S5E2: Heather Ehle with Project Sanctuary

What we discuss:


In this episode Heather shares her story about being a Registered
Nurse and her introduction to the challenges military families
face. Because the stress of the lifestyle affects whole family
she wanted to find a way to help an organization that was caring
for the family unit.


When she didn’t find one that was serving whole families she
created one. Project Sanctuary hosts 6-day retreats that focus on
overcoming obstacles: financial, communication, family
counseling, PTSD, and more. There are ten different locations and
in 2020 there are 32 retreats planned.


Two hours a day are spent in therapeutic sessions. There are
incredible activities at each location including fishing, white
water rafting, horseback riding, ziplining, and snowmobiling.
Some of these are once-in-a-lifetime activities while other
activities are able to be replicated once the family goes home
(hiking or playing board games).


Licensed and trained counselors are on-site all week.
Break-throughs on the part of both the veteran and the spouses
occur at each retreat!


Once a family has been on the retreat they are welcome to return
as volunteers.


Resources and Links: 


About Project Sanctuary


Apply to attend a retreat


 


PS: Jennifer here... My family was able to attend a Project
Sanctuary retreat at Snow Mountain Ranch and I had two personal
breakthroughs during the PTSD session. As a Chaplain's wife I
figured I'd heard most of the stuff they were going to cover so
the fact that I had two major breakthroughs I didn't know I
needed was powerful. One is related to a minor change in my
husband after deploying twice. After two tours he started
bouncing his leg while sitting and it was incredibly annoying.
(Still is, to be honest.) In the PTSD session the speaker
mentioned that this is a common side effect of combat trauma. I
constantly asked him to stop doing this. The PTSD session
mentioned this was a natural and healthy way to release tension
and that my asking him to stop was basically me asking him to
keep that tension bottled up. The leg bouncing is still
irritating but after that session I rarely ask him to stop. I see
it for what it is now. 


The other breakthrough was having my own deployment-traumas
validated. I didn't know that the supporting spouse could have
legitimate traumas caused by deployment. I didn't face war. I
didn't face danger. I didn't see death. And yet, I was changed
and in some ways, the changes were strange to me. I got mad when
my husband mowed the grass (it was my pet project during the 15
month deployment and he dared to touch it). I also didn't like
for him to drive once he got back. I had spent the entire time
taxiing the kids around and once he got back I didn't trust him
behind the wheel. I had actual, physical manifestations of fear
when he'd drive and he's a really good driver! Looking back I can
see so clearly that both of these reactions were trauma-based but
had no idea. How much easier reintegration would have been had we
both known these things about ourselves and each other. 


These two breakthroughs were worth the time it took for us to
drive from Texas to Colorado for our retreat but there were many
other benefits and experiences that made it spectacular. It was,
in a literal and figurative sense, a mountaintop
experience.