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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 21, 2019)
COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL | WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2019 | 11A Vets from A1 landing zone, McHenry found his friend had died. In the aftermath, McHen- ry blamed himself. “There was the world of blame, shame, fault, guilt, burden,” he said. “Nobody ever said that to me, but I came off there feeling less and that I should’ve died – and the guilt of me living and them dying and me not doing better so more of them could live or at least have their limbs.” Military psychologists prescribed him pills for his mental pain, but McHen- ry still had restless nights, random adrenaline rushes and was startled by loud noises. Then he was introduced to a personal development training program, in which McHenry found a new way to address his pain. “And I got freed up from it — but I never talked about my stuff to anybody other than the psychologist in the military,” he said. Intrigued by the meth- od’s effi cacy, McHenry explored neuroscience and JUST REDUCED! $280,000 psychology. He spoke with professionals in the fi eld who said there was a trend in the industry away from mainstream prescriptions which asked trauma vic- tims face their problems directly. McHenry spent a de- cade as a forum leader in the Landmark Forum, a company offering per- sonal growth courses. In his worldwide travels, he noticed that many people were resistant to reliving their traumatic events. “So, I told them, ‘You don’t have to,’” he said. “I never said a word about my combat. I never spoke about it, but the symptoms went away. And I actu- ally got to the source of why they went away, and that’s what the workshop’s about.” With Landmark’s per- mission, McHenry has incorporated many of the company’s teachings into Operation Veteran Free- dom. During the work- shop, attendees are told that the source of much of their pain is derived from the narratives they have created for themselves. “Neuroscientists will say the number one job of the brain is to survive life,” McHenry said, “but their brain does not care wheth- er they are happy or sad.” In our natural incli- nation to ascribe reason and meaning to the world around us, McHenry said, narratives form that tend to be reinforced through pat- tern seeking. “The workshop is about giving people the access to really see that and then creating a new narrative in such a way that they’re freed up,” said McHen- ry. “In the course, all of a sudden they see something they haven’t seen before. And then there’s an ex- treme amount of freedom.” McHenry said that part of the modern problem in dealing with people who experience trauma is that they are told they are vic- tims and must live with that as part of their identity. The workshop provides an alternative. “They’re really starting to see that reliving it is not the access,” he said. “And then there’s the possibility to create something new.” The key words, McHen- ry said, are empowerment, freedom and peace. “This is about being freed up and rewriting your script or your narrative in such a way that you’re the author and you get to say how your life goes,” he said. Workshop attendee Lin- da Diaz volunteered to discuss her pain publicly during McHenry’s all-day course in Cottage Grove. Diaz had been in a rocky marriage with a veteran who suffered from PTSD, but much of Diaz’s pain was traced back to her re- lationship with her mother, who she said had made her feel unloved since an ear- ly age. While she stood in front of the audience, McHenry asked the room to raise their hand if they thought Diaz was unlov- able. “I was terrifi ed to look,” Diaz said. “I thought at least fi ve people would raise their hand … but nobody thought I was un- lovable, which really sur- prised me.” Through the course of the day, Diaz said she found the experience transforma- tional, learning to allow normally stress-inducing thoughts to pass through her, free of judgement. “It was just really perfect timing for me because I was going through serious trauma myself,” she said. “I am erasing my old story and becoming the author of my new life. I’ve had wonderful, empowering dreams. … It is like learn- ing to ride a bicycle. Wob- bly at fi rst, but each day I feel a little bit stronger.” Transformations like this are potential lifesavers for a community of veterans in which 22 per day are esti- mated to commit suicide in the U.S. “That’s why we want- ed this workshop,” said McHenry. “That’s why I’m committed to veterans. I want them to be free.” Operation Veteran Free- dom is scheduled to return to Cottage Grove on Oct. 25 and 26. More informa- tion can be found at www. na2evs.org. up the process of returning water to the whole city if water pipes break, but may also prove to greatly in- crease the chances that the city has the water supply to fight heavy fires. Whatever the challenges ahead for Cottage Grove, vigilance will play a central role in overcoming them. Meyers worries about that vigilance waning. “I’m afraid of nothing happening,” said Mey- ers. “Because if nothing happens, we get lax. And complacent. And we don’t prepare. That’s the most fearful thing.” Lane County officials, too, recognize the value in attentively evolving with each disaster cycle. “We’ll never be ready,” said county Emergency Manager Patence Win- ningham. “Every event makes us stronger as a ju- risdiction. We always have lessons learned and we al- ways identify areas of im- provement and we try to improve upon them. “And those continue to make us more resilient.” Lindy Magallanes & Amanda Mojarro Lic # 201231650/201231646 Lindy.Magallanes @Century21.com Threat from A9 541.517.1807 c21nuggetrealty.com Each office is individually owned and operated. sources will not only speed Public Notices The Lowest Rates in Lane County Cottage Grove Treasure! 1400 Edison Ave This striking corner lot, 3 bedroom, 2 ½ bath approx. 2,474 sq. ft home is an ideal personal residence or investment property. It’s nestled in a quiet neighborhood, just a few blocks from schools, downtown & the scenic river pathway. 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Box 547 Cottage Grove, OR A Proud Supporter of Our Community Since 1983 Published weekly in the Cottage Grove Sentinel and online at cgsentinel.com S entinel C ottage G rove A proud sponsor for the Kids Summer Reading Program w w w. s t a r f i r e l u m b e r. c o m Contact: Meg Fringer 541-942-3325 x1200 mfringer@cgsentinel.com SUMMER Tune-Up We’ll make sure your system is running eff ectively and effi ciently. Call for details and an appointment today, and beat the spring rush! Only $99* Complete Heating & Cooling System Service Reasonable Rates • All Work Guaranteed What’s Rotary? We focus our time, energy, and efforts on service projects encompassing: Local Projects: High School Scholarships, Bike Helmets for Lincoln Middle School, Literacy, Aquatic Center Mural, downtown Bike Lockers and Playground Equipment for Coiner Park Global Projects: Thai Library Project, Clean Water in Central America Become a member today. Rotary Club of Cottage Grove Meet every Thursday at Noon at Stacy’s Covered Bridge Restaurant. Contact Karol Kuhn Simons rotary424cg@gmail.com Service Above Self
