One piece of the puzzle to returning

to a life of joy and fulfillment for Men

and Women with PTSD who are still

in Battle against their own Minds

You’ve seen it all, been there

through the worst, and now

the past has become a part of

your present life.

No matter what you do,

thoughts and images, anger

and depression, keep coming

and coming.

Nobody can understand what

you are going through unless

they have been there too.

PTSD is a condition that

brings the past into the

present and follows us

everywhere.

PTSD is Normal after trauma.

Our computer-like minds store

events and replay them over

and over again, on a loop.

So the question becomes,

how can we stop the loop and

get on with our lives?

Mindfulness is a technique, when

practiced regularly, that allows us

to OBSERVE our emotions

without REACTING to them.

You may begin with only 5

minutes a day. Five minutes out

of 24 hours to teach your brain to

stop reacting to these automatic

images and feelings.

For 5 minutes (set a timer if

you like), sit down and focus

on your breath as it comes

and goes from your nose.

As soon as you feel your

breath, an explosion of

thoughts and feelings may

occur to pull you away.

You must now use the same

strength and courage you used

during the past events to discipline

your mind to OBSERVE your

thoughts and feelings and return

to your breath.

It takes real strength to not

take immediate action on your

thoughts and feelings. After

all, immediate action in the

past may have saved your life.

But now it is time to take back

control of your life. To have

the mental ability to

OBSERVE thoughts and

emotions, then CHOOSE

which ones to act on.

Your control is in the

observation of your breath.

Your ability to return to your

breath no matter what you are

thinking or feeling, is the key

to control.

You develop this control

through daily practice.

Sit each day for 5 minutes and

allow thoughts and feelings to

come into your mind WITHOUT

ATTACHING to them. You

DETACH by returning to the

stillness and rhythm of your

breath.

With time and practice, you

will soon notice that when

emotions arise, you now have

the ability to choose whether

to act on them.

You will automatically have the

ability of choice. You will no

longer be a slave to the past

or continually bring the past

into the present.

The technique of mindfulness

of your breath is simple, but

not easy.

The discipline that served you

so well in the past will now

encourage you to extend your

practice to 10 minutes, 20

minutes, or more each day.

And you will find peace again.

Please note that this slide show is

not intended to diagnose or treat

PTSD.

Our intent is to offer one piece of

the puzzle to returning to a life of

joy and fulfillment.

We wish you all blessings on

your journey to a new life.

Jill and Charlie Henry

www.mountainvalleycenter.com