Ft. Bliss Restoration & Resilience(R&R) Center

8 January 2010

I have looked forward to this day for some time. Today, Jean Ferris, Reiki Master, with her Reiki students; Glenda Bromberg(wife of the post Commanding General), myself and Program Director Dr. John Fortunato tour the beautiful facility which is the result of John's dream to promote a program for soldiers suffering from PTSD(post traumatic stress disorder), who have a strong desire to return to active duty. John, while being a psychologist and a Benedictine Monk, is transforming lives of the soldiers and their families using many innovative practices including Reiki as a treatment modality. The program is now in its 3rd year.
As we enter the facility our first stop is pause at the area which is dedicated to remembrances of all the fallen soldiers. The hand carved wooden plaques represent all the official head stones representing the recognized religions of the world. John had a local craftsman put this wall monument together. The soldiers begin their day at this spot paying homage to their own fallen friends. You can feel the incredible energy field that has been collected here. I could have stayed much longer, but the tour moves on, as John takes us through all the rooms and aspects of the program.

























There are 12 therapy rooms which includes massage,biofeedback, Reiki, acupuncture, counseling to include individual and family and other rooms for meditation, yoga, tai chi and a recreation area. Other activities include water volleyball, field trips and simulated training activities. The program is very inclusive and is the first program to address treating all the bodies(mental, emotional, physical and spiritual) that are injured by multiple deployments in a combat situation.

Multiple deployments without recovery is the most damaging aspect to the human soul, as I see it. I discover that John and I were in the Republic of Viet Nam at the same time frame 1969-1970, he, being at Cam Ranh Bay and I, at Qui Nhon. I ask him if the current PTSD soldiers are more injured than the PTSD soldiers of Viet Nam and he answers,"yes, because of multiple deployments." He tells a story of a young soldier who was selected for the program. His PTSD was so severe that there was question as to whether he could return to active duty. The soldier pleaded to be included and was finally selected with reservations. His father stated, that when his son returned after the first deployment, they knew something was wrong. After the second deployment, their son was severely involved and after the third deployment, they no longer recognized this soldier as being the son they had raised. After the soldier had been through the majority of the program, John received a call from the father stating, "thank you for saving our son's life and giving him back to us." As John tells this story, we all become affected by it.

As John describes more in detail of the soldier's problems, it becomes evident how severe their injuries are. One of the great benefits of Reiki in the beginning of the program is the soldiers can finally get the well needed sleep that they need to heal. The result is that the dosages of sleep medications are reduced dramatically in the first 2 weeks. The severity of PTSD was an eye-opener for me. Cognitive dysfunction,( attention-memory deficits, paranoid ideation, obsessive rumination on combat traumas), avoidance and persistent arousal are just a few of the problems.

John goes on to speak about the 5HHT Gene, which regulates serotonin in the body. People who have a genetic variation called SS, have 4-6 times the chance of getting PTSD than people who have the ll variation. There are many soldiers who have had multiple deployments and can carry on with their duties without these grave consequences. John gave us 2 hours of his valuable time to share his passion, and his love for this special program. Not only is this program unique, but John is the kind of man who is helping our young soldiers heal their lives in a way that no other has done.

Having this tour, brings my attention to a long time desire of mine to offer Reiki to our soldiers at Ft Lewis. The time seems right to investigate its possibility this year.
The other night I went on line to see what is being offered at Ft Lewis, Wa. I ran across some files to assist soldiers in filling out their applications for PTSD evaluations by the VA. I downloaded the forms and to my surprise I found the instructions to be in a very compassionate format and encouraging the soldier to take their time in detailing their experiences, no matter how difficult the process it might be. Perhaps, a loved one or friend could write down the experiences, as they spoke. The questions probe deeper into the psyche and I found myself recalling my own Viet Nam/ military experiences. I could tell my heart rate was picking up, my hands became sweaty and I had a feeling of some kind of uncomfortableness within my being. When I reached the part where the instructions say, "if you are finding difficulty in answering the questions, take a break", which I did, and began giving myself a mental-emotional Reiki treatment.

While looking online, another area which surfaced were the commentaries regarding the Purple Heart Medal. This medal, of course, is given to all soldiers who have been wounded in action within a combat theater. Wounded, meaning the physical body, not the mental, emotional or spiritual body. As one Viet Nam veteran stated, I got the Purple Heart Medal for a shrapnel wound on my arm and by the time I received the medal, my wound was healed. Now, 40 years have passed, I can no longer see the scar, but I continue being plagued by nightmares and flashbacks of the war. Perhaps, it is time the Department of Defense re-visit their policies for dispersing this medal.

Reading these commentaries really opened my eyes. I am in disbelief, that the military isn't giving these soldiers the Purple Heart Medal. We have to stop thinking of soldiers being wounded only in their physical bodies. The physical body is the container for the soul, the mind, the emotions and the spirit and they are all connected and integrated. If any part of you is wounded, the whole is wounded and since we give a medal for being wounded, let all these wounded soldiers receive their Purple Heart Medal.

Thank you John, Jean, and Glenda for giving me this wonderful opportunity to see how lives are being changed at Ft. Bliss with the help of Reiki and for opening my eyes a little wider.

Donations Welcomed

My interactions with the Sisters of Charity and the Santo Nino Project in Anapra, Mexico were heart warming and provocative. In the colonia of Anapra, which is poverty stricken and torn apart by the drug cartel wars, these previously ostracized mothers with their special needs children, now radiate with the light of everlasting Hope. Three strikes and you are out, as the modern soothsayers expound, don't seem to apply. By the grace of God, three strikes you are in, when it comes to these families. The Sisters provide them with really amazing skills, improve their self-esteem, give them tools to support themselves and their children. Three times a week they have a safe place to take their children and receive incredible care. The clinic is a sight to behold and I will hold them in my hearts forever.

