This Veteran’s Day, we are revisiting a powerful story that we filmed during our first year of production on CRAZYWISE. It was Adam who introduced us to Ron.
Adam and Ron first became friends in high school. After graduation, Ron joined the Army, became fluent in Arabic and was sent to Iraq as an interrogator. When they reunited in 2012, 5 years later, they are both in a post-traumatic state – Ron from his tour in Iraq and Adam from his time in the psychiatric system.
Ron found meditation and his time with Adam increasingly helpful while dealing with his ‘Moral Injury’ from the war. Over time they both complete two 10-day Vipassana Meditation retreats, which furthered their healing process. In the meantime, Adam moves to a small lake in the Cascade foothills named Lake Joy. Ron began visiting Adam at his cabin and they continue their practice together.
After a few weeks of getting together to meditate, Ron decided he wanted to deepen his meditation experience. Adam took on the role of guide as they began a 24-hour meditation. He started by asking Ron to set his intention for what he wanted to accomplish.
The event turned out to be a significant turning point in both Ron and Adam’s life. Ron shed a lot of self loathing and made a deeper connection with his spirituality while Adam got more validation that he is not ‘crazy’ and gained insight into how his gifts can be used to heal those around him.
With the wait list growing for vets who are seeking mental health care, the time is even more urgent to provide more treatment to heal from trauma. As in Ron’s case, part of the solution could be providing alternatives to the current bio-medical approach, like meditation.
