Chaplains are often the first stop of support for service members wrestling with moral and spiritual uncertainties stemming from the stress of serving in a combat environment, domestic difficulties surrounding deployment, and psychological health concerns such as posttraumatic stress disorder, depression and substance abuse. There seems to be less of a stigma associated with seeking the counsel of a chaplain, who also may be viewed as more ap­proachable, than engaging in formal avenues of psychological health care. For some, the only assistance that feels right during stressful times is spiritual support that’s completely confidential between service member and chaplain.

The Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE) Chaplain Working Group, consisting of military and Department of Veterans Affairs’ chaplains, is a spiritually-focused forum on deployment-related challenges. It’s an opportunity for the participants to collaborate effectively with each other regarding the psychological health issues they experience with service members. The group meets via teleconference every other month.

During its last meeting, Dr. Peter Levine, director of The Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute, presented on “Somatic Experiencing: A Naturalistic Approach to the Healing of Trauma.” “Somatic experiencing,” characterized by Levine as a body awareness approach to trauma, is based on his realization that human beings have a natural ability to overcome the effects of trauma and stress.

“Trauma does not have to be a life sentence,” said Levine. “If we look to how the body responds to healing itself in times of stress, we (know we) can heal.”

Levine related how traumatic stress affects the body in the physical reactions of fight, flight, freeze and collapse. Since trauma is often thought of as a psychological concern, the understanding that trauma also happens to the body is often missing from the discussion. According to Levine, addressing trauma through body awareness is necessary for resolution and a required step before addressing emotional and cognitive issues. The goal of somatic experiencing is for patients to restore self-regulation in order to gain a renewed sense of wholeness.

Levine explained one technique caregivers can use with trauma-stricken patients. They should create a “container,” a non-judgmental zone where patients can speak freely about the trauma and not be afraid of reliving their experience. Dr. Levine’s website explains more about his approach and strategies.

The Chaplain Working Group supports and reinforces skills chaplains already possess and underscores the role of spirituality for many service members. Spirituality is one of the eight domains of Total Force Fitness, a Defense Department initiative to promote optimal well-being for service members and their families. Within the spirituality framework, service members strive to enrich their spiritual fitness and often look to their chaplain for guidance to help them cope with deployments, combat-related stress or moral confusion.

“In the midst of conflict and even combat, one’s spiritual foundation may provide the only ‘safe haven’ for respite during demanding and possibly even life-threatening circumstances,” said Dr. Jeffery E. Rhodes, DCoE Chaplain Working Group co-leader.

Working to integrate experience and knowledge of spiritual care with the psychological health of service members puts chaplains in the forefront of serving those who serve our country.

The next DCoE Chaplain Working Group is July 10, and will feature the special concerns of reservists as seen through the care of a reservist chaplain. For more information, contact Dr. Jeffrey E. Rhodes.