Deployment Psychology Blog

Staff Perspective: Should I Be Teaching Veterans to Meditate?

Andrew Santanello, Psy.D.

It’s Wednesday afternoon, and I’m sitting, cross-legged, on a meditation cushion in the dayroom at a Veteran’s hospital. There are 13 Veterans sitting around the room; some of them are outpatients and some of them are participants in a residential PTSD program. Some of them are sitting on cushions, but most of them are in chairs. Another psychologist and a few psychology interns are there, too. We are all sitting in silence. About seven minutes into the final period of practice in our mindfulness group, the thought that I knew was coming finally presents itself, front and center, in my mind.

Guest Perspective: Solving Problems Can Enhance Resilience and Improve Adjustment

While conducting workshops for decades around the world for many different types of individuals, both professionals and laypeople, the answer to the question I frequently pose to attendees—“Who here had a week recently devoid of problems?” leads consistently to an absence of raised hands. We all have problems—some small, and unfortunately at times, some being quite overwhelming. Based on this common sense consensus, we would all further agree that it is not abnormal or unusual to have problems. 

CDP News: Apr. 1, 2016

Welcome to this week’s edition of CDP News! We like to use this space to review recent happenings in and around the Center for Deployment Psychology, while also looking ahead to upcoming events. April is shaping up to be another busy month for us!

Research Update: Mar. 31, 2016

The CDP's weekly research update contains the latest news, journal articles and useful links from around the web. Some of this week's topics include:

● Where Do Soldiers Really Come From? A Faculty Development Workshop on Veteran Centered Care.
● Sleep, Sleep Disorders, and Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. What We Know and What We Need to Know: Findings from a National Working Group.

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