The New Freedom for Veterans: Reflection on PTSD and Healing
byJenniferCesaitis
Traumadoesn’ttelltime.Veteranslivingwithpost-traumaticstress,doyoufeelasthoughthe dayspass,seasonschange,andstillyourbodyholdsontowhatthemindcan’tquiteexplain? Youhaveheardfromothersthesamestoriesandadvice:gototherapy,seetheVA,orburyit deepdownandhopeitdoesn’tinterferewithyourlife.You’renotalone.Andwedon’tmeanthat othershavesimilarexperiencesandthatyou’renottheonlyonetryingtocope.Wemeanthat youdon’thavetocopewithitalone.Youdon’thavetotrytohealalone.Youdon’thavetofind youransweralone.
AccordingtotheNationalCenterforPTSD,roughly12millionpeopleintheU.S.arelivingwithPTSD atanygiventime.Forourfriends,brothers,andsisterswhohaveserved,theroadbacktoasense ofhomeandsafetycanbeasteepone.Andoften,it’swalkedinsilence;asilencethatneedsto bebroken.
SpeakingtheUnspoken
PTSD,orPTSassomeprefertocallit,doesn’twearanametagIt’snoteasytosay,“Ohyeah, that’sPTSD.”Itdoesn’talwayslooklikepanicattacksornightmares.Sometimes,angershowsup uninvited.Sometimesyoufeelnumb.Sometimesit’sasmilethathideseverything.Sometimes youdon’tevenrecognizethatitcouldbepartofyourmind’straumaresponse.Andtoooften, Veteranswillavoidputtinganametoitbecauseofthestigma.
Whatmakeshealinghardisn’tjustthesymptoms;it’stheweightoffeelinglikeyoushouldn’thave theminthefirstplace,thathavingthemisasignofweakness,anditmakesyousomehowlessof awarrior.
That’swhyhelpingVeteransovercomePTSDmatterssomuch.Notbecauseacalendarorsocial cuessayit’stimetocare,butbecauseeverytimesomeonespeaksthetruthaboutwhatthey’re carrying,thestigmalosesalittleground,andthepathtohealingbecomesalittleeasier
YouDon’tHavetoDoThisAlone
It’seasytosay“reachout,”butmuchhardertodowhentheworldfeelsunsteady.Endlesscallsto counselorswhodon’thaveroomforanotherpatient,fightingwiththeVAtocoverpayments, waitingforappointments,dreadinghavingtotalkaboutalltheterriblethingsalloveragain,these arethebarrierstohealing.It’ssohardtofindthespaceyouneed,andthetruthis,healingfrom traumaoftenbeginsinstillnessandinsafecompany.
InNewEngland,thereareplaceswhereVeteranscanpresspause,breathedeeply,andsimplybe. ProjectNewHope’swellnessretreatsareonesuchoption.Thesearen’tyourstandardhotel conferenceroomsThey’remulti-dayexperiencesinquiet,naturalsettings,wherethingslike connectingwitheachother,holisticwellness,andtrauma-awaresupportaren'tconsidered “extras,”butessentials.
Ifyou’vespentyearswhite-knucklingyourwaythroughdailychallenges,theseretreatsoffer somethingdifferent:space.Notspacetorelivethepast,buttofeelyourselffullyinthepresent. Maybe,justmaybe,it’saspacetoseeyourfutureself,happy,healed,andatpeace,andbeginto makethatyourreality
The New Freedom for Veterans
WhatHealingCanLookLike
Traumaresolutionlooksdifferentforeveryone.Forsome,it’samovement.Forothers,it’ssitting still.TheCortinaMethod(TCM),nowavailableduringretreatsandon-siteatProjectNewHope’s Worcester,MAlocation,isatoolthathasbeenhelpingVeteransandtheirfamiliesworkthrough traumawithoutbeingretraumatized.
NoteverybreakthroughhappensinasessionSometimes,itcomesovercoffee,literallyWeekly VeteransCoffeeSocialsprovideaninformalspacetotalk(ornottalk)withpeoplewho understand.
Thesearen’ttherapysessions.They’resomethingolderthanthat,communityandconnection.
StartingwiththeBasics
It’shardtotalkaboutwellnesswithouttalkingaboutfood.Whenyournervoussystemisstuckin survivalmode,nutritionismorethanadetail;it’salifeline.That’swhereSully’sFoodPantrycomes in.LocatedatProjectNewHope’slocations,Sully’sisstockedwithdignityasmuchasitiswith groceries.Noquestions,noredtape.Justkindnessandareminder:you’renotaburden.You’rea personwhodeservestoeatwell,feelwell,andhealwell.
ThePowerofBeingSeen
Oneofthethingspeopleoftensayafterattendingaretreatorstoppingbyaworkshopisn’t, “Thankyouforfixingme,”butrather,“Thankyouforseeingme.”
