WEBVTT - Dusty’s Story, Part 2

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<v Speaker 1>Stay Calm as a production of I Heart Radio. Welcome

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<v Speaker 1>to Stay Calm, your daily dose of calmness. I'm Bob Roth,

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<v Speaker 1>and I've been teaching people to meditate for fifty years,

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<v Speaker 1>helping them to stay calm under pressure, reboot and re

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<v Speaker 1>energize their lives, and basically be a happier, healthier version

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<v Speaker 1>of themselves. And now I want to help you do

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<v Speaker 1>the same. Ready, sit comfortably, take a few deep breaths,

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<v Speaker 1>and let's begin today's journey. I want you to stop

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<v Speaker 1>and think for a moment. Have you ever had something

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<v Speaker 1>traumatic happened to you, an unexpected loss of a family

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<v Speaker 1>member or friend, messy breakup of a relationship, a shattering

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<v Speaker 1>job loss. But instead of destroying you, you grew from

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<v Speaker 1>that experience, learn something valuable about yourself, made you appreciate

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<v Speaker 1>life a little or a lot more. This is what

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<v Speaker 1>psychologists call post traumatic growth. This is what happens when

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<v Speaker 1>we use the pain from a loss for something bigger,

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<v Speaker 1>to make a healthy change in our life, to grow,

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<v Speaker 1>and when we look back, as painful as it was,

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<v Speaker 1>we might even be grateful it happened because the new

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<v Speaker 1>US is stronger inside. I tell you all this because

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<v Speaker 1>we met a perfect example of someone on the journey

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<v Speaker 1>of post traumatic growth. As you recall, Dusty was a

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<v Speaker 1>twenty year Army veteran and was diagnosed with all the

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<v Speaker 1>symptoms of PTSD post traumatic stress disorder. Fortunately, time and

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<v Speaker 1>great good fortune led Dusty to meet his now current wife, Charlene,

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<v Speaker 1>who introduced him to transcendental meditation, which helped him get sober, healthy,

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<v Speaker 1>reconnect with friends, find a purpose to his life. That story,

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<v Speaker 1>the very real healing power of meditation in and of itself,

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<v Speaker 1>would have been enough to merit a segment on this

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<v Speaker 1>PODT cast, But I learned a lot more about Dusty

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<v Speaker 1>that I wanted to share with you. Because Dusty didn't

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<v Speaker 1>just get better and leave it at that. Dusty made

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<v Speaker 1>it his life's work to do something great. He resolved

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<v Speaker 1>to save the lives of his fellow veterans, so he

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<v Speaker 1>trained as a TM meditation teacher, brought the technique to

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<v Speaker 1>veteran suffering from traumatic brain injury at the Eisenhower v

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<v Speaker 1>A Medical Center in Augusta, Georgia, and then he became

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<v Speaker 1>executive director of the Boulder Crest Veterans Retreat Centers. His

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<v Speaker 1>responsibility to bring meditation and other evidence based healing modalities

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<v Speaker 1>to thousands and thousands of veterans and their families to

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<v Speaker 1>help them not just cope with trauma, but start and

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<v Speaker 1>sustain a journey towards post traumatic growth, to turn, as

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<v Speaker 1>Dusty would say, their struggle into strength. I tell you

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<v Speaker 1>all this because dusty story is particularly relevant for so

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<v Speaker 1>many of us right now. While we are not soldiers

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<v Speaker 1>on the front lines of a battle, nonetheless, many of

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<v Speaker 1>us are traumatized by isolation, uncertainty, and extreme fear. During

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<v Speaker 1>the coronavirus crisis, there is a complete upheaval in what

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<v Speaker 1>was once reassuringly called normal life. What can Dusty tell

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<v Speaker 1>us about his veterans program for post traumatic growth that

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<v Speaker 1>we might incorporate into our own lives so we can

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<v Speaker 1>move towards healing and growth during these tumultuous days. I

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<v Speaker 1>asked Dusty about the difference between what he provides veterans

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<v Speaker 1>at Boulder Crest and the conventional treatments offered to veterans

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<v Speaker 1>by many VA hospitals and other treatment centers. Dusty said,

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<v Speaker 1>at many VA hospitals, veterans get treatments for their problems,

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<v Speaker 1>whereas at Boulder Crest, veterans get training for growth. At

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<v Speaker 1>a v A, there's a focus on the disorder created

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<v Speaker 1>by the trauma, talking about the trauma, reliving the trauma,

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<v Speaker 1>taking medications for the trauma, leaving the veteran to feel,

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<v Speaker 1>in Dusty's word, diminished. Whereas a bouldercrest, the veterans focus

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<v Speaker 1>on positive life affirming experiences such as meditation, but also hiking, fishing, cooking,

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<v Speaker 1>along with journaling and support groups. There's a focus on upliftment,

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<v Speaker 1>on transforming the inner struggle for survival to the power

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<v Speaker 1>of inner strength to make life more meaningful. While under lockdown,

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<v Speaker 1>we can meditate, and we can journal, and we can

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<v Speaker 1>focus on our strength and our life ahead rather than

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<v Speaker 1>dwell on the past. And we can find a support group.

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<v Speaker 1>And that is my final takeaway from Dusty. It's hard

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<v Speaker 1>to do it alone. It's hard to make it by yourself.

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<v Speaker 1>You need support. We all do. We all need family,

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<v Speaker 1>and if we don't have family, then we need our friends.

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<v Speaker 1>As Dusty says quote, we know that life is full

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<v Speaker 1>of ups and downs, and we also know that dealing

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<v Speaker 1>with struggle requires mentors and a strong own network of support.

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<v Speaker 1>So here's my health tip for the day. Meditate and

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<v Speaker 1>find your mentor find your support group. All right, let's

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<v Speaker 1>end this time together doing something that I think should

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<v Speaker 1>be a feature of our everyday life, and that's appreciation

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<v Speaker 1>and gratitude. So let's take thirty seconds of quiet, thirty

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<v Speaker 1>seconds to take a break, just take a moment. It

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<v Speaker 1>turns out when we do that, it's good for our

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<v Speaker 1>health as well. I'll be right back all right. Thank

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<v Speaker 1>you for joining. This is Bob Broth. Keep calm, Thanks

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<v Speaker 1>for listening today. I hope you heard something that inspires

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<v Speaker 1>that uplifts you and that you can incorporate into your

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<v Speaker 1>own life. Until next time, remember, meditate, be kind, and

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<v Speaker 1>be true to yourself. Hey, all of you out there,

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<v Speaker 1>I'd love to hear from you. You can send me

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<v Speaker 1>your stories, your questions, or anything else on your mind.

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<v Speaker 1>Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram at

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<v Speaker 1>Meditation Bob. You can also send me an email at

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<v Speaker 1>Meditation Bob Roth at gmail dot com. I look forward

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<v Speaker 1>to hearing from you.