Wheels Down: Adjusting to Life After Deployment (APA LifeTools Series)

Today’s front page WSJ article: War Veterans Try Yoga, Hiking, Horseback Riding to Treat PTSD…Pressure Builds on Department of Veterans Affairs to Expand Range of Treatments Beyond Drugs and Talk Therapy is a timely reminder to carefully read, Wheels Down Adjusting to Life After Deployment.There several reasons to read and apply the advice in this brief tome: First if you are a vet and work with vets unlike much of the “spa therapy” being offered to servicemen and women with post traumatic stress, the language used in this book is clear and straightforward; Secondly the authors of Wheels Down are both former active duty officers that used their Ph.D. education in the real world of combat and dealing directly with veterans Thirdly the advice offered by the authors is both refreshingly positive and very practical.Whether returning servicemen and women have Post Traumatic Stress or not, they all face numerous practical issues in their post deployment. While these issues may range from family to financial, the authors direct the reader in a wise manner and offer tips for further support.As a father of three children and a grandfather to twelve grandchildren I found chapter 6… My Child Has Changed to be spot on counsel. The fact the six of my grandchildren are women, I read with particular interest Chapter 7 Is deployment Different for Women. Perhaps some of my granddaughter will be fortunate enough to volunteer for the military and, in that case, I am better prepared to understand the issues they may face.In my opinion, the best part of Wheels Down is the final Chapter: Is It Possible That I’ve Changed for the Better Because of Combat? Here the authors close with the same positive insights in which they began their story. In an environment where almost all diagnoses are of PTSD, the authors not only define Post Traumatic Growth (PTG) but explain… “for quite some time, experts ha been aware that some individuals actually become emotionally and socially healthier after exposure to trauma.May these authors continue to contribute to the concepts of psychological resiliency and help veterans bounce back from adversity.

Bret Moore and Carrie Kennedy did a great job of helping the returning troops from the two ongoing wars. It is a MUST for them and their families.Gambling addiction is also one of the numerous and real problems troops and veterans have to cope with and nobody has ever writen about that addiction in the military as far as my knowledge. It is not the only topic that is treated in this exhaustive book.

As good as any of the many books of its type now on the market. Easier to read than most, and has good practical advice.

Good information!!

Read it!!!!!

Service members and veterans will want to read this book. It is written by us, for us. You can tell by the authors' use of wicked, dry humor, at just the right times in the short and to-the-point chapters. Humor is one of the best ways we get through life in the military.Every chapter in this book contains at least one real account of a service-member facing challenges. Reading the accounts, you realize how normal your experiences are, and how many other people face them. The authors, a couple of military psychologists, have obviously heard it all, and they don't shy away from any subject, no matter how difficult.One of the best chapters is the one on women's issues. It opens with a brief history of service women's roles throughout history. Besides having a lot of information I didn't know before, the history provides great context for the rest of the chapter - a look at what it's like to be a woman in today's military and how that affects the way women experience and deal with stress.FINALLY someone acknowledges that military service and deployment changes EVERYONE, no matter how much or little combat occurs. Then they sort out which reactions are normal and which mean that you need help. They explain when and why someone should get help, and they show that help comes in many forms - that a trip to medical or to "shrinks" may not even be necessary.The days are over when getting help for mental health means losing a military career. The book illustrates that point well, and even shows how NOT getting help early is what may actually hurt a career. And the book shows what actually happens in counseling, which is really not that different from any other mentoring relationship. Only the subject is different. Instead of talking about your career or school, you talk about how to feel better. After they read this book, I think a lot of service-members will go get the help they deserve.

Wheels Down - OOOO RRAH !! This is what 20 year old Marines needThe naiveté of young people in the military makes them victims of insensitive civilians and family members as well as victims of their own ignorance.Carrie Kennedy's noble effort has created a guide that all military should read and/or take a courseThey deserve better than to come back from WAR and have their lives in disarray.Semper Fidelis Dr KennedyP T Brent Marine from Japan