That’swhatthisworkisreallyaboutItisnot“fixing”anyoneButstandingwithpeopleastheywalk backtowardthemselveshelpsthembecomethepersontheylove,oncemore Whetheryou’redeepinyourhealingorquietlycarryingtheweightforsomeoneyoulove,know this:you'renottheonlyone.Thereareothersonthetrail,justafewstepsaheadorbehind.Some ofthemareatProjectNewHope.Someareinyourneighborhood. Reachout.Saysomething.Orshowup.
ADifferentKindofFreedom
Asweheadintothesummermonthsandreflectonindependence,considerthis:Whatifthe freedomyoufoughtforalsoincludesfreedomfromsuffering?Whatifthriving,andnotjust surviving,ispartofthemissionnow?Healingisn’tlinear.It’snotalwayspretty.Butitispossible. Andyoudon’thavetogoitalone.
Ifyou'relookingforthepathwithleastresistance,andtheresourcestohelpyoutakethenext step,whetherit'saquietplacetoreset,someonetotalkwith,orjustabagofgroceriestogetyou throughtheweek,takealookatwhat’savailablethroughProjectNewHope,Inc.Thesearen’tjust services.They’restartingpointsandroadmapstothriving. Becausethetruthis,noonehealsinisolation.Buthealingby connecting?That’sabsolutelywithinreach.
SincejoiningProjectNewHope,Inc.asavolunteerinMarch,Kenhasconsistentlygoneaboveand beyondineverytaskhe’stakenon Whetherit’sassistingwithevents,organizingsupplies,or supportingfellowvolunteers,Kenapproacheseachresponsibilitywithenthusiasmandacan-do attitude.Hiswarmsmileandgenuinekindnessuplifteveryonearoundhim,creatingawelcoming andsupportiveatmosphereforbothstaffandclients.Ken’sdedication,reliability,andteamspirit makehimaninvaluablepartofourorganization,andwearetrulyfortunatetohavehimonour team.
Ken Mossman Ken Mossman
Thrive withProjectNewHope
New Tools, Open Trails: Summer Resources for Veterans
TheFourthofJulyalwaysbringswithitamixofcelebrationandreflection.FormanyVeterans,the ideaoffreedomispersonal.Itisn’tjustaboutaflagoradateonthecalendar.It’saboutthe quieterkind,too,thekindthatshowsupwhenyourbodyfinallyrestsorwhenyourmindgetsa littlepeace.Thatversionoffreedomcanfeelhardertoreach,especiallyafteryearsofpushing through.
Butwhatifthissummercouldbesomethingdifferent?Whatifthisseasonofferednotjustrest, butrenewal?
Severalnewandexpandedresourcesarenowavailable,worthknowingaboutSomearebuiltfor yourphone,whileothersarebuiltforyourboots.AllofthemaremeanttohelpVeterans reconnectwiththeirhealth,theirsurroundings,andthemselves.
AQuietSupportThatTextsYouBack
Whenthingsgetoverwhelming,ithelpstohavereminders,notlectures,notalarms,just somethingsteadyandsupportive.That’swheretheAnnieAppforVeteranscomesin.Developed bytheVA,Annieisafreeservicethatsendspersonalizedtextmessagestohelpyoukeeptrackof yourwellness.
Youdon’tneedtodownloadanything.Onceenrolled,Anniesendsyoushort,usefultextsbasedon yourpreferences.Youmightgetanudgetocheckinonyoursleeporabreathingtechniqueto helpwithanxiety.SomeVeteransuseAnnietomanagehealthconditionslikediabetesorhigh bloodpressure.OthersfindvalueinthedailymotivationorPTSD-relatedtips.
It’sprivate,it’sconsistent,anditworksquietlyinthebackground.Onthedayswhenthingsfeel heavy,evenasimplemessagecanserveasareminderthatyou'redoingbetterthanyouthink. Tolearnmore,visitmobile.va.gov/app/annie-veterans.
FindingGroundUnderOpenSkies
Thereissomethingaboutnaturethatsettlesthenervoussysteminawayfewotherthingscan. That’snotjustopinion;it’ssomethingmanyVeteranshaveexperiencedfirsthand. InarecentconversationhostedbytheAmericanLegion’sTangoAlphaLimapodcast,Veterans sharedhowhiking,camping,andbeingoutsidehelpedthemreconnectwithasenseofpurpose. Naturedidn’tdemandanexplanationfromthem;itjustmadespace.
Thankstoupdatedfederalpolicy,VeteransandGoldStarfamiliesnowreceivefreelifetimeentry tonationalparksandpubliclands.ThatmeansyoucanvisitplaceslikeAcadia,theWhite Mountains,orCapeCodNationalSeashorewithoutthecostbarrier.
