Accept personal responsibility for our lives. We cannot change the past, but we can change what we do today. Choose to forgive those who hurt us, and choose to forgive ourselves. Forgiveness is a choice, not a feeling. Grieve for those we left behind, and ask for God's strength to give up wishes for revenge.
Healing comes from helping.
Veterans who recover best help other veterans and suffering people, just as all of you do in VietNow. Healing comes from feeding and clothing homeless veterans on the streets, from talking to and going to the home of a veteran who is having a hard time and listening to him, from volunteering for a stand-down, and from going to The Wall with other veterans. Below, Dr. Janet Kamer presents the first in a series of ideas you can use in your fight against Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Our first step is to accept the fact that we have become powerless to live meaningful lives. Some of us have become powerless over the continuing wish to gain revenge over those sudden impulses to hurt those who cross us or unsuspectingly annoy us.