Help Our Veterans Ward Off PTSD
Donation protected
My name is Bill DuBose, a former U.S. Army Paratrooper and martial arts enthusiast. I served in the U.S. Army during the Persian Gulf War as an Infantryman assigned to the 1st/502nd Infantry, 101st Airborne Division (air assault). I later served as a paratrooper with the LRSD (Long Range Surveillance Detachment), attached to the 311th Military Intelligence Battalion. My team’s mission was to conduct reconnaissance, surveillance, perform bomb damage assessments, and collect human intelligence in support of combat operations. I left the military in 1996 to pursue a college education.
During college, I began to notice that my everyday experiences were a little different from that of the average college student. I found that I suffered from unexpected panic attacks, had difficulty concentrating, and did not sleep very well. A friend of mine introduced me to Paul Gale, a local martial artist with a reputation for no-nonsense training that was effective as well as transformative. He told me,“You will be so exhausted after this class you won’t have time for nightmares". He could not have been more correct.
The systems combination of internal and external isometric routines left me sore from the inside out as well as providing an unexpected side-effect; I just felt better after I trained . I worked under Sifu Gale's direction for almost ten years, at first a few times a week. Eventually I was training 4-5 hours a day and found myself fully immersed in the benefits of this Taoist system that not only affected my body but my mind as well. Very early in the training I began to notice a change; I was no longer having panic attacks, my ability to concentrate was increasing significantly, and the nightmares stopped coming. This immersive training system granted me insights into my own psychological processes and healed me from the insight out. I was now a believer in using physical exercise to help mitigate PTSD symptomology, and I didn’t even know it yet!
I graduated from college with a Bachelor’s degree in Cell Biology in 2006 and a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology in 2011. My area of interest in graduate school My Thesis required me to review hundreds of scholarly articles that all seened to demonstrate a very clear link between exercise and the reduction of anxiety and depression. It was here that I began to build the evidence base for what I someday dreamed of doing. Upon graduation I was employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs as a Readjustment Counseling Therapist.
My job at the Redwood Vet Center was to provide individual and group counseling to combat veterans of all eras. It was here that I began to realize that although talk therapy could be effective, it had a relatively short term efficacy (didn't last long). While at the vet center I managed an all veteran softball team for the center. This team would often discuss in group how the only thing they looked forward to all week was playing softball. Sometimes they would state that the only time they actually felt better at all was directly after practice or after a game. I knew exactly what they were describing from my own training, and an idea was born that I have continued to hold onto and actively pursue.
For the last 6 years I have offered free Tai Chi and Kung Fu classes to military veterans and current active duty military at the local VFW halls and anywhere else I could find free space. This arrangement has allowed me over the years to train with hundreds of military veterans and observe the profound effects of physical exercise on PTSD symptomology personally. Unfortunately, these spaces are often unreliable and the classses suffer from constant re-scheduling and cancelations. We are also limited in our use of equipment due to storage contraints at these temporary facilities.
I am currently teaching Tai Chi to veterans at the North Coast Veterans Resource Center in Eureka, CA. This is fedrally funded two year transitional housing program for homeless vets suffering from PTSD and other co-occurring mental disorders as well as alcohol and drug issues. I am also employed by this organization and serve as the Regional Director of Northern California. (VRCOA).
As you can see, the available work-out area is very small and severely limits the number, duration, and scope of the training. The ultimate goal of this project is to find a permanent place for these veterans and others to train, free of charge, and continue the healing process. This 'Veterans Gym' will provide free instruction in Tai Chi, Kung Fu, Chi Kung, and Yoga as well as providing use of free-weights and cardio equipment. The money from this project will be used to rent a large warehouse space, buy equipment, and pay all utilities. All donations will be managed by Veterans Mind and Body, the non-profit I have created to help military veterans of all eras with exercise therapy.
I am currently writing a grant funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs requesting resources through their Adaptive Sports Grant . It is my hope that creating a permanent business location will enhance my grant application, allowing us to be more competitive for this funding opportunity. Getting funded by the VA would help ensure that Veterans Mind and Body could continue to help veterans for many years into the future.
