Richard C. Miller - The iRest Program for Healing PTSD

Richard C. Miller, PhD, is a clinical psychologist, author, researcher, scholar, and meditation teacher. For over forty years, he has devoted his life and work to integrating the teachings of Yoga, Tantra, Advaita, Taoism, and Buddhism with Western psychology. Miller is founding president of the Integrative Restoration Institute and cofounder of the International Association of Yoga Therapists. He was a founding member and past president of the Institute for Spirituality and Psychology, and serves as a senior advisor to the Baumann Foundation.

Foreword writer Eric B. Schoomaker, MD, PhD, is a retired US Lieutenant General, as well as former US Army Surgeon General and Commanding General of the US Army Medical Command. He is an internal medicine physician with a PhD in human genetics. While in uniform, he held many assignments, including command of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC, the Armys Medical Research and Materiel Command at Fort Detrick, MD, an Army academic medical center, a community hospital, deployable medical brigade, and two Army regional medical commands. Schoomaker is the recipient of numerous military awards, including those from France and Germany, the 2012 Dr. Nathan Davis Award from the American Medical Association for outstanding government service, and an Honorary Doctor of Science from Wake Forest University.

Foreword writer Audrey Schoomaker, RN, is project coordinator for a research study in therapeutic yoga for the Defense and Veterans Center for Integrative Pain Management. She is an experienced yoga instructor with diverse experience in the field of healing as an Army nurse, nurse educator, and certified mind-body medicine practitioner.

Richard Miller combines modern science and ancient yogic practices to give us a research-based, practical program for healing trauma. I highly recommend this comprehensive, heartfelt, and helpful book.

Rick Hanson, PhD, author of Buddhas Brain

For six years, I taught iRest meditation at Walter Reed Army Medical Center with active duty service members suffering from acute post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Despite my students initial skepticism about a meditation-based approach, I witnessed enormous, life changing improvements in their mental and physical health as they practiced the iRest protocol during their three-week treatment program. Millers book clearly articulates the fascinating theory and powerful methodology of iRest meditation for healing PTSD. iRest is a culture-neutral, trauma-sensitive, and evidence-based modality that I cant recommend highly enough for treating trauma-related conditions.

Robin Carnes, MBA, certified yoga and iRest meditation instructor

This is a very important book, to say the least. More and more, we are learning in the West that meditative practices from the East have a deep and profound ability to heal the darkest and most painful aspects of our human experience. Richard Miller is leading the way in bringing these practices into the mainstream in an easy-to-understand and experiential way. Very highly recommended.

Scott Kiloby, author of Natural Rest for Addiction

Richard Miller integrates Eastern and Western philosophies for modern trauma therapy. The protocols are written in accessible language to provide tools for professionals, as well as peace of mind for those experiencing PTSD. Miller opens the way for health, healing, and well-being.

Mary Ellen Rose, yoga and meditation instructor at Laurel Ridge Treatment Center, Mission Resiliency Unit, San Antonio, TX

Richard Miller is an exceptionally skilled practitioner-teacher of both psychotherapy and yoga. His iRest program is a powerful synthesis of both traditions that has proven effective in helping and healing diverse groups of people.

Roger Walsh, MD, PhD, author of Essential Spirituality

Richard Millers book is the fruit of his lifelong dedication to serve those with PTSD. This book is like having the most loving and compassionate friend with you every step of the way toward complete healing.

Swami Dayananda, integral hatha yoga teacher and trainer, as well as director of LOTUS Center for All Faiths

Richards teachings and the practice of iRest offer practitioners the heart of true healing. iRest uncovers the part of you that is untouched by trauma, the part of you that is whole, healthy, and completejust as it is. I have personally witnessed iRest help thousands of service members, veterans, and military families discover meaning in their traumatic experiences.

Molly Birkholm, cofounder of Warriors at Ease and founder of Healing River Yoga

Richard Millers The iRest Program for Healing PTSD is an engaging and interactive program for dealing with the underlying issues of PTSD, and not the just the symptoms. Practice and process for healing yourselfwhat a gift.

Lee Rodrigues, MA

What an offering Richard C. Miller has given us! The iRest Program for Healing PTSD presents ancient wisdom in an engaging, user-friendly way, and shows how to return to wholeness after being traumatized. This book is the perfect guide to help readers effectively release trauma and recover from PTSD. I highly recommend it.

James Baraz, coauthor of Awakening Joy and cofounder of Spirit Rock Meditation Center

I am grateful for the wisdom of this work and the depth of its practical application. There are useable tools and resources to act as a resilience inoculation to better prepare our military for the challenges they will face, as well as proven and researched practices to assist veterans and their families through the trials and phases of transition from military service. Thank you Richard C. Miller, for your generosity of spirit and for showing us a way forward.

John Henry Parker, behavioral assessment analyst and team development consultant in the field of personal, professional and transformational development, and cofounder of Purple Star Veterans and Families, a non-profit organization providing transition resources to veterans and their immediate and extended family members

Anyone with a willingness to improve their life can greatly benefit from the powerful pages masterfully written in this book. Richard C. Miller carefully and very clearly lays out a map of tools, techniques, and inner resources that allows us to rediscover the truth of [who] we are; identify and reframe the limiting thoughts, beliefs, and emotions that can keep us stuck; and teach us the self-care skills required to better navigate the obstacles of our journey.

Whether dealing with new life challenges and situations, or the tender scars of old wounds, iRest teaches us to cultivate deeper levels of health, acceptance, awareness, and a greater relationship with ourselves and the world around us. iRest has been instrumental in my own recovery and transition from combat to community, and it is my great hope that through this book, you too will allow Miller to guide you down the path of well-being, to enable you to create a new intention and direction for yourself, and ultimately provide you with the skills and action steps necessary to build your most beautiful life.

Adam McCabe, USMC/OIF 1,OIF 2, veteran advocate, and founding member and director of the Huts for Vets program in Aspen, CO

Richard C. Miller articulates with c larity and simplicity an ancient and powerful practice for healing the effects of trauma, insomnia, anxiety, and chronic pain. The practices he presents are easy to follow and integrate into daily living as tools for self-healing. The transformative potential of iRest is made readily accessible through application of the method described so clearly in this book. Having taught this practice to over 2,000 veterans in the Washington, DC Department of Veterans Affairs, I have observed first-hand the potential of iRest in bringing deep rest and relaxationas well as restoring a sense of well-being and resiliencyinto the lives of veterans.