Table of Contents

Preface xvii

SECTION I—Adjustment to Killing 1

Exercise I.A Normal Reactions to Killing 2

Exercise I.B When Killing Is Necessary 6

SECTION II—Adjustment to the Military Culture 8

Exercise II.A How Did I Imagine My Life in the Military? 9

Exercise II.B All for One and One for All 12

SECTION III—Amputation, Loss of Mobility, Disfigurement 14

Exercise III.A Mourning and Acceptance 15

Exercise III.B What Makes Me Who I Am? 19

SECTION IV—Anger Management and Domestic Violence 21

Exercise IV.A Anger as a Drug 22

Exercise IV.B Being Who I Want to Be 25

SECTION V—Antisocial Behavior in the Military 28

Exercise V.A What Was I Thinking? 29

Exercise V.B Mentorship and Respect 32

SECTION VI—Anxiety 34

Exercise VI.A Action, Coping Skills, and Acceptance 35

Exercise VI.B Getting Away from Catastrophizing 39

SECTION VII—Attention and Concentration Deficits 41

Exercise VII.A Staying Focused 42

Exercise VII.B Structuring My Life 46

SECTION VIII—Bereavement Due to the Loss of a Comrade 49

Exercise VIII.A Commemorating Lost Friends and Family 50

Exercise VIII.B How Do I Want to Be Remembered? 54

SECTION IX—Borderline Personality 57

Exercise IX.A Am I Comparing My Insides with Other People’s Outsides? 58

Exercise IX.B I Can’t Believe Everything I Think 61

SECTION X—Brief Reactive Psychotic Episode 64

Exercise X.A Staying in Touch with Reality 65

Exercise X.B Reality Checks 69

SECTION XI—Chronic Pain after Injury 72

Exercise XI.A Alternative Methods for Managing Pain 73

Exercise XI.B Coping with Addiction and Chronic Pain 77

Exercise XI.C Helping Myself by Helping Others 81

SECTION XII—Combat and Operational Stress Reaction 84

Exercise XII.A Normal Reactions in Extreme Situations 85

Exercise XII.B Healthy Ways to Handle Stress Fast 89

SECTION XIII—Conflict with Comrades 92

Exercise XIII.A Communication and Conflict Management Skills 93

Exercise XIII.B Understanding Sources of Conflict 98

SECTION XIV—Depression 101

Exercise XIV.A Challenging Depressive Illusions 102

Exercise XIV.B From Acceptance to Appreciation 106

SECTION XV—Diversity Acceptance 109

Exercise XV.A Different People, Different Strengths 110

Exercise XV.B We’re More Alike than We Look:

Seeing Past the Surface 114

SECTION XVI—Financial Difficulties 117

Exercise XVI.A Money Management Skills 118

Exercise XVI.B Spending as a Drug 122

SECTION XVII—Homesickness/Loneliness 125

Exercise XVII.A Making the Best of Wherever I Am 126

Exercise XVII.B This, Too, Shall Pass: Taking It One Day at a Time 130

SECTION XVIII—Insomnia 133

Exercise XVIII.A Why Can’t I Sleep? 134

Exercise XVIII.B Sleep Management 138

SECTION XIX—Mild Traumatic Brain Injury 140

Exercise XIX.A Adapting to a Brain Injury 141

Exercise XIX.B Helping My Family and Friends Help Me 144

SECTION XX—Nightmares 147

Exercise XX.A What Are My Dreams Telling Me?

Keeping a Dream Journal 148

Exercise XX.B Avoiding and Coping with Nightmares 151

SECTION XXI—Opioid Dependence 154

Exercise XXI.A Near-Term and Long-Term Effects of Opioid

Dependence and Withdrawal 155

Exercise XXI.B Safe and Healthy Alternatives: Ways to Cope with Pain and Anxiety without Drugs 159

SECTION XXII—Panic/Agoraphobia 162

Exercise XXII.A Working with Fear 163

Exercise XXII.B Preventing Panic in Myself and Others 167

SECTION XXIII—Parenting Problems Related to Deployment 170

Exercise XXIII.A How Will I Explain This Deployment to My Children? 171

Exercise XXIII.B How Will I Stay in Touch with My Children? 175

SECTION XXIV—Performance-Enhancing Supplement Use 178

Exercise XXIV.A Near-Term and Long-Term Effects of Stimulant Dependence and Withdrawal 179

Exercise XXIV.B Near-Term and Long-Term Effects of Anabolic Steroid Dependence and Withdrawal 183

SECTION XXV—Phobia 186

Exercise XXV.A Useful and Useless Fear 187

Exercise XXV.B Understanding and Overcoming Phobias 191

SECTION XXVI—Physiological Stress Response—Acute 194

Exercise XXVI.A Quick Strategies for Coping with Intense Stress Response 195

Exercise XXVI.B Safe and Peaceful Place Meditation 199

SECTION XXVII—Post-Deployment Reintegration Problems 202

Exercise XXVII.A Why Am I Having Trouble Now? 203

Exercise XXVII.B What’s Different and How Will I Adapt? 207

SECTION XXVIII—Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) 209

Exercise XXVIII.A I Am a Survivor, Not a Victim—PTSD as Lifesaving Adaptation 210

Exercise XXVIII.B Identifying and Avoiding or Coping with PTSD Triggers 214

SECTION XXIX—Pre-Deployment Stress 217

Exercise XXIX.A Am I Ready for Deployment? 218

Exercise XXIX.B Helping My Family Prepare for My Deployment 222

SECTION XXX—Separation and Divorce 232

Exercise XXX.A Getting Through the Loss of a Relationship 233

Exercise XXX.B Avoiding Rebounds, Replays, and Resentments: Identifying and Changing Patterns that Aren’t Working 237

SECTION XXXI—Sexual Assault by Another Service Member 240

Exercise XXXI.A Taking Care of Myself Physically and Emotionally after a Sexual Assault 241

Exercise XXXI.B Healing and Claiming My Identity as a Survivor 245

SECTION XXXII—Shift Work Sleep Disorder 248

Exercise XXXII.A Alternative Sleep Scheduling 249

Exercise XXXII.B Establishing a Shift Work Sleep Environment 253

SECTION XXXIII—Social Discomfort 255

Exercise XXXIII.A Getting More Comfortable in Social Situations 256

Exercise XXXIII.B Finding a Social Niche and Friendships 260

SECTION XXXIV—Spiritual and Religious Issues 263

Exercise XXXIV.A Understanding Spirituality 264

Exercise XXXIV.B What Do I Believe In? 268

SECTION XXXV—Substance Abuse/Dependence 271

Exercise XXXV.A What Does Addiction Mean to Me? 272

Exercise XXXV.B Problem Identification 276

Exercise XXXV.C Personal Recovery Planning 279

SECTION XXXVI—Suicidal Ideation 284

Exercise XXXVI.A What Do I Have to Offer to Others? 285

Exercise XXXVI.B Finding Emotional Relief and Support 289

SECTION XXXVII—Survivor’s Guilt 292

Exercise XXXVII.A Corresponding with Fallen Friends 293

Exercise XXXVII.B Carrying the Legacy 297

SECTION XXXVIII—Tobacco Use 300

Exercise XXXVIII.A Avoiding Nicotine Relapse Triggers 301

Exercise XXXVIII.B Use of Affirmations for Change 304

Appendix : Additional Assignments for Presenting Problems 307

About the CD-ROM 316