Larry R. Decker - The Alchemy of Combat: Transforming Trauma in Combat Veterans

Published by
Sulk Press, an imprint of
Omega Publications, Inc.
New Lebanon NY
www.omegapub.com

2014 Omega Publications Inc., Sulk Press
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of the publisher.

Cover design by Sandra Lillydahl
Cover image courtesy of Shutterstock.com
Statue of David by Michelangelo Buonarroti

Larry R. Decker (1941 )
The Alchemy of Combat:
Transforming Trauma in Combat Veterans
A Guide for Therapists, as Well as Family, Friends, Loved Ones,
Colleagues, and Others Who Care

Includes foreword, introduction, appendix, glossary
1.Decker, Larry R. 1941.
2. CombatPsychological Aspects 3. SoldiersPsychology
4. VeteransPsychology 5. VeteransMental Health
II. Title

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014949189

ISBN 978-1-941-81008-8

Praise forThe Alchemy of Combat

With wisdom, compassion and devotion, Larry Decker has been treating combat veterans of all wars from WWII to Afghanistan for three decades. In The Alchemy of Combat, he shares the gems for healing that he has distilled from this important work. Larry passes far beyond symptom reduction and civilian readjustment to map the path by which veterans can achieve a new identity and worldview, affirm the value of trauma, embrace full consciousness of their military history, and achieve a new level of spirituality that adheres to their highest ideals. The Alchemy of Combat is an important discourse on the value of trauma and its underlying spirituality, as well as an excellent how-to guidebook on practicing therapy with former combatants.

Edward Tick, Ph.D.
Author of War and the Soul and Warriors Return
Executive Director, Soldiers Heart, Inc.

The Alchemy of Combat is a must read for veterans, anyone working with veterans, or those who want to understand the combat experience and the emotional/spiritual injuries that can result. Ultimately, spiritual transformation heals all wounds, and Dr. Larry Decker clearly has dedicated his professional life to supporting this process in veterans, beautifully capturing the process in this book.

Dr. Keith Witt,
Author of Integral Mindfulness and Waking Up

I have been working with combat veterans and their loved ones since 1995. Although plenty of books have been published about helping families adjust to life after combat, this is the best book I have ever read that truly addresses the deepest levels of spiritual healing that warriors need. Importantly, The Alchemy of Combat provides clinicians with a skillful guide for how to walk with combat veterans and caregivers on this journey towards Posttraumatic Growth. Dr. Decker includes numerous case examples, which provide rare glimpses into the psyche of combat veterans from WWII to Afghanistan, along with his insightful interventions in response to their deep sharing. He then offers exercises that provide ways for clinicians and clients to develop their own abilities to grow and heal at different stages. The book is firmly grounded in theories that are incredibly rich and complex yet are presented in a manner that is straightforward and clear. Clinicians who are newer, as well as those experienced in holding the therapeutic space for wounded warriors, will learn how to increase their capacity to more effectively work with combat veterans from Dr. Deckers wise and compassionate guidance.

Kirsten Olson, Ph.D.
Clinical Psychologist Santa Barbara, California

As brave as the soldiers who risk their lives during battle, so are those therapists who accompany them as they attempt to heal from the traumas of war that rage on in their psyches long after combat has ended. For more than thirty years psychologist Larry Decker, Ph.D., has assisted veterans suffering from the ravages of PTSD depression, rage, shame, and substance abuse readjust to civilian life. But as he reveals in this compelling book, for those veterans who have braved death, the loss of friends, and extreme physical suffering, ordinary life is simply not enough. Through the deeply moving stories of veterans he has worked with over the years, Decker shows how ancient spiritual wisdom adds a vital missing dimension to conventional therapeutic techniques. Through this powerful alchemy, veterans are able to achieve post-traumatic growth by discovering what they most desperately yearn for: a renewed sense of purpose to equal what they felt in military service, and the gold of meaning concealed within the depths of their suffering. The Alchemy of Combat is must reading for every citizen who cares about the fate of Americas vets.

Pythia Peay
Psychology and spirituality journalist
Author of American Icarus: A Memoir of Father
and Country and America on the Couch:
Psychological Perspectives on American Politics and Culture

The Alchemy of Combat is a brilliant work showing how true healing for the combat veteran integrates compassion for others and oneself through spirituality and by helping to create the ideal self. I have known Dr. Decker for seventeen years while working for the Veterans Affairs Administration with combat veterans, and, at times, sharing clients. His treatment approach works. He has taken a very complex subject of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and made it intuitively easy to understand, whether you are the veteran, a family member, friend or a therapist who wants to gain more insight into the inner world of the combat veteran. He provides exercises that are easy to use and powerful. The veterans often say they think they have lost their soul. Dr. Deckers work helps guide them to their Posttraumatic Growth. He clearly explains how to use his method for growth and shows you how to help the veteran not only reintegrate back into the world, but shows ways to find purpose and the ability to again serve society.

Sharon L. Rapp, Ph.D
Clinical Psychologist Santa Barbara, California

The A LCHEMY of C OMBAT

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D EDICATION

You know who you are.
Warriors, therapists, relatives, friends, seekers
may you find your purpose and meaning.

List of Meditation Practices

Breath, Thought, and Prayer

Practices for Healing from Burnout: Four Elements

Anger Journals

Expressing positive feelings in words

Alternatives to anger

Grounding techniques

Relaxation practice: tense and relax