I often hear individuals thanking veterans for their service. A donation to this cause will have a direct and meaningful impact on the lives of our nations military veterans.
During college, I began to notice that my everyday experiences were a little different from that of the average college student. I found that I suffered from unexpected panic attacks, had difficulty concentrating, and did not sleep very well. A friend of mine introduced me to Paul Gale, a local martial artist with a reputation for no-nonsense training that was effective as well as transformative. He told me,“You will be so exhausted after this class you won’t have time for nightmares". He could not have been more correct.
The systems combination of internal and external isometric routines left me sore from the inside out as well as providing an unexpected side-effect; I just felt better after I trained . I worked under Sifu Gale's direction for almost ten years, at first a few times a week. Eventually I was training 4-5 hours a day and found myself fully immersed in the benefits of this Taoist system that not only affected my body but my mind as well. Very early in the training I began to notice a change; I was no longer having panic attacks, my ability to concentrate was increasing significantly, and the nightmares stopped coming. This immersive training system granted me insights into my own psychological processes and healed me from the insight out. I was now a believer in using physical exercise to help mitigate PTSD symptomology, and I didn’t even know it yet!
I graduated from college with a Bachelor’s degree in Cell Biology in 2006 and a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology in 2011. My area of interest in graduate school My Thesis required me to review hundreds of scholarly articles that all seened to demonstrate a very clear link between exercise and the reduction of anxiety and depression. It was here that I began to build the evidence base for what I someday dreamed of doing. Upon graduation I was employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs as a Readjustment Counseling Therapist.
My job at the Redwood Vet Center was to provide individual and group counseling to combat veterans of all eras. It was here that I began to realize that although talk therapy could be effective, it had a relatively short term efficacy (didn't last long). While at the vet center I managed an all veteran softball team for the center. This team would often discuss in group how the only thing they looked forward to all week was playing softball. Sometimes they would state that the only time they actually felt better at all was directly after practice or after a game. I knew exactly what they were describing from my own training, and an idea was born that I have continued to hold onto and actively pursue.
For the last 6 years I have offered free Tai Chi and Kung Fu classes to military veterans and current active duty military at the local VFW halls and anywhere else I could find free space. This arrangement has allowed me over the years to train with hundreds of military veterans and observe the profound effects of physical exercise on PTSD symptomology personally. Unfortunately, these spaces are often unreliable and the classses suffer from constant re-scheduling and cancelations. We are also limited in our use of equipment due to storage contraints at these temporary facilities.
I am currently teaching Tai Chi to veterans at the North Coast Veterans Resource Center in Eureka, CA. This is fedrally funded two year transitional housing program for homeless vets suffering from PTSD and other co-occurring mental disorders as well as alcohol and drug issues. I am also employed by this organization and serve as the Regional Director of Northern California. (VRCOA).
As you can see, the available work-out area is very small and severely limits the number, duration, and scope of the training. The ultimate goal of this project is to find a permanent place for these veterans and others to train, free of charge, and continue the healing process. This 'Veterans Gym' will provide free instruction in Tai Chi, Kung Fu, Chi Kung, and Yoga as well as providing use of free-weights and cardio equipment. The money from this project will be used to rent a large warehouse space, buy equipment, and pay all utilities. All donations will be managed by Veterans Mind and Body, the non-profit I have created to help military veterans of all eras with exercise therapy.
I am currently writing a grant funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs requesting resources through their Adaptive Sports Grant . It is my hope that creating a permanent business location will enhance my grant application, allowing us to be more competitive for this funding opportunity. Getting funded by the VA would help ensure that Veterans Mind and Body could continue to help veterans for many years into the future.
I often hear individuals thanking veterans for their service. A donation to this cause will have a direct and meaningful impact on the lives of our nations military veterans.
Organizer
Bill Dubose
Organizer
Bend, OR