NoteverynationalparkoffersVeteran-specificprogramming,butmanydocollaboratewith nonprofitsandlocalorganizationstocreateeventssuchas:
Peer-ledhikesandgroupoutings
Mindfulnesswalksandnature-basedwellnessactivities
Wildernessimmersionexperienceswithtrainedfacilitators
Youcanlistentothatpodcastorreadmoreabouttheseprogramshere:AmericanLegion–How NationalParksHelpVeteransThrive
Thrive withProjectNewHope
OutdoorOpportunitiesinNewEnglandandBeyond
Whetheryou'rethetypetohitthetrailsorsomeonewhojustenjoyssittingquietlyinapark, there’sagrowingnumberofprogramsdesignedtosupportVeteransinnature-basedhealing Herearesomeoptionstoexplorethissummer:
VeteranWellnessRetreats
ProjectNewHopeoffersmulti-daywellnessretreatswithtrauma-informedyoga,outdoor mindfulness,andcommunityconnectionThesetakeplaceinpeacefulcornersofNew EnglandandaredesignedtosupportbothVeteransandtheirfamiliesLearnmoreat projectnewhopema.org.
TravisMillsFoundationinMaineprovidesadaptiveoutdoorretreatsforpost-9/11wounded Veteransandtheirfamilies.Activitiesrangefromkayakingandcyclingtocampfirecirclesand reflectiontime
OutdoorAdventurePrograms
OutwardBoundforVeteransoffersfree,week-longtripsintothewilderness.Thesecoursesare designedtorebuildconfidenceandfosterpeerconnectionthroughhiking,canoeing,and backpacking.
VeteransOutdoorAdventuresUSAorganizeskayaking,hiking,andarcheryoutingsinthe Northeast,withafocusonbuildingcommunity.TheireventsareopentoVeteransandoften includefamiliesaswell.
LocalFitnessandCommunity
TeamRed,White&BluehaschaptersthroughoutNewEnglandandhostsregularoutdoor workouts,rucks,andwellnesseventsThesegatheringsareagreatwaytomoveyourbody andmeetotherVeterans.
CatchALiftFundorganizessummer“WarriorWeekends”focusedonfitness,recovery,and outdooractivitiesforcombat-injuredVeterans.
AccessibleEventsandStandDowns
AdaptiveSportsNewEnglandprovidesinclusiveathleticopportunitiesforindividualswith disabilities,includingVeterans.WhilenotexclusivetotheVeterancommunity,theirevents, suchasrowingandcycling,oftenincludeVeteransandtheirfamilies.
MassachusettsDepartmentofVeterans’ServicescontinuestohostsummerStandDown eventsthatofferaccesstobenefits,wellnessscreenings,andcommunityactivities,manyof whichareheldoutdoorsinlocalparksandpublicvenues.
There’sNoOneWaytoHeal
Healingdoesn’tfollowaplaybook.Itcomesindifferentformsandatitsownpace.Sometimesit startswithatextmessage.Sometimesitbeginsinaforest.Andsometimesit’sjustaquiet momentwhere,forthefirsttimeinalongwhile,youfeelyourbreathcomeeasily
ThisJuly,whilethecountryreflectsonindependence,consideryourown.Notthekindwritteninto law,butthekindthatwhisperstoyouwhenyoufeelstronginyourbodyandclearinyourhead. Thesetoolsandtrailsareavailableforyouruse.Andyou’renotaloneonthewalk.
Salute our Veterans MotorcycleRide
Sponsorship Information: https://projectnewhopema.charityproud.org/Eve.../Index/22053
Platinum Sponsor: $1000, 4 Ride Tickets and 4 tee-shirts, Logo on back of ride tee-shirt, 4 catered lunch admissions, Logo included on the banner hung at lunch site. Company logo on social media Platforms, Special recognition from podium at opening ceremony & lunch.
Gold Sponsor: $500, 2 Ride tickets and 2 tee-shirts, Logo on the back of ride teeshirt, 2 catered lunch admissions, Logo included on banner hung at lunch site, Company logo on social media Platforms, Special recognition from the podium at lunch.
Silver Sponsor: $250, 1 Ride ticket and one tee-shirt, Logo on back of ride teeshirt, one catered lunch admission, Company logo on social media platforms. RIDE with US!
The deadline for sponsorship artwork / logo submissions is July 18th, 2025. All artworks should be submitted either as a .JPEG or .TIF. Files should be sent to: Bill Moore at bmoore@projectnewhopema.org or 508-713-3362.
Please make a check made payable to: Project New Hope, Inc. Mail it to: Project New Hope, Inc 70 James Street, Suite 155 Worcester, MA 01603
Saturday, August16,2025
SponsorAHOLE:
Donor:$100.00donationplacesyournameand/or businessonthedonationflyer.
Raffle:DonateaGiftCardoritemfortheRaffle.
SponsorAVET(S):SponsoraVettoplaybydonating registrationfee(s)