On the mend: Veteran finds healing through VA whole health programs
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- For 10 years after medically retiring from the Army, Bryan Ewers continually found himself in a dark place, his days overshadowed by post-traumatic stress disorder and the side effects of injuries suffered while serving as a combat engineer in Afghanistan.
Today, through his own determination and his local VA’s whole health programs, he’s a different man with a positive outlook, looking forward to every day.
“I didn’t predict any of the aftermath of post-traumatic stress, my combat experiences, my social experiences, and then my injuries,” Ewers said of his struggles since leaving active duty. “I spent a year and a half in a regional care facility doing intensive outpatient therapy, and after that, I came back to Cape Girardeau and had to find a place and had to find a vehicle.”
His struggles, Ewers noted, also strained his relationship with his family. “They’re not therapists and doctors, and I don’t want to wear on them with these medical concerns I have. They’ll always listen and help me out, but it started to wear on us in a way where we weren’t communicating very well”
Very bluntly, he said, “It’s a low depression when you can’t see out of it, when you have no motivation or interest. I wasn’t doing anything, and I felt like the walls were coming in on me at the house. I had to get my life in order.”
He came to the realization he needed to take the initiative to turn things around, and he made the voluntary choice to do so. After visiting a fall festival at the Cape Girardeau VA Health Care Center, Ewers decided to get reconnected with VA health care, and from that day, he’s been on a steady road to recovery.
“I had to reestablish all of my care, and that’s always a pain, especially when you’re a chronic pain patient, a mental health patient,” Ewers said. “Thankfully, from day 1 of coming to the new Cape Girardeau clinic, it’s been all positive.”
Ewers’ turn-around, he said, was sparked when he met VA nurses Trisha Fowler and Missi Recker and signed up for a couple of their whole health classes, which Fowler described as things to “try to bring people together and get engaged.” Each class offers something different, she said, “and we’re trying to do a variety to appeal to everyone. We want them find something to let them know we’re here, that we care, and get them engaged in their own journey. That is part of health care, and it’s the more wholistic, preventative way.”
Beginning in January, Ewers said, “I started coming here, and I got plugged in for a Tai Chi class and battlefield acupuncture.” In the months since, he’s also taken yoga, guitar, and oil painting classes.
“I’ve done a lot of yoga and that’s been good for me,” he noted, “and I just finished a 10-week oil painting class and a guitar class. Art class was awesome – I’d really not done that before.”
Art class, he said, was a safe space, and each time he started painting, he noticed he wasn’t focusing on his medical issues. In fact, he said, time flew by because he was so focused on creating his artwork.
“You don’t think art or laughter would be a good mental outlet, but when you’re laughing, are you thinking about pain,” Recker said. “When you’re painting and your mind is distracted by that, you’re relaxed.”
Ewers also noted the camaraderie with other Veterans in his classes has become one of the biggest factors in his personal growth and success. “Coming here and being able to socialize with Veterans and just trying to be positive, that’s the healing,” he said.
That bond between Veterans, Recker said, is something she enjoys seeing. “It’s not just one person doing something - it’s all of them helping each other,” she said. “It’s amazing to see people who don’t know each other come together and to see the change.”
Another benefit in Ewers’ eyes is some classes are held at the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri in downtown Cape Girardeau, and that makes him feel a closer connection to his community, something he treasures. “The other part is being part of my community. I’m a patriot and I love my country, I love my brothers and sisters in arms, and I think I’ll always have that service heart in mind.”
Now more than 7 months into his journey, Ewers is upbeat and positive about the direction of his life. “Really, I can’t say I’ve always wanted to live, but I can say that today,” he explained. “From 2014, when I was medically retired, this is the best traction I’ve had in my mental and physical health. It’s pretty awesome, and being able to say I’ve been doing all this stuff regularly makes me feel so good. I feel a lot better, and my relationship with my family is the best it’s been in years.”
Going forward, Ewers said, he’s excited to see what new whole health programs will be developed, and he fully intends to participate in them because he’s seen such value from the classes he’s been a part of.
And, after finding his own success, he hopes other Veterans will consider taking whole health classes. “If you are a Veteran, get plugged in to your local VA. Find out who the whole health coordinator is, and come in and try it. If you can give each class 6 weeks, that’s great,” he said.
No experience is needed to participate, he noted, and “there’s no threat. Plus, if you don’t like it, you don’t have to come back. However, I can almost guarantee, based on my experiences, that you’re going to feel all these other healing factors, such as the socialization with other Veterans all here to reach a common goal to live and to be happy and healthy.”
He does, however, caution it’s up to each Veteran to make the choice to help themselves. “The bottom line,” he said, “is you’ve got to put the work in - you’ve got to get in the door, and that’s really where the work starts. Your life’s going to change if you just put in a little bit of commitment.”
Fowler agreed, saying “It’s up to you to show up and do it. We’re doing offerings, but you have to show up and do your part. If it’s not your thing, at least you’re trying, and if you’re trying, you’re going to develop a routine, and that’s where you get results.”
For more information on whole health and other programs and services available at the Cape Girardeau VA Health Care Center, the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center, or any of its outpatient clinics, call 573-686-4151.