Hope is often Man’s Best Friend
...the power of unconditional love can eventually penetrate the dark shadow world of a PTSD victim, whether military or civilian. The reason is that conscious unconditional love begets conscious unconditional love and frozen hearts and maimed souls are often melted in the process.
As photographer Shelley Castle points out:
...most veterans are not in uniform...everyday clothes disguise the soldiers underneath. Also hidden beneath the layers of clothes might be a veteran struggling with health issues and needing a service dog.
Sadly, 30 percent of the 834,463 Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans treated at the Veterans Administration (VA) suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD also affects 10% of Gulf War Veterans and 30% of Vietnam Veterans...
...the VA chooses to continue treating veterans with pen strokes on a prescription pad... veterans find their cabinets overflowing with pill bottles that are often dangerous mixes of pricey addictive and mood-altering drugs.
Studies have proven that many suffering from PTSD greatly benefit from a service dog to help not only with the actual task oriented assistance, but also help a veteran cope with some of the emotional and biological effects of PTSD. Results have also shown that once many veterans started using service dogs, they were able to significantly reduce or eliminate a number of medications previously needed.
One needs, however, to consider the source of this, and all, unconditional love to truly enjoy it — for eternity! (Yes, I'm referring to John 3:16)
/fl