Warrior Camp®
TRR's Warrior Camp® is for suicide prevention and trauma resolution. It is designed to heal trauma, prevent suicide, support force preservation and enhance resilience. We do this by focusing on Moral Injury as a core component of Combat Trauma.
Many cultures recognize that when we send our young men and women to war they return to us forever changed by the experience and use rituals to assist them in the transition from battlefield to community. This is what welcoming a warrior home is about.
TRR's Warrior Camp® is designed to embrace our soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, coasties, reservists and guardsmen without further wounding them. We know that the way in which a trauma survivor is responded to and cared for in the aftermath of the trauma is, at times, more significant to their healing than the original event or events. Trauma rarely happens in isolation. With combat soldiers in particular, trauma happens in the context of a highly disciplined, cohesive, interdependent group. For this reason, healing needs to involve the acceptance of a group, not only of fellow soldiers, but also of civilians who are able to listen without judgment, bear witness, and ultimately shoulder some of the guilt and blame so that the warrior does not need to carry it alone.
The mission of TRR's Warrior Camp® is to create an environment in which the trauma of war can be addressed. This is a week-long retreat located in serene and secluded locations that foster the development of a close-knit community within which healing can occur. It includes a healthy balance of trauma therapy, relaxation and leisure activities.
TRR's Warrior Camp® runs for 7 days. All participants are screened by a clinician prior to being accepted to assess readiness for both group activities and individual treatment. Full participation in group activities is encouraged as it fosters connection, community and support. Group activities consist of community meetings, equine assisted psychotherapy, yoga, sweat lodge preparation and hikes or other sports.
Participation in individual treatment, while strongly recommended, is always on a voluntary basis. Treatments offered are EMDR Therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), Yoga, Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP), and Narrative Medicine. While it is our experience that warriors tend to try out all activities that are offered, involvement in group and/or individual treatment and activities is always a choice.
The clinical team consists of several EMDR clinicians, an equine psychotherapy team made up of two people (plus horses), a yoga instructor, a narrative medicine instructor and a sweat lodge guide. On either end of the program (day one and the last day) there is attention to introductions and then to saying goodbye. Warriors are given referrals for continued treatment by clinicians in their home cities.
While this schedule might seem tight it is our experience that starting with a well thought-out structure and then bending it as appropriate creates safety and willingness to engage in the process.
TRR's Warrior Camp® is a FREE program for Combat Veterans of all eras, as well as Active Military and Reserve Components.
TRR does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, gender, sexual orientation or expression, age, national origin, disability or discharge status.