THE NUMBERS
Up to 31% of veterans have PTSD (depending on their branch)
40% have difficulty transitioning back into society and 76% say it's overwhelmingly stressful!
Veterans make up 10% of the homeless population, and 35% of Veterans are on the verge of not being able to pay their bills
Veterans have a 57% chance higher rate of suicide than non service members
Over 150,000 Veterans have committed suicide since 2001- that's one every 64 minutes.
1 in 10 Veterans has been diagnosed with substance abuse and 2 in 6 is on psych meds
And ALL of these statistics stand, even though..
There are 50,000 nonprofits for Veterans in the United States
8 billion per year been spent since 2001 on funding for these nonprofits
BUT THE NUMBERS AREN'T CHANGING.
OUR APPROACH
Horses are exact mirrors of the horseman’s internal state. The horse shows us what we can’t see within ourselves, or what we may have seen and denied. We can then fix the problem and through the horse we are training see in real time how the changes we make affect the world around us!
Dogwood Veteran Project does not offer medications or "The Answer". We take a 360 degree approach- including healthy homegrown meals, daily exercise, meditation, breathwork, cold plunges, reading and journaling, good ole' fashion camaraderie, and learning about themselves through horses! Each day they will be presented with new obstacles to work through and overcome, learning about themselves more with each one. They will also learn how to recognize, address, and truly control their inner self and their life with the help of their horse. Then, the Veterans will work through trials with their horse, develop trust, and finally venture with their new friend through the mountains for two weeks as the biggest testament to themselves yet.
The only answer is for an individual to find the roots of their problems- acknowledge them, and work through them. Here at the Dogwood Veteran Project we help them through this daunting task, so they can then come out the other side a better person with wisdom and the drive to move forward in a healthy positive manner.