The Sister's mission is huge and impressive , but they need donations to continue their support. All who might read this blog, lives a life of great abundance and great fortune. We can always give something and 2010 seems like a good time to start. Please consider donating to this worthy cause. Go to their website to watch Sister Janet(MD) discuss the mission and speak about its accomplishments. http://www.proyectosantonino.org/

Send donations to:

The Sisters of Charity

Earmark it for "Santo Nino Project"

Casa de Caridad

260 Sombra Verde

Anthony, NM 88021

Thanking you, in advance....Hira

My Third Trip to Anapra Mexico

12 January 2010

The morning is really cold and in the low 40's. I join Sister Janet and Sister Carol and Siba at the New Mexico Convent. Siba is more than just a volunteer. She cooks all the lunches for the mothers 3X a week, provides for much of the support, by picking up and returning some of the mother's and children to the clinic and teaches Tai Chi when she is not doing a million other things. I feel in good company as we make our way across the Santa Teresa border crossing again. This time it is a clinic day, no special events going on. The children will be treated with baths, stretching, Reiki and the Mothers will have a Tai Chi session, be fed and supported as their new year begins.

It hasn't always been this way. Isidra, a mother of Angel who is now 26 years old. She continues to carry him from place to place as wheel chairs don't work in the sandy roads of Anapra. For decades she has struggled to take care of her son. She has been isolated, not having medical support, but they are both survivors and their lives have become better since the Sisters of Charity have created this clinic to provide the support she and her son need.

She is first on the scene and together we fill the whirlpool tub and get Angel into the warm water. She speaks to him in a soft, gentle voice and he seems to understand at some level and smiles back. He is totally incapacitated. We stretch his terribly spastic limbs and I marvel at his well defined musculature. He is an anatomy lesson in itself; as there is no body fat, just skin and bones and spastic muscles. He is quickly redressed, as the rooms are freezing even with the propane heaters. I give Isidra a break and carry Angel into the large room where she feeds him breakfast. Later we both give him a Reiki treatment together and I can get him into a flexed sitting position for the first time in his life of 26 years.

Sister Carol welcomes Brian back from the holiday break. He is very happy to see everyone, especially Sister Carol, who he calls Mom. Brian was born with spina bifida and a club foot, both of which has received surgical intervention. He is very bright and active. He goes to school now that the Sisters provide the diapers he needs for his incontinence. Carol and I give him a Reiki treatment after his bath and he has selected a newly clean outfit to wear. During his Reiki treatment he points to his back and says it hurts. We focus on that area and within minutes he smiles and states the pain is gone.

Two youngsters get bathed while another mother assists with the underwater stretching exercises.

A child receives his Reiki treatment from 2 other mothers.

Well padded mats allow one mother to put another child through a stretching routine.

I observe this child's sitting balance as she enjoys hearing the tuning fork that is set to the sound of Om. No wonder she is smiling. I would strike it and place it on her head and she would immediately sit up straighter.

The day winds down, but not before all the baths are done, the dishes are washed, the laundry is put into the hampers, the floors swept and mopped. All the mothers hug and kiss each other. It is clear that love permeates this environment. I am so moved by the dedication and care that is given by the Sisters and the mothers. It is truly inspiring to have been a small part of their process. I depart feeling full, and in awe of what has happened here in this desolate colonia of poverty and ravaged by the drug wars. A bright light is burning amidst the background of chaos. We can thank the Sisters of Charity, the volunteers and Jean Ferris for bringing Reiki into their world and for all the mothers who continue to come seeking help for their children.

For the other 2 visits to Anapra, please see photos and text in Jean's blog.

For more information about the clinic, their mission and ways you can support

Go to http://www.proyectosantonino.org/

Reiki Talk Show With Phyllis Furumoto and Hira Reid

On Reiki Talk Show, Phyllis Furumoto interviews Hira Reid about Spiritual Lineage on 14 Jan 2010

Phyllis begins:

"We are One"! I remember thinking 30 years ago that this was some airy-fairy idea! In this interview, Hira Reid, a Reiki student of 25 years, assists me in seeing the reality and truth of "being one" with all mankind and the divine. Just as Mikao Usui was a seeker who found and experienced the truth, Hira, weaves the lineage teachings and practices of Reiki, Siddha Yoga, Genealogy and Mitochondrial DNA testing to seek, find the truth and experience the meaning of the "Eternal Thread of Oneness". In reality we are all related to "Mitochondrial Eve", the clan mother who lived in Africa over 200,000 years ago and, therefore, we are all one.

Tune in at http://www.reikitalkshow.com/ to hear the interview.

A Christmas Blessing for my Reiki Hands

December 2009:
I am spending Christmas with my twin sister, Jean Ferris, Reiki Master in the El Paso, Texas area. Among her many students, there is a special group of mothers and children who have been helped by the Sisters of Charity and Reiki in a small colonia in Anapra, Mexico. I have heard about them for years and have wanted to make a special visit to see them.






















Today is special, as Father Denny of Juarez, is blessing all the handicapped children who come to Proyecto Los Ninos. At the end of the session and before lunch is served to over 40 families, he gives Jean and I unexpected blessings. I am surprised, as he bends down and asks, "would you like to be blessed?" I reply, "can you bless my hands?" and he responds with, "to do what"? I quickly say surprisingly,"to do God's work". The divine has just stepped into my space and taken over. I am always appreciative for Grace and grateful for its action in my life. Thank you, God for this sweet and prophetic blessing. I will put it to good use this year.

See Jean's blog to view many wonderful photos of our journeys across the border.
http://reikijeanferrisrm.blogspot.com/