Healing Hearts and Souls
CENTER FOR POST TRAUMATIC GROWTH·
Mission: The mission of the Center for Post Traumatic Growth (CPTG) is to promote and support the healing of combat veterans, first responders, and their families from the Post Traumatic Stress and Moral Injury. We have finally come to understand that individuals who have been exposed to trauma often exhibit symptoms beyond anxiety and hyperarousal. At its core, Post Traumatic Stress (PTS) is more than anxiety and hyperarousal. We have repeatedly observed that deeper core issues exist and are typically the most distressing to traumatized individuals. These are unresolved loss, guilt and shame now termed Moral Injury (Shay 1994, Litz, et al. 2009).
⮚ Moral Injury is NOT a disorder, it is a soul wound that occurs when one bears witness to or believes they have perpetrated harm to others.
⮚ Moral Injury is something that happens frequently to people of service who choose professions that repeatedly expose them to the Suffering & Evil in the world.
⮚ Such repeated exposure can end up shattering one’s view of the world, one’s belief and trust in others and sometimes one’s trust in oneself. The Program: The program was first developed and implemented by Dr. Keenan in 2001. The program in its current form is what Dr. Keenan and her colleagues have honed based on what they have learned directly from veterans about healing moral injury and Posttraumatic Stress (PTS). Over the past two decades our three-phase group therapy program has shown great efficacy in relieving traumatized veterans of the deep emotional and spiritual wounds of war. We estimate approximately 10,000 combat veterans have completed our program.