Losing the Battle: The Challenge of Military Suicide
Dr. Margaret C. Harrell and Nancy Berglass
"From 2005 to 2010, service members took their own
lives at a rate of approximately one every 36 hours.1
While suicides in the Air Force, Navy and Coast
Guard have been relatively stable and lower than
those of the ground forces, U.S. Army suicides have
climbed steadily since 2004. The Army reported a
record-high number of suicides in July 2011 with the
deaths of 33 active and reserve component service
members reported as suicides. Suicides in the Marine
Corps increased steadily from 2006 to 2009, dipping
slightly in 2010."
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Another USMC suicide in San Diego
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irest
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lives at a rate of approximately one every 36 hours.1
While suicides in the Air Force, Navy and Coast
Guard have been relatively stable and lower than
those of the ground forces, U.S. Army suicides have
climbed steadily since 2004. The Army reported a
record-high number of suicides in July 2011 with the
deaths of 33 active and reserve component service
members reported as suicides. Suicides in the Marine
Corps increased steadily from 2006 to 2009, dipping
slightly in 2010."
*****
Another USMC suicide in San Diego
*****
irest
Military (Active Duty and Veterans)
Overview of iRest in the Military
The origins of IRI and iRest are deeply tied to the service and support of the US Military. In 2006, the Department of Defense conducted research at Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) on the efficacy of Yoga Nidra (an ancient meditative practice dating back to 2500 B.C.E.). Renamed Integrative Restoration, or iRest for short, the protocol was developed and led by Richard Miller, PhD. The study was conducted with soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Following the study, the Deployment Health Clinical Center (DHCC) at WRAMC integrated the iRest protocol into its weekly treatment program for soldiers. iRest programs have subsequently been set up at VA facilities in Miami, Kentucky, Ohio, Chicago, North Carolina, and Washington, DC.
Click here to listen to a free download (short practice) of iRest Yoga Nidra for the military! Click here to watch a YouTube introductory video for the series of 15 meditations that includes this short iRest practice.
About PTSD and iRest
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a severe anxiety disorder with typical treatment being medications and/or psychotherapy. IRI and senior iRest teachers work with those experiencing trauma, their physicians and caregivers to navigate the symptoms of PTSD, and often associated conditions such as phobias, suicidal feelings, mood disorders, insomnia, fatigue, panic disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder, all of which can be debilitating.
In working with traumas of the mind, as well as severe traumas in the body, iRest has helped navigate recovery and increase coping skills. iRest is integrative in that it heals the various unresolved issues, traumas, and wounds that are present in the body and mind, and restorative in that it aids the body and mind in returning to a natural state of functioning. iRest fosters freedom from stress and trauma, and helps identify and heal destructive tendencies that otherwise can impede the healing process.
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