| Our nation is currently at war. The nightly news is filled with reports of roadside bombings, insurgent attacks, and death tolls. Presidential candidates and senators argue what the best course of action should be. Service members and their families wait for their loved ones to come home or to leave. Headlines and reports such as the following from The Washington Post are all too common: "Home but still Haunted: Maryland Iraq Veteran and thousands like her are coping with Post-Traumatic Stress." The article describes an all too common situation faced by returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. Trinette Johnson is a 32 year old mother of four who survived the explosion of a roadside bomb, leaving her with hearing loss. Another roadside bomb killed a 21 year old soldier in her unit, and severely wounded her best friend. Ms Johnson was later diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and found herself feeling rage, detachment, and paralyzing fear. When she was reunited with her children she found the experience so emotionally overwhelming she left the house, sat in her car, and wept. She later told her sister "I can't do this" and "I realized I just walked out on my babies". (St. George, 2006);Given the tremendous number of veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) who have already returned home and who will be returning home over the years to come, how will our Nation accommodate and care for these wounded warriors? The federal wheels are already in motion to enhance the existing mental health systems using traditional psychological approaches. The Army is working hard to reduce the stigma of seeking mental health care, and is recruiting an additional 250 mental health professionals (Burlas, 2003).;However, what other resources are available to assist in the care of these veterans? What about using or incorporating a more spiritual approach? The military and VA chaplains have been in existence for over 200 years, and wherever the military goes, the chaplains go alongside with them. Indeed, mental health professionals refer patients seeking total confidentiality to the chaplain (Fontana & Rosenheck, 2004). "For many service members, chaplains are the first person they can turn to for help outside their chain of command" (Hoffman, 2006).;The goal of my dissertation is to explore the use and effectiveness of spirituality in the treatment of combat-related PTSD. This will be accomplished by a thorough review of the literature to learn more about the following questions: How important is spirituality for veterans/active duty members trying to cope with symptoms of PTSD, and how prevalent is the integration of psychological and spiritual treatments for PTSD? Recommendations for future research will be made at the conclusion of the dissertation. |
