AFFILIATES
December 6, 2018
To Whom It May Concern,
Several years ago here in San Diego at a national convention for the Association of Surety Bond Producers (NASBP), I was honored to be the Keynote speaker. At the end of my keynote talk on leadership and the theme of "Making a Difference," I introduced to the audience a former US Army soldier/warrior who had been experiencing chronic nightmares following multiple combat torus in Afghanistan. These nightmares were so debilitating that he had been at the end of his rope. He was not an experienced speaker, but he spoke vividly and candidly about what had happened to him in Afghanistan and the PTSD he experienced as a result. He then talked about Dr. Frank Bourke coming to San Diego to expose the soldier to what was then experimental PTSD treatment. After three consecutive one-and-half-hour sessions, and (most notably) without the use of any drugs, stimulants or depressants of any kind, he was able to talk of the experiences without the emotion. His life had significantly changed for the better. There was not a dry eye in the audience when he finished speaking!
Since that time, the Research and Recognition group has conducted clinically-documented treatment of over 160 warriors who suffered from the chronic nightmares of PTSD with a success rate of well over 90%. The protocol Dr. Bourke and his team use is called Reconsolidation of Traumatic Memories (RTM). Dr. Bourke and his team have recently trained over 30 mental health clinicians in the RTM protocol and they are now treating and training many others.
There are many hundreds of thousands of veterans and first responders suffering from PTSD. The families suffer along with them. Tragically, each day more than 20 on average commit suicide, including many in large military population centers like here in southern California. I can only hope that the Veterans Administration (VA) and others will totally embrace this successful protocol. It is past time and long overdue.
Please let me know how I can assist.
Sincerely,
Vice Admiral David H. Buss, US Navy, Retired