Joseph Bobrow

Stephanie's husband, Michael, returned from Iraq in body, but he was plagued by unrecognized post traumatic stress. After six months stateside, he committed suicide. Stephanie's church, their main support system, uncharacteristically condemned him and shunned her.

Stephanie felt both isolated and blameworthy, a toxic brew which did not help...

Last year I attended the annual Memorial Day commemoration at a military cemetery. A retired general officer was among the speakers. I had seen him over the years in various settings and he was always super patriotic and upbeat. This time his presentation sounded different. He spoke of how acutely...

Ed and his wife streaked across Tomales Bay from Heart's Desire Beach, leading the other kayaks filled with veterans, their buddies and their family members in a crossing that had turned into an impromptu race. As they hit the shore in Marshall, CA, he exclaimed, "I feel so high!" Ed,...

The AP reported that the Department of Defense estimates that more than 19,000 military men and women were sexually assaulted by fellow troops in 2010 while serving in the United States armed forces, and that at least 20 percent of servicewomen and 1 percent of men -- an...

Resilience, Part 3

On the first evening of a Coming Home retreat a former Marine officer reported that someone had stolen the TV in his room. I worried for a moment but then everyone burst into laughter and I caught on. Who took my TV?! Of course his room never...

Resilience -- Part 2

At the outset of World War II, the British Ministry of Information came up with the slogan "Keep Calm and Carry On" for a poster designed to allay the fear that Germany would invade Great Britain. My friend, a commander serving in Afghanistan,...

Resilience- Part 1

Resilience is in the news; witness the recent NPR story on the Army's Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Program and the robust discussion it has galvanized.This is not an esoteric, intellectual debate. The number of suicides among soldiers, for a second year running,...

Mauricio provided comic relief at one retreat. In the large group, he challenged his fellow Marine Kenny by claiming that, of the two Master Sergeants, he was on top of Kenny. Mauricio got everyone laughing about who was on top and who was on bottom. When he kidded the whole...

Spirituality and the Road Home: Part Three

Lest the idea of unconditional love as central in the transformation of trauma seem too warm and fuzzy for some readers, I heartily recommend Greg Fricchione's new book, Compassion and Medicine in Healing and Society. His integrative tour de force...

Part Two

The symptoms of war zone trauma are real and sometimes disabling: withdrawal, freezing over, hyperarousal and high anxiety, insomnia, eruptions of anger and other emotional dysregulation, flashbacks and intrusive thoughts, depression. But these symptoms are often just the tip of the iceberg. As veterans and service members come...

There is a necessary debate going on about whether or not to drop the D from PTSD. ADM Mullen, past Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and GEN Chiarelli, current Assistant Chief of Staff of the Army, think it should be dispensed with. So do most mental health professionals...

In the midst of today's epic congressional gridlock with its potentially disastrous impacts on the well being of our entire country, Monday brought a bright spot; President Obama signed into law the VOW to Hire Heroes Act. This legislation will assist veterans in landing the jobs they need....