Our Mission
Veterans Healing Veterans from the Inside Out (VHV) intersects where military meets the criminal justice system to heal wounds that can result in suicide and incarceration among our nation's warriors.
Our Vision
We envision a society equipped with the understanding, capacity and moral courage to truly leave no service member behind. Veterans Healing Veterans from the Inside, Out provides tools to do so.
Our Operation
VHV's peer to peer PTSD trauma recognition program operates both inside and outside of California prison walls. We are dedicated in assisting incarcerated and/or formerly incarcerated Veterans; in addition to military members of the wider community.
Bootcamp In. Bootcamp Out.
In Bootcamp, our warriors are trained impeccably for war: to follow orders, to make snap decisions in lethal environments, to protect their lives and the lives of their comrades, to kill efficiently. This training promotes, and combat cements, a mental and physical survival mode that is deeply ingrained. Life is pitted against life; the mission is clearly defined. Our warriors are ready to die to protect us.
And combat is not the only experience that can result in service-related trauma. Sexual harassment and abuse of both men and women within the ranks is getting urgently-needed attention, but is still widely believed to be under-reported and inadequately handled when it is reported. For some, life was traumatic before they entered the service. Family and societal disfunction have propelled many a young person into the military for a chance to serve, to excel, to broaden horizons. Some were already at war in our inner cities. After serving our country, these warriors deserve more than to be abandoned to their own sometimes inadequate resources. They need tools for coping with the often-lonely issues of re-entry.
We believe part of the solution is mandatory exit training: Bootcamp Out. Ideally, this training would be as well-supported, researched-based and effective as Bootcamp In already is. It would help the returning warrior understand his/her options and how to navigate the issues s/he will face in finding a job, getting an education, and living with the complex and unpredictable demands of life where people are not united in a well-defined mission. Perhaps most essentially, part of this training would address the special wounds to the psyche that war can inflict.
At San Quentin State Prison, VHV has tested out one such program, created there by veterans for veterans. The program brings together elements of narration therapy, peer support, body mind integration and expressive art therapies to allow warriors to reconnect with themselves and others in ways that promote trust, connection and healing. In addition to serving incarcerated veterans and those at risk of involvement with the criminal justice system, we believe that a program like VHV should be required as a re-entry training at the end of military service to support the social and emotional health of our veterans and communities, and to save lives.
And combat is not the only experience that can result in service-related trauma. Sexual harassment and abuse of both men and women within the ranks is getting urgently-needed attention, but is still widely believed to be under-reported and inadequately handled when it is reported. For some, life was traumatic before they entered the service. Family and societal disfunction have propelled many a young person into the military for a chance to serve, to excel, to broaden horizons. Some were already at war in our inner cities. After serving our country, these warriors deserve more than to be abandoned to their own sometimes inadequate resources. They need tools for coping with the often-lonely issues of re-entry.
We believe part of the solution is mandatory exit training: Bootcamp Out. Ideally, this training would be as well-supported, researched-based and effective as Bootcamp In already is. It would help the returning warrior understand his/her options and how to navigate the issues s/he will face in finding a job, getting an education, and living with the complex and unpredictable demands of life where people are not united in a well-defined mission. Perhaps most essentially, part of this training would address the special wounds to the psyche that war can inflict.
At San Quentin State Prison, VHV has tested out one such program, created there by veterans for veterans. The program brings together elements of narration therapy, peer support, body mind integration and expressive art therapies to allow warriors to reconnect with themselves and others in ways that promote trust, connection and healing. In addition to serving incarcerated veterans and those at risk of involvement with the criminal justice system, we believe that a program like VHV should be required as a re-entry training at the end of military service to support the social and emotional health of our veterans and communities, and to save lives.