Mind training helps troops with combat, then PTSD

It is too early to tell how well this will work. There was a lot of undeserved attention for Battle Mind, even though the suicide and attempted suicide rates went up. I hope they got it right this time.

U.S. Marine Corps Sargeant Ryan Barnett, right, and Corporal Pete Jarzabek meditate during Warrior Mind Training class at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, N.C., Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2008. The course is catching on in military circles as a way not only to treat both post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries, but also to improve focus and better prepare soldiers and Marines for the rigors of combat. Associated Press © 2008

Mind training helps troops with combat, then PTSD
from The Associated Press


CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. October 7, 2008, 06:58 am ET · The explosion of practice mortars sent Army Spc. Kade Williams into panic attacks, and nightmares plagued his sleep. The ravages of post-traumatic stress had left the veteran of the war in Afghanistan vulnerable, and he was desperate for help.

But sitting silently on the floor with his eyes closed while listening to a soft-spoken instructor tell him to find a focal point by pressing on his lower stomach as guitar music hums in the background? That seemed a bit far-out.

Until he tried it.

"I will be the first one to admit that I was wrong," Williams said.

Warriors have long used such practices to improve concentration and relaxation — dating back more than 1,000 years to the techniques of the samurai. Here at coastal Camp Lejeune, 100 miles inland at the Army's Fort Bragg and at several bases in California, such meditation now comes with a name: Warrior Mind Training.

The course is catching on in military circles as a way not only to treat both post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries, but to improve focus and better prepare soldiers and Marines for the rigors of combat. It can also improve shooting range performance and raise training test scores, said Sarah Ernst, a senior Warrior Mind instructor.

At North Carolina's Camp Lejeune, the Marine Corps' main base on the East Coast, the courses are offered through the post naval hospital's "Back on Track" program, which helps wounded sailors and Marines recover mental health issues.

"This is a way to turn off your thoughts and get razor-sharp attention. We kind of work out the muscles, before our troops ever see action, so that they have the mental skill set to stay focused in the heat of battle — and to be able to leave the horrors of war behind when it's time to come home," Ernst said.

"Our motto is, 'Take the war to the enemy, but leave the battle on the battlefield.'"
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