The Compassionate Warrior

Since my miracle involved the TBI and PTSD from being in the Vietnam War, it seemed likely I should be working with soldiers and veterans who have also suffered TBI and PTSD. This is particularly poignant given the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, where both have become the signature wounds and injuries of these wars.

When anyone experiences a TBI, the brain reacts like a raging, stormy ocean. People often become stressed out and upset over everyday circumstances. This results for the most part from the fact that the body no longer functions normally. Maybe you do not have the use of your legs, arms or both. Maybe you can’t communicate in the same natural way as before. Whatever the case may be, the brain controls every bodily function, and after the TBI, parts of the body are not functioning properly. Individuals become frustrated—and more than a little upset—with their particular situation.

So, calming the brain down is of utmost importance. The brain is a very complex organ, and it is possible for it to heal, but first it needs to calm down. Meditation is the perfect therapy for TBI. This will calm the raging waters of the mind. On the surface level, the brain is like a stormy, raging sea. The activity is very tumultuous. When it is like this, healing can’t take place—and the stormier the brains activity becomes, the less likely it is that it will heal properly.

Meditation will calm the brain. Using the stormy sea analogy, if you drop a stone in a raging sea it will be tossed about violently. But as it slowly drops deeper and deeper, the raging activity becomes less and less, until the stone reaches the ocean floor where there is complete calmness and peace. This is what meditation does to the raging brain. It calms the brain down so that it becomes peaceful and receptive to therapy and healing. Through this sense of calmness, stress is released, and natural healing can occur.