{"id":325,"date":"2014-07-07T13:14:56","date_gmt":"2014-07-07T13:14:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ericnewhouse.com\/blog\/?p=325"},"modified":"2014-07-07T13:14:56","modified_gmt":"2014-07-07T13:14:56","slug":"therapy-for-ptsd-in-a-kayak","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ericnewhouse.com\/blog\/therapy-for-ptsd-in-a-kayak\/","title":{"rendered":"Therapy for PTSD in a kayak"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/span>\u201cNationally, the VA is getting a very bad rap \u2013 and deservedly \u2013 but the Durham (N.C.) VA Center saved my life,\u201d says Toni Taylor.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That\u2019s where Taylor saw a poster of other vets out kayaking as part of the Team River Runner program. At that time, she was fairly depressed, feared leaving her home, and suffered both from PTSD and TBI.<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cOn the poster, it looked like they were having so much fun,\u201d she told me recently. \u201cI didn\u2019t swim, so I enrolled in both Team River Runner and swimming classes at the same time.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Since then, Taylor has seen people in wheelchairs, without legs, and blind veterans successfully whitewater kayak and that gives her encouragement. “Having a broken back makes learning to roll my kayak back into an upright position tough, but just like with swimming, my great instructors are teaching me some workarounds so I’m sure that I’ll get the hang of it soon.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Being active with other vets was the best therapy she could have chosen, as she found out when she joined a group floating the Tuckasegee Gorge near Bryson, N.C. Its rapids were fast moving in some places, but only rated class 2-plus. Class 5 is considered dangerous and 6 life threatening.<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cIt was a wonderful experience,\u201d Taylor says. \u201cThe safety boats were filled with really excited volunteers. Some of vets brought their children, which gave a real community sense. The safety boats make you feel safe and supported.<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIt was a beautiful sunny \u2018Carolina-blue\u2019 sky day, but the water was mind-numbingly cold,\u201d she says. \u201cThankfully, I\u2019d had so much training (in the pool) that I was able to react without thinking when my boat rolled and I had to wet exit into the river with my wet suit on. I remember feeling extreme cold like I never felt before. Then my training kicked in, I was bow (boat) rescued, and I got back in the boat and continued on. So we went on down the river, laughing and joking.<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cIt was a huge sense of achievement, especially for someone like me with generalized anxiety,\u201d Taylor says.<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Taylor earned that anxiety the hard way. She joined the Army in 1989 and saw enough of the carnage of war while training medics in Honduras during their civil war that she came back with undiagnosed post-traumatic stress. Then she suffered a TBI in Korea, although the VA is still disputing that diagnosis.<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI was repelling down Cheju Do Mountain in 1990 when I fell and my belay didn\u2019t catch me quickly enough,\u201d she says. \u201cI swung into the mountain face, broke my back, then swung out and back into the mountain and injured my brain.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>She was wearing a Kevlar helmet but it knocked her unconscious and left her dangling by a rope. \u201cThe DoD diagnosed me with TBI, but I\u2019m still going through the process of getting diagnosed by the VA with TBI.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Due to several bad experiences in the Army, she\u2019s also uncomfortable around a lot of people.<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 But she\u2019s finding that the best therapy involves staying active, and kayaking gives her a sense of physical fitness and mental peace.<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThis translates off the river as well,\u201d says Taylor. \u201cNow I have this circle of river people I can call to say that I\u2019m having a bad time of it and can really use some support. I normally have high standards and a zest for life. But I also know that there are days when life just seems overwhelming. That\u2019s when it\u2019s invaluable to have a circle of friends to call for help.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Team River Runner is a national non-profit organization with more than 40 chapters in many states. \u00a0<\/span>It was established in 2004 by kayakers in the Washington, D.C., area to help active-duty military personnel wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan and recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWounded service members endure many months of surgeries, physical and readjustment therapy, prosthetic fittings and other life challenges,\u201d explains TRR\u2019s Web site. \u201cAgainst this backdrop, those who are able will welcome a chance to pick up a new challenge, and get out of the daily routine of their treatment for a day. They are attracted to whitewater and adventure kayaking because it offers an exciting way to improve their health, strength and connection with nature.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>TRR has 10 employees, but remains primarily a volunteer organization supported by grants and by corporate and individual donations, according to its CEO and founder Joe Mornini.<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>That\u2019s pretty much true in North Carolina, says Dana Lapple, who founded the chapter in Raleigh in 2010.<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhen we started our chapter, the national organization provided a small number of boats and gear,\u201d Lapple says. \u201cThen chapters are cut loose to raise all our own funds. We did a couple of small fundraisers, but typically have had more success encouraging people to donate their own boats and gear when they buy new stuff.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Still, there\u2019s no charge for vets and their families.<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u201cWe like to include the family as much as possible,\u201d says Lapple. \u201cIt gives the spouses something to do with the vet so they have a joint activity together.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>All the individual chapters are completely volunteer, she adds. \u201cPrimarily these are just people who like to kayak and help others. There\u2019s a mix of volunteers, but most haven\u2019t had any connection to the military.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Still, they\u2019re the true heroes to Tony Gonzales, who served with the 82nd<\/sup> Airborne from 1999 through 2004 and was deployed to Afghanistan early in the third wave of troops.<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I\u2019ve always been an adrenaline junkie so kayaking interested me,\u201d he told me recently. \u201cSo I joined and found the vets were wonderful and the volunteers awesome. When you\u2019re caring for your buddy and your buddy is caring for you, it\u2019s an incredible connection.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Sometimes, it can also be a life-saving connection.<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cMy first day, we went down a class 2-plus rapid river. We pulled into an eddy where the guys were briefing me. As we studied it and talked about it, I unbuckled my helmet. When we\u2019re about to head forward, one of the volunteers told me to buckle my helmet. I almost made it through the rapid, but I flipped and then my helmet struck a rock right on center.<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIf those volunteers hadn\u2019t told me to buckle my helmet back up, I\u2019d have had my brains scattered all down that river,\u201d he adds. \u201cI can\u2019t tell you how much I appreciate all that those volunteers have done for me. Some of them have become great friends, almost brothers.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Like Taylor, that translates even off the river.<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cSometimes we just chat and hang out,\u201d Gonzales says. \u201cIt\u2019s no longer a part of the program, but it\u2019s building friendships. It\u2019s helped me to reconnect with myself and understand my challenges.<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThe hardest thing that happened to me was that I wasn\u2019t trained for it. I had submerged myself in the military world all of my life, but I wasn\u2019t prepared for losing my best friend. Now I have to carry that with me, and it separates me from everyone else.<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cSo this has helped me blend in, have a little more freedom to speak to people,\u201d he adds. \u201cOften I want to crawl into a little dark corner and not come out again, but this program has helped me come out of that shell.\u201d<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cNationally, the VA is getting a very bad rap \u2013 and deservedly \u2013 but the Durham (N.C.) VA Center saved my life,\u201d says Toni Taylor. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That\u2019s where Taylor saw a poster of other vets out kayaking as part of the Team River Runner program. At that time, she was fairly depressed, feared leaving her […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/ericnewhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/325","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/ericnewhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/ericnewhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ericnewhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ericnewhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=325"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/ericnewhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/325\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/ericnewhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=325"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ericnewhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=325"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ericnewhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=325"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}