Spirituality has played a huge role in my coming to terms with PTSD. Edward Tick’s book, War and the Soul more or less started me on that path. While I always held my beliefs as my own, his book catapulted that thought process into high gear. I grew up in Alaska, with Alaska as my playground and my teacher as a child. It rooted in me a great appreciation for nature and exactly my place in it. It instilled a belief that everything that we do to the earth, we basically do to ourselves. As Chief Seattle said: “What befalls the earth also befalls man.”

That’s where my spirituality lies, my religion. I walk what some call the “Red Road.” a term out of Native American spirituality.  I do my best to lead the life of a Shaman. A Shaman can be found in most every culture around the world, from the dawn of man. They were spiritual teachers, healers, and counselors. Leading the village in times of need and helping warriors both before and after battle. 

We believe that all things are connected to one another, and all things have a spirit,  from the plants and animals, right down to the rocks. All things have lessons we can learn from them. Lessons like how to live, to how to treat one another, and how to treat the land and the animals. What I learned helps me a great deal with the hyper-vigilance common in veterans. I rely on these lessons to warn me of dangers. For example, if I feel as if I’m in danger, I stop and look around to see how the animals are acting. If they are acting normal, then I know I’m safe.

So that’s what my spirituality does for me. It makes me feel as if I’m connected to something bigger than me. Something that takes care of me as long as I take care of it. My animal spirits (or guides) teach me about myself and about the world.

Through this path I have been able to reconnect with the warriors of old through meditation. I’ve been able to rekindle the warrior in me as they did so many years ago. It has healed me and my spirit, making it so I can pretty much be medication-free at this point, which is something I desperately wanted.