Lily Casura

Life is a Journey Sometimes Walked in Light, Sometimes in Shadow

Thumbnail image for Life is a Journey Sometimes Walked in Light, Sometimes in Shadow by Lily Casura December 28, 2011

The book, “Keep Going: The Art of Perseverance,” by Native American writer Joseph M. Marshall III, opens with an extended monologue by the spiritual Lakota Sioux grandfather to his grandson, attempting to help him deal with loss. Here’s part of what he says: “In life there is sadness as well as joy, losing as well [...]

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Writing and Trauma: Freeing Yourself From The Pain In Your Soul

Thumbnail image for Writing and Trauma: Freeing Yourself From The Pain In Your Soul by Lily Casura June 15, 2011

Everyone who writes, it’s safe to say, has different reasons for writing. “Every writer primarily writes for the back of his own head,” says British author Jonathan Raban. But when it comes to trauma, one of the key reasons people write — or more informally, journal — is to attempt to make sense of their [...]

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Sometimes You Have to Choose to Love — A Love Story after PTSD

Thumbnail image for Sometimes You Have to Choose to Love — A Love Story after PTSD by Lily Casura February 16, 2011

Into the dearth of “good news” about combat veterans with PTSD and their partners comes the remarkable love story of Josh and Helen, who met and fell in love AFTER his service, his suicide attempts, and his PTSD diagnosis. While PTSD can seem like the “third partner” in a relationship — the ever-present elephant in [...]

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When “Luck” Doesn’t Seem So “Lucky” After All: Coping with Survivors’ Guilt

Thumbnail image for When “Luck” Doesn’t Seem So “Lucky” After All: Coping with Survivors’ Guilt by Lily Casura January 19, 2011

Survivors’ guilt, at its most basic, is about coming to terms with the very arbitrary nature of luck/fortune/chance. Some tragedies in life pass by us; others touch us directly. Woody Allen had an old joke, when someone asked him if he’d like to achieve immortality through his work. No, he said, “I’d like to achieve [...]

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Too Tough to Heal: Is That Your Identity?

Thumbnail image for Too Tough to Heal: Is That Your Identity? by Lily Casura January 18, 2011

Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right. Henry Ford There’s an old-ish Don Henley song where he asks, “How Bad Do You Want it?” And though he was singing about sex, the topic could just as easily be healing, when that question is on the table. (Even Jesus was [...]

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For the Combat Veteran with PTSD, Heavy Drinking Doesn’t Help

Thumbnail image for For the Combat Veteran with PTSD, Heavy Drinking Doesn’t Help by Lily Casura December 16, 2010

The source of the following material may surprise you: “Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?” None other than the book of Proverbs, a staple in the Judeo-Christian wisdom literature, which goes on to warn about the perils of drinking too much: [...]

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The Greatest Generation: A Silent Struggle — with Suicide

Thumbnail image for The Greatest Generation:  A Silent Struggle — with Suicide by Lily Casura November 17, 2010

Aaron Glantz, the author of The War Comes Home is one of a handful of reporters uniformly worth reading when it comes to war and veterans issues. Lately Glantz has particularly been on a roll, with his new gig at The Bay Citizen, which produces the San Francisco/Bay Area content for the New York Times. [...]

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Welcoming our veterans home – finally

Thumbnail image for Welcoming our veterans home – finally by Lily Casura November 3, 2010

With Veteran’s Day approaching, it’s time to think about an often-neglected theme, which is the “Welcome Home” that many veterans never had. The Vietnam veterans, who fought, died, and suffered — not only on the battlefields of Southeast Asia, but also here at home. Talk to any group of Vietnam veterans, or even singly, and [...]

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VetWow’s Short Podcasts for MST Survivors, Friends and Family

Thumbnail image for VetWow’s Short Podcasts for MST Survivors, Friends and Family by Lily Casura October 6, 2010

Susan Avila Smith Military Sexual Trauma, like PTSD another “invisible wound,” is unfortunately more prevalent in the military than we would want to believe, though little discussed officially. It’s different though when combatants get together who have experienced it. Among female service members in particular, it is all too often a common experience; and whether [...]

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Trust Betrayed: Sexual Assault in the Military

Thumbnail image for Trust Betrayed: Sexual Assault in the Military by Lily Casura September 29, 2010

“Military sexual trauma (“MST”) is the term that the Department of Veterans Affairs uses to refer to sexual assault or repeated, unsolicited, threating acts of sexual harassment — that occurred while the veteran was in the military.” Some comments to orient you, the reader, to what MST survivors go through/think like: * “While in (the [...]

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