Joe – Iraq Marine
Joe, a Marine, was near improvised explosive device detonations three times. Each time the blast sent him flying through the air resulting in serious spinal injuries and loss of consciousness, or amnesia, for the event. When he was referred by an officer for the FNS study for Iraq/Afghanistan (OEF/OIF) service members he walked with a cane (for pain and balance problems), and had non-stop, severe, headache. (The referring officer had seen the positive effect of FNS treatment on another Iraq veteran.) Delegated to limited duty Joe was expecting to be required to leave the Marines because of his condition. Physical therapy had been completed but the symptoms remained.
One problem that he had not emphasized was that he was having a lot of trouble reading, and his short term memory created problems on his desk job. The headache and body pain were the most obvious problems. When he started FNS treatment he was in the process of dropping an on-line course because he just could not concentrate on the required reading enough to do the work.
Joe’s response to the first treatments surprised him. The headache intensity dropped quickly and within a few treatments he was feeling much better. After the fourth session he was listening to a general speak and suddenly he needed to write. It was at this moment that he began producing a large body of poems and essays about his experiences. He had never written before and later he said that the words must have always been in there and he just didn’t know it. Some of his writing has been published and he was working on a screen play when the treatments ended. He was also enrolling in an on- campus writing course. This was the exciting cognitive change. Physically he has also changed dramatically. As pain faded and his balance improved he began to run again. He was running several miles and was given the OK from his physician to return to active duty! His plan is to apply for officer training school. All of this occurred in over 25 ˝-hour sessions during which he was not receiving any other treatment.
BWB © 2010