“I came to these workshops a year and half ago isolated, dealing with addiction, and spiritually empty. Through participating in these retreats I rediscovered my integrity, recognized a growing awareness, guided compassion and a sense of place.”
- Jeremy B. Lopez, United States Marine Corps
“Coming to the one-day events with other veterans, I feel like I am coming together with my family. As vets we kind of walk with the same rhythm. There is a sense of kinship. You know that other person understands what is essential. You’ve lived on what is essential and you know you can be fine with that. This is why mindfulness and meditation goes so well with veterans. It is about getting down to that essential stuff – breathing, walking in silence. It is like what we learned and were trained in, in order to do our duties. Maybe you are being mindful in a different way, but it is still mindfulness. I have no desire to meet my fellow vets out at a bar. It is the place and quality of being held and cared for that makes these days very appealing and healing.”
- Paige Jenkins, U.S. Navy
“Being a combat soldier during Operation Iraqi Freedom, I found myself experiencing a plethora of negative emotions and energies post-deployment. Like some combat soldiers, I was afraid to be perceived as a weakling if I were to seek help. We are trained to be warriors. When I heard about the mindfulness/meditation event, I was enthusiastic about getting together with other veterans who experienced similar hardships as I had. I was initially nervous and apprehensive about being in a group, but I felt instantly at home. The physical event before the meditation brings us closer together as a team. The experience of the mindfulness/ meditation events afterward have inspired me to practice taking a small respite every day. I encourage any veteran to participate in these events that give a battered mind a place to heal.”
- Mike Smith, US Army, OIF Vet
Read More Testimonials:
Vets Answer the Question: What Was The Most Meaningful Thing You Learned With HPW?
What Vets Are Saying About The River Rafting Trip