healing resources for Veterans.
https://veteransfamiliesunited.org/spiritual-healing/
WASHINGTON DC VETERAN SPIRITUAL ENRICHMENT
Spiritual Enrichment Programs focus on the act or process of increasing one’s intellectual or spiritual resources. Services Include, but are not limited to: retreats, counseling, mediation, religious study, volunteer or group activities promoting spiritual guidance, health, and wellness.
https://servingtogetherproject.org/veteran-services/washington-dc-veteran-spiritual-enrichment/
America Serves
AmericaServes is the country's first coordinated system of public, private, and non-profit organizations working together to serve veterans, service members, and their families. Our vision is that every service member, Veteran, and their family can easily access the full range of comprehensive services required to achieve their unique goals, and to provide a first-class service experience to match service member and veterans' first class military service.
https://americaserves.org/
National VA Chaplain Services
Chaplain Service is a vital part of the VA Medical Center, dedicated to providing the highest quality pastoral care to the veteran. Chaplains are on call 24/7. The mission of Chaplain Service is to provide spiritual/religious care to all Veterans and their family members.
VA Chaplains provide religious ministry to veteran patients in accordance with their needs and desires. They address religious, spiritual, moral, and ethical problems of patients, ministering to newly admitted, pre- and post-operative patients, the critically ill, and the families concerned.
https://www.patientcare.va.gov/chaplain/index.asp
Military Rabbis
About JWB Jewish Chaplains Council
Whether lobbying Congress so that a Marine can wear his kippah (ritual head covering) in service, providing a seder for soldiers stationed at a remote base in Afghanistan, or raising awareness of Jews in the military, JWB Jewish Chaplains Council is there. Our role, since 1917, has been to safeguard the rights, fulfill the spiritual needs, combat the loneliness and isolation and honor the service of Jews in the United States armed forces. We endorse Jewish chaplains to the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs, augmenting their resources and advocating on matters of policy.
https://jcca.org/what-we-do/jwb/
Soul Survivor Outdoor
Soul Survivor Outdoor is proud to be one of eight selected organizations to serve as an Alliance charter member of the Faith Based Veteran Service Alliance (FBVSA), a national alliance of faith based veteran service organizations united to serve America's warriors in partnership with the White House, Congress and the VA.
https://www.soulsurvivoroutdoor.org/fbvsa
Faith Based Veterans Service Alliance
The Veterans Service Alliance (VSA) is a coalition of like-minded faith-based veteran service organizations standing together on a unified front to present to the White House, Congress, VA, DoD, and our Nation’s people that faith-based programs are proving successful in offering real, lasting change to struggling active duty military and veterans who have lost hope in regular treatment options.
Many of these warriors are unable to reintegrate back into civilian life, leaving their families to deal with the aftermath of broken homes and, at times, suicide. By aligning their lives to Biblical principles, the warriors we serve can, once again, successfully lead their families, their communities, and our Nation. The organizations that make up VSA, both independently and through joint efforts, tackle this critical issue head-on as one “unstoppable force for good.“
https://veteranservicealliance.org/
Jewish War Veterans
As our veterans return from America’s current conflicts, JWV stands ready, as it has since 1896, to ensure that those who have fought our nation’s battles receive the treatment and the respect that they deserve from a grateful nation.