Wounded Warriors Retreat
For veterans in Gilpin County
The Wounded Warriors Retreat for veterans, their families and friends, took place at the Gilpin County Community Center on Saturday, January 30, from 10:30 until 3:00 p.m. The retreat was hosted by Deni Darby, the Gilpin County Veteran Service Officer. The retreat was free and centered on “mastering your mind as a practical way to feel better and live fully” through meditation – as a secular path – to increase understanding of an individual’s emotional patterns.
The retreat centered on presenting and practicing mindfulness meditation techniques as a method for dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Members of the Ratna Peace Initiative attending the event were: Margot Neuman, Founder and Executive Director; Gary Allen, Education Director; and Elizabeth Cline, Ph.D., Business Development and Evaluation Director. Ratna provided participants with a “Mindfulness Source Book” describing meditation techniques.
The group of ten participants sat in a circle on meditation cushions – or regular chairs if preferred – for an initial discussion on the concept of mindfulness. The purpose of mindfulness is to train the mind to remain in the present instead of dwelling on experiences or story lines from the past that can expand into the future. Through this training thoughts and emotions will begin to lose their power to overwhelm.
Gary Allen led the group through a formal sitting meditation practice. Participants were instructed to sit in the middle of their cushions, cross their legs in front, drop their arms to the side with hands resting on legs, sit upright with shoulders back, chin tucked down, and eyes open, focusing on the floor in front of them. Allen emphasized how bodily posture shapes the mind – lying down would encourage sleep – and it was important to maintain the correct posture.
The next step was to concentrate on breathing, being aware of the subtle sensation of movement in breathing in and out. Through this concentration the mind would be brought into the present moment. The difficult part proved to be keeping the mind in the present moment as random thoughts would keep popping up, distracting the mind into the past or future. Allen advocated repeating the word “thinking” when thoughts appeared and then returning to concentrate on the simple flow of breathing.
The same mental meditation techniques were carried over into two practice sessions of walking meditation. Allen instructed the participants to clasp their hands together with thumbs over each other. He advised walking at a moderate pace, concentrating on the swing of the foot and how it pressed down onto a surface. Mindfulness is maintained by looking down in front of the feet. One session took place indoors, walking in a circle around the cushions, and one session was outside the building, where participants were encouraged to engage all their senses in being in the moment and savoring the outdoors.
At the conclusion of the retreat Darby thanked everyone for coming. Darby hopes to conduct weekly workshops for veterans in which to practice techniques promoting a fuller life. For more information on future events please contact Deni Darby at 303-582-5444, ext. 1103.
Sponsors and supporters of the event were: American Legion, Central City; Gilpin County Human Services; Gilpin County Veteran Service Office; Heart of the Mountain Veterans Resource Centre; Ratna Peace Initiative; Roy’s Last Shot; and VFW Post 7563, Central City.
March 12th, 2010 at 6:11 pm
This sounds amazingly simple, yet likely is much more complex when one begins to tackle ones strong thoughts which may be painful and or destructive. Good job to all for trying this.