Treating the Family Caregiver
The effects of mTBI and PTSD ripple throughout the entire family. When a warrior or first responder experiences a brain injury, frequently the spouse or significant other inadvertently becomes a caregiver in addition to their many other roles and responsibilities. With mild traumatic brain injuries, this shift in relationships can happen slowly, but over time stress starts to build. Both parties often feel blindsided by the changes in the relationship - and this is where HEAL THE WARRIORS comes in.
Understanding Compassion Fatigue
HEAL THE WARRIORS helps family caregivers make sense of these changes. Many spouses experience compassion fatigue without knowing such a thing even exists. Compassion fatigue is defined as emotional and physical fatigue leading to a diminished ability to empathize or feel compassion for others. Our KWM Workshop Series helps spouses heal, grow and thrive during and after experiencing the negative costs of caring.
The KWM Workshops address all aspects of the self, strengthening the connection between mind, body, heart, and spirit. Each module builds upon the tools given in the module before. The sessions incorporate a thoughtful combination of multiple therapeutic modalities including biofeedback, sound therapy, psychoeducational coaching, reiki, acupuncture, massage, aromatherapy, body-based trauma release exercises, marriage and communication coaching, breathwork, yoga and more. Incorporating multiple approaches in a unique, intriguing, and effective manner encourages SOF spouses to recognize their own personal needs, reframe their approach to health and wellness and renew their identity and purpose.
KWM Workshop Series
The KWM Workshop is designed for women who have carried the load while their spouses were called to training and to war, spending more time away than at home. It has been developed by SOF spouses, experienced doctors, therapists, coaches, and SOF warriors themselves, with years of experience serving and participating in the SOF community.
The series consists of three modules. Each module includes eight sessions. The modules are:
RECOGNIZE: Understand how your experiences have shaped who you are- how stress, apathy, grief, anxiety, depression, and poor communication hijack your body and mind - and learn to use the tools that best help you self-regulate and thrive.
REFRAME: Repattern psychophysiological responses- establish strategies to release, rest and restore - and install new beliefs and norms that lead to deeper healing.
RENEW: Build your personal mission and practice plan. Grow your own intuition and guidance system, and optimize your brain/body connection to feel better than ever.
The Parinas Family’s Story
The Parinas family’s life was changed when Army National Guardsman Aerock Parinas came home from training feeling unusually tired. At the hospital, it was found that he was bleeding from the brain. What followed was a brain surgery that resulted in him having recurrent seizures, so he was no longer able to drive.
His wife Renatta became the caregiver to him, along with their three-year-old daughter. As months of sleepless nights passed, she noticed she was losing weight and realized that in order to care for her family members, caring for herself needed to be a priority.
HEAL THE WARRIORS provided hyperbaric oxygen therapy sessions to support Aerock’s brain healing, while also supporting Renatta in her wellness and self-care. Watch them share their story here.