Waking Up From War: A Better Way Home For Veterans And Nations, by Joseph Bobrow, founding director of Coming Home, tells the stories of our veteran, families and care providers and documents our proven non-denominational model for creating optimal environments for healing and learning that transform war trauma.
A Forward From the Dalai Lama
In Waking Up From War, foreword by H.H. The Dalai Lama, Joseph Bobrow presents the voices and stories of veterans, their families, and their care providers, revealing what is necessary for postwar healing.
War creates incalculable suffering—not only among those on the front lines, but also among those left behind. For every service member killed or injured on the battlefield, countless others are affected—particularly relatives and friends— often in isolation and silence. Even after a war has ended, its scars extend beyond individual veterans and their families and cascade into communities, affecting future generations. As a nation, we must therefore do everything we can to repair the injuries caused by war, whether physical, emotional, or moral, both for those who served in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere, and for ourselves. Waking Up from War demonstrates, through the words and stories of veterans, their families, and their care providers, how this healing can be accomplished, and where and why it sometimes fails. It further argues that the elements that contribute to healing war trauma—safety, connection, community, dialogue, mutual respect, diversity, and compassion—can help us build a stronger nation. But this message comes with a warning—and a challenge—not just for caregivers, veterans service organizations, governmental departments, Congress, and the White House, but also for all Americans: Until we face the truth of war and its dreadful human costs, we will not provide the best care for our veterans. And only once we as a nation provide the top-quality care our veterans deserve, will we be able to begin to end our reliance on war and truly build a reliable peace.
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REVIEWS
"The costs of war are so great that we just have to find ways to resolve our differences that do not involve killing one another.' The speaker is not the Dalai Lama or the Pope or Dr. King. He is Major General Mike Myatt, USMC, speaking over the serried graves of 30,000 American warriors in the San Francisco National Cemetery. He is speaking the truth as only a warrior can understand it. In Waking Up From War, Joseph Bobrow stuns us with that truth revealed, often through the words of warriors, in ways we cannot fail to grasp, to grieve over, and to lament our failure to deal with. Read this book and begin to understand a great deal about how we are neglecting our men and women veterans, about what is wrong today in America, and most vitally, about how to change for the better both situations."
-- Lawrence Wilkerson, Colonel (Retired), US Army, Former Chief of Staff for Gen. Colin Powell.
"Joseph Bobrow combines psychology, Zen Buddhism, years of experience as the founder and leader of the Coming Home Project, and a wise and understanding heart, to write what I am sure will become a classic text on how to bring our warriors home and back into community. I often use his idea of turning ghosts into ancestors when talking with veterans and their families - and it hits home every time. This book hits home page after page."
-- Karl Marlantes, Best-selling Author, What It Is Like To Go To War, Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War, decorated Marine Corps veteran.
"Dr Joe Bobrow is a true American hero. He's worked tirelessly to support our community through the hardest times and the toughest spots. He overflows with wisdom and has been a real leader. His dedication, innovative approach and compassion serve as an example and an inspiration to people worldwide. His words should be a wake up call for anyone who cares about the future of our country."
--Paul Rieckhoff, Founders and CEO, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), Author of Chasing Ghosts.
"A practitioner of diverse palliative arts considers the towering problem of war-inflicted trauma on military members, their families, and the community…Bobrow is a psychoanalyst and a Zen master who writes a truly heartfelt indictment against a system that inflicts such grievous harm on those it sends to war while most at home have little or nothing at stake…A sincere, prescriptive text on a vital subject…"
--Kirkus Reviews
"In this poetic guide, Joe Bobrow uniquely combines Western psychoanalysis and Eastern Zen Buddhism to create a practical and holistic approach to helping veterans and their families recover from war-zone trauma. I like Joe's ideas, but I love his heart. His deep compassion for the warrior and respect for the warrior ethos are written on every page."
--Bill Nash, MD, Former head of US Marine Corps Combat and Operational Stress Control programs.
Joseph Bobrow has captured the soul of the young Americans who go to war to defend our freedoms. His book tells the story of the Coming Home Project as it shepherds our veterans back into their communities and families, and goes beyond usual approaches to support and nourish their deepest experience.
--Stephen N. Xenakis, M.D. Brigadier General (Ret)
"A candid account of deep pain and great healing, Waking Up From War is something we can all learn from. Profound common-sense wisdom shines through this chronicle of war and recovery. This vital understanding is applicable to so many of the varieties of pain we face today. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wishes to see our human situation more clearly and more compassionately."
--Sharon Salzberg, Author, Lovingkindness, Real Happiness.
Waking Up From War is a 'must read' not only for mental health professionals treating our veterans and their families, but for all of us. Bobrow's emphasis on the need for an accepting and compassionate culture that will truly listen to the moral suffering of our veterans is profoundly important."
--Judith Broder, MD, Founder, The Soldier's Project.
"Bravo! Waking Up from War says what needs to be said, and does so with intelligence and compassion. It is both a compelling critique of our nation's involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a no-holds-barred exposé of how we've betrayed those we send in harm's way. Dr. Bobrow's Coming Home Project has made a huge difference for many veterans and their families. This book tells the story of that journey as it trenchantly addresses our collective ambivalence about war and its resultant impact on war's survivors."
--John Briere, Ph.D. Co-Author, Principles of Trauma Therapy, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology, USC Medical School.