Significance Of Enrolling Into Circle Of Change For Veterans

By Nancy Martin


A significant majority of returning soldiers slip into a medical condition known as post-traumatic stress syndrome. PTSD results from adverse experiences in their missions abroad. Statistics have shown that many of the veterans resort to taking their lives or harming those closest to them. Researchers and therapists alike have suggested numerous approaches to help the service men and women battle PTSD. One of the remedies proposed by the organization known as the circle of change recommends giving the veterans a living companion in the form of a pet, preferably a dog.

The organization is a non-profit entity, and it raises the necessary funds to support its causes from volunteers and other well-wishers out there. The candidates chosen to undertake the program are the ones who exhibit certain symptoms. Symptoms like insecurity, loss of confidence and the inability to cope with their family and friends. The help sheets are available at all the leading veteran association centers in the nation.

Psychiatrists have been unable to pinpoint with accuracy the visible signs of a person in need of PTSD counseling. The reason for this difficulty lies in the fact that people react to stress and depression in their unique ways. A huge majority of the veterans enrolled in the program; however, report having trouble sleeping owing to the recurrent nightmares they experience. The patients also experience an uncontrollable temperament which makes them a danger to themselves and others.

The approaches recommended are aimed at giving the veterans a second lease of life. If successful, the therapy ensures the service men and women get a chance to continue living a healthy and a functional life as they once did before their life-changing ordeals and experiences. Some people recover in a matter of months, others, however, take many months before they get over their excruciating nightmares.

The soldiers get tasked with rehabilitating a troubled dog. To do so, they first have to undergo an extensive professional training on how to relate with and deal with the four-legged human companions. The joy and satisfaction which comes with seeing a troubled animal get progressively better works wonders for their brains. In due time, the veterans begin espousing signs of being in the now. On the flipside, the trained soldiers can now make a living out of their newly learned skills.

Ideally, the training course takes a period of thirteen weeks to complete. The students have to attend the two-hour weekly classes which are taught by certified dog trainers. The interactions with their comrades also confer many rewards and benefits when it comes to helping them rebuild their lives for the better.

Asides the dog training exposure, the learners, get a chance to participate in all sorts of other fun events. For instance, the program regularly organizes golfing competitions. Each of this different initiatives is merely meant to help the people living with PTSD get over their social phobias and reintegrate back into the society. The followers of the program often receive brochures outlining the upcoming events and the current news in the lives of the other veterans in their circles.

The work of the organization is never really done. Although it is a costly endeavor to hire the professional dog trainers and to provide the other amenities required, the organizers receive plenty of help from donors and well-wishers. The latter, through their generous donations ensure that the good work goes on.




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