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If you are a service member or veteran with an immediate crisis, please contact the Veteran Crisis Line at 800-273-8255, text 838255, or chat with someone at  www.veteranscrisisline.net. 

Our In-Person Post-Traumatic Growth Program

Our in-person Post-traumatic Growth Program is a series of five-day sessions that take place in our relaxing facilities in Crystal Beach, Texas, and Fayetteville, North Carolina.

During your time with us, we will use tools that focus on relief from the symptoms of PTSD, mild Traumatic Brain Injury, and chronic pain.  At the end of your program, our licensed clinicians will help you make a plan for continued healing.

Eligibility

  • All service eras and US branches are welcome
  • Previous deployment to a combat zone is required
  • A diagnosis or service-connected disability through VA is NOT required
  • Applicant must be able to interact in a group environment and be willing to have a roommate
  • Applicant must be able to administer his or her own medication(s) if applicable 
  • If substance abuse has been an issue, the applicant must have been in recovery for at least six months prior to attending our program
  • A signed form from a healthcare provider stating that our program is appropriate for the applicant is required for in-person programs

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The Post-traumatic Growth Program Progression

“Family members are a crucial part of the daily life of a veteran.  You can take a veteran and heal him up, but if you send him back to a family that has not recovered, he’ll just regress.”

– Marcus Luttrell

Our Program includes a progressive series of three Post-traumatic Growth Program sessions.

The first session that you will attend will be for veterans and service members only.  At this session, we will work on education, coping skills, and symptom reduction through multiple therapeutic tools.  We will then help you create a plan for continued healing once you return home.

If you have a significant other, you may be invited back after approximately 6 to 18 months for a Couples’ Session.  During this session, we will provide education and tools for more effective communication and a deeper connection so that you can work together towards healing. We will also provide tools and guidance to help reduce Caregiver Stress.

If you have children living at home, you may be invited back for a third time for a Family Session.  The Family Session will take place approximately 6 – 18 months after the Couples’ Session.  This Session gives the children the opportunity to express their feelings and needs, and provides education for the whole family on how best to communicate and support each other. The goal is to form a more resilient bond between family members, allowing them to move forward together as a cohesive unit.

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What to Expect

Our program is five days long.  You will typically travel in on a Thursday and travel home on a Monday.

You will be with a small group of 8 – 10 other participants who are dealing with the same issues that you are.  The session will be staffed with a small team of professionals and a veteran Team Leader that will provide individualized care that is customized to your needs.

Our facilities are large, specially-designed houses in Crystal Beach, Texas and Fayetteville, North Carolina.  They are both located in areas that take advantage of peaceful natural environments and they are designed to make you feel comfortable while encouraging comradery with the other participants. For Individual Sessions, you may be sharing a room with another veteran.  For Couples’ and Family Sessions, you and your significant other will have your own bedroom.

During your session, you can expect to spend each day rotating through a variety of different activities designed to introduce you to therapeutic tools that focus on renewing your mind, body, and spirit.  You will also have some free time and community time with the other participants.

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Therapeutic Tools Used in Our Program

Accelerated Resolution Therapy (A.R.T.)

A.R.T. reduces fear, panic, & distress without the need to tell the clinician about the trauma that you are working through.  A.R.T. utilizes rapid eye movement (REM) while the participant is awake to control and direct the processing power the brain uses during the deepest phase of sleep.  For more information about A.R.T., please visit www.acceleratedresolutiontherpy.com.

Trauma-Informed Yoga

Specially trained Trauma-Informed Yoga practitioners teach mindful meditation and movement designed to provide relief from stress and physical pain while managing symptoms of PTSD and mild Traumatic Brain Injury.  For more information on Trauma-Informed Yoga, please visit www.veteransyogaproject.org.

Education Classes

Each day of our sessions, we offer multiple interactive discussions focused on the needs of our participants. Topics typically include PTSD, TBI, nutrition, HeartMath, chronic pain, battlefield acupuncture, and relationship topics for couples’ sessions. We also offer an optional faith-based group.

Alpha-Stim

Alpha-Stim is a Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation device (CES) that is FDA approved to treat anxiety, depression, insomnia, and pain. We provide an in-depth tutorial on the device and its application.  Participants are encouraged to use the device throughout their sessions.  For more information on Alpha-Stim, please visit www.alpha-stim.com.

 

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The Application Process

  1. Complete the Eligibility Questionnaire below
  2. If you are eligible, respond to the email requesting a DD214 or Proof of Service and provide a signed form from your healthcare provider
  3. Once all forms have been received, our program team will contact you to discuss further details and scheduling.

If you have any questions regarding our programs or the application process, please email us at programs@lonesurvivorfoundation.org.















Experience Post Traumatic Stress symptoms:

Experience Chronic Pain:

Traumatic Brain Injury:

Have you deployed to a combat zone?:

Program Feedback

"For the first in 15 years, I feel like it's ok to finally live again. I owe it to this retreat! Thank you"

"I came to LSF in a very dark area of my life. I had reached out a few weeks prior to my primary resources only to be treated like I didn’t matter. I was at wit’s end. The symptoms I had been experiencing were all new, even though I had been dealing with PTSD for years. The new symptoms were more than I could handle but I hung on a few more days to reach out again for help. Thank God I was able to get relief from my symptoms through the LSF program. I felt as if I had been unstuck. I got what I needed to start moving forward again. From the bottom of my heart, thanks LSF and staff for what you do."

"I made more progress this weekend than I have made in the last 5 years of therapy."

"For the first time since my husband was shot, I truly believed he/we would be, not only ok, but great. Thank you."

"LSF has given our family a new lease on life. We have been given hope for the future, forgiven for the past, and have gained understanding. We are united as one and are now on our way to living a more fulfilled and positive life together!"

"There were things I had been experiencing since combat that I thought were only unique to me. It wasn’t until Lone Survivor Foundation that I found out that there were other veterans with the exact same things I had been experiencing. I am and will be forever grateful to Lone Survivor Foundation and its staff for everything they have done for me and for making me feel like I’m back home again."

"It has given me the quality time I needed to reconnect with my children, understand their concerns, and learn parenting skills I needed to be a better father and positive role model for them! I am forever grateful for people like you, that give back to disabled veterans reaching out for help to better their lives and the lives of their families."

"I do appreciate LSF and what you all do. I finally felt that I met people I could connect with during the retreat last year. And in my situation that is difficult to do."

"Life Changer, after this program I'm recharged and ready."

"This program saved my life, I had no other choices."

"I recommend this program to everyone, because if it worked for me, it can work for anyone."

"I was able to address a situation that has been bothering and haunting me for 9 years."

"Even after our session is over, throughout the day, things just come to you as 'ta-da moments'."

"There were many things revealed in each session. I appreciate being more connected with my wife and hearing what I can do to remain connected and communicating."

"I didn’t know what to expect, but I can sum it up easily. In the four days I was with LSF, I felt I made more breakthroughs and realizations about my disabilities than in the three years of therapy at the VA. I made friends and felt a camaraderie I haven’t felt in a long time. THIS PROGRAM WORKS and I hope it will help many other veterans like myself for years to come."

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