Student chaplains guide and listen to vets in rehab

Circle of healing, learning

Student chaplains guide and listen to vets in rehab

By Carrie A. Moore
Deseret Morning News



As the stone is passed from hand to hand, there is a peace that permeates what has become something of a sacred space for those who have found themselves here, moving beyond the daily fix, the fidgeting and the shame that always appears once the "high" has worn off.

Adapted from American Indian spiritual practices, the "rock ceremony" signifies the quest for a permanent change in the lives and hearts of those who have been trapped inside drug and alcohol addiction, with an emphasis on truth-telling. It is one benchmark along the path toward a new beginning for those participating in residential substance abuse treatment.

Yet this day, at the Veterans Administration Hospital, there are participants who haven't been addicted, haven't been to war, haven't felt the despair that engulfs those who have entered the depths of hell on earth.

But they've observed it.
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