Westlund - Field exercises: how veterans are healing themselves through farming and outdoor activities

Praise for Field Exercises

Anyone with the desire to truly understand not only the impact that the stress of being in service has had on veterans but the incredible transformational impact being in nature has on healing them should read this book. In truth though, everyone can benefit from reading Field Exercises, as it is rich with wisdom and information that can reconnect all of us back to our nature as beings who are deeply connected to the earth.

Eva Selhub, MD Specialist in Mind-Body Medicine, Inspiration Teacher and Resiliency Coach. Author, The Love Response and Your Brain on Nature. Instructor in Medicine Harvard Medical School, Clinical Associate Massachusetts General Hospital

Field Exercises is an not only an outstanding synthesis of state of the art research concerning natural environments and human-animal bonds - it is brought to life by its reflection off the emotionally raw, deeply moving accounts of veterans. The result of this combination, guided by the beautiful writing style of Dr. Westlund and the poignant, intelligent, experience-based words of veterans, is a call to action. If we want to Support our Troops, we should listen to them. Field Exercises makes it clear that they have much to teach all of us concerning social capital, resilience, sustainability, biodiversity, physical activity, mindfulness, and how these and other factors intersect with ecosystem services and the global metal health crisis.

Alan C. Logan, co-author, Your Brain on Nature

If we are right, the current wave of veterans coming home from war and entering into Agriculture will only continue to grow. When it does, then Field Exercises will have been one of the first looks at the complicated mix of motivations that have called veterans to serve their country again as farmers.

Michael OGorman, Founder and Director, Farmer Veteran Coalition

The almost constant combat since 9/11 has taken a substantial toll on many of the men and women who have served their nation with selfless dedication. In her book, Field Exercises, Stephanie Westlund has done a wonderful job of capturing the intensely personal battles some veterans continue to fight upon their return home, while simultaneously shining a light on the transformative power that nature can have for those willing to embrace it. Her thoroughly-researched book builds a powerful case for continuing to explore alternative nature-based activities as part of a broader effort to support veterans as they search to find peace at home as a result of conflict in far-off lands.

Chad Spangler, National Director, Outward Bound Veterans

Copyright 2014 by Stephanie Westlund. All rights reserved.

Cover design by Diane McIntosh. Cover photos: top left: CVAF Rafting Trip, 2009, Inside Out Experience (insideoutexperience.com); top right: Harvesting Carrots at Growing Veterans, 2013, Nick Gonzales (NickGphotos.com); center:

Trail Ride, 2010, Christian McEachern; bottom: Picking Tomatoes at Growing Veterans, 2013, Nick Gonzales (NickGphotos.com), back cover: Christian McEachern and his horse Sozo, 2010; Marcie Rae Thompson.

First printing June 2014.

This book is intended for informational purposes only, and does not constitute a substitute for medical or psychiatric advice. Neither the publisher nor the author accepts any responsibility for the outcomes of any activities carried out by anyone else as a result, direct or indirect, of reading this book.

New Society Publishers acknowledges the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund (CBF) for our publishing activities.

Inquiries regarding requests to reprint all or part of Field Exercises should be addressed to New Society Publishers at the address below.

To order directly from the publishers, please call toll-free (North America) 1-800-567-6772, or order online at www.newsociety.com

Any other inquiries can be directed by mail to:

New Society Publishers

P.O. Box 189, Gabriola Island, BC V0R 1X0, Canada

(250) 247-9737

LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA CATALOGUING IN PUBLICATION

Westlund, Stephanie, author

Field exercises : how veterans are healing themselves through farming and outdoor activities / Stephanie Westlund.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Issued in print and electronic formats.

ISBN 978-0-86571-761-9 (pbk.).ISBN 978-1-55092-556-2 (ebook)

1. Post-traumatic stress disorderAlternative treatment. 2. VeteransMental health. 3. Nature, Healing power of. 4. AgricultureTherapeutic use. 5. GardeningTherapeutic use. 6. Outdoor recreationTherapeutic use. I. Title.

New Society Publishers mission is to publish books that contribute in fundamental ways to building an ecologically sustainable and just society, and to do so with the least possible impact on the environment, in a manner that models this vision. We are committed to doing this not just through education, but through action. The interior pages of our bound books are printed on Forest Stewardship Council-registered acid-free paper that is 100% postconsumer recycled (100% old growth forest-free), processed chlorine-free, and printed with vegetable-based, low-VOC inks, with covers produced using FSC-registered stock. New Society also works to reduce its carbon footprint, and purchases carbon offsets based on an annual audit to ensure a carbon neutral footprint. For further information, or to browse our full list of books and purchase securely, visit our website at: www.newsociety.com

For all who suffer, and for the fallen and their families.

CONTENTS

A book such as this requires time and effort from so many people, and its impossible to express the extent of my gratitude to all who have been involved. First and foremost, thank you to those whose stories are contained herein: Christian McEachern, Deston Denniston, Penny Dex, Shepherd Bliss, Nathan Lewis, Christopher Brown, Gordon Cousins, Steve Critchley and Jim Marland. I am humbled by your trust in me, and you have my utmost respect for the work you do every day. On days when writing this book seemed to be an impossible task, I drew inspiration from you and from knowing that your stories matter to the world. You have taught me so much. To all the others who graciously gave their time to be interviewed, thank you. And my appreciation to Michael Parmeley for granting permission to include his poem.

Deston Denniston gets all the credit for the main Field Exercises titleand thank you to all others who gave their thoughts and advice. Thank you, too, to Inside Out Experience, Christian McEachern, Nick Gonzales and Growing Veterans for the cover photos, and to the photographers who generously donated the photos for the book chapters.

To the New Society team, thank you for your enthusiasm and for working with me to make this book a realityespecially Ingrid Witvoet, Sue Custance and EJ Hurst for responding tirelessly to all my questions through the process. And my full gratitude to my editor Betsy Nuse for her thoughtful and sensitive edits and advice.

To my early readers Audrey Smith, Jackie Seidel and Scott Westlund, I truly appreciated your time, honesty and suggestions. And to Deston, Christian, Penny, Shepherd, Nathan, Gordon, Christopher, Steve and Jim, for taking the time to carefully review your own chapters, thank you.