Red Willow Learning Center

Nourishing the Human Capacity for Resilience, Optimism, and Hope.

Tom McClintock

Creating a Safe Place for Veterans Dealing with Military Trauma

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by Roy Savage, HTOP Coordinator

For many veterans, the battles do not end when their service concludes. Military trauma—whether from combat, training, or the burdens of military life—can follow them home, manifesting as invisible wounds that shape their relationships, careers, and daily lives. These experiences can leave veterans feeling isolated, misunderstood, and reluctant to share their struggles. That is why creating a safe place for them begins with one simple but powerful act: listening to understand.

Listening to understand is different from listening to reply. It means entering a conversation without judgment, without rushing to provide solutions, and without minimizing what the veteran has endured. Too often, well-meaning friends or family members try to “fix” the problem quickly, when in truth, what most veterans need is to be seen, heard, and validated. By offering patient, compassionate listening, we build trust and give veterans permission to speak openly about what they carry.

A safe space is not defined by walls, but by presence. When veterans know they can speak without fear of being dismissed or stigmatized, they are more likely to take the courageous step of sharing their stories. That safe space can be a living room, a coffee shop, or a community group—it exists wherever empathy and respect are practiced. Creating it requires humility: acknowledging that we may not fully grasp their experiences, but we are willing to learn and to simply stand with them in their journey.

Ultimately, listening to understand is an act of service in itself. It honors the sacrifices veterans have made and helps restore their sense of belonging. In a world where many feel alone with their pain, offering a safe place through genuine listening can be the first step toward healing, connection, and hope.

Moving Mindfully Through Pain

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by  Mari Hodges, MScMed (Pain Mgmt), TPS, M.AmSAT, AAPTA
Therapeutic Pain Specialist & Certified Alexander Technique Teacher

We know that movement and physical activity are good for us, and for almost anyone experiencing persistent pain, movement is positive. But if moving hurts, it’s hard to get very motivated to move. When movement is accompanied by pain, why would you want to?

Moving mindfully can help us to live more easily with persistent pain and bring back more control over life when it’s been taken away by pain. Mindful movement means being present in your body and your surrounding space in the moment as you move. Mindful movement is a dialog with your body. It means not shying away from movement and not doing too much.

So how do you do it if you have persistent pain?

First, I believe it’s helpful to think about why you would, because our beliefs play an important role in how we feel and what we do about how we feel. A key thing to know is that pain and injury (or tissue damage) are not the same thing. Pain in its normal role keeps us from doing too much, but in many chronic pain conditions, that function goes awry. Persistent pain typically involves hypersensitivity of the nervous system such that things that won’t damage us hurt. Knowing that pain doesn’t necessarily mean damage can help us to re-engage with physical activity.

The next thing to know is that movement can actually help reduce pain, while continually reducing movement will likely make it worse over time. Physical activity improves our health and positively influences our metabolism as well as sleep, mood, beliefs and quality of life. These things all make us more resilient to chronic pain.

It doesn’t mean that we should plough through pain, come what may, though – that’s where mindful movement comes in.

For me, to move mindfully means paying attention not only to pain, but also to non-pain related sensations, thoughts and relationships. For example, we might pay attention to breath, qualities like smoothness or ease, the way that we use our eyes, or the wholeness of our body. We might think of moving through water or noticing ease. We might explore spaces and contact with the ground, air or other. We might also consciously choose to release muscle tension, lower our center of gravity or nonjudgementally observe ourselves.

Including these kinds of things in our awareness as we move may help us in ways beyond what “mindless” physical activity can. It is likely that moving mindfully improves our mental maps of the body, the clarity of which is also linked to chronic pain. It can help us to have greater choice in how we direct our attention and how we move, expanding our mental and physical options. A mindful movement practice may help us discover that we can have more choice!

Another benefit is that we may actually become aware of ability to move without pain. Our brains tend to focus on experiences that confirm our expectations of pain. When we are fully present in our movement, we’re more able to notice when we are actually moving with ease.That increases our expectations of ease and safety, as well as future experiences of ease and safety.

There are many kinds of mindful movement practices – Alexander Technique, Feldenkrais, forest bathing, tai chi, yoga, and some kinds of dance, among others. Each has its perspective on moving mindfully and can help with increasing awareness, reducing fear and easing into movement safely. Mindful movement practices tend to take things slowly, giving us time to find safety within and to reflect.

Other physical activities like walking, swimming – even housecleaning! – can be done mindfully to help us move more easily through life. And while it can be tempting to listen to music or a podcast or watch a video for distraction while doing physical activity, we benefit from being present to what we are doing.

Chronic pain can keep you from doing things that would actually help with becoming healthier, more resilient and more comfortable in your body. If movement is challenging, a guided mindful movement practice can be helpful to get you feeling safer and more comfortable with movement.Developing a personal mindful movement practice can help us to reflect on how to move more easily through life.

Staying Present, Staying Sober: A Daily Mindfulness Practice for Recovery

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by Mary Beth Barba

Recovery is not just about breaking free from substances—it is about reclaiming the ability to be fully present with ourselves and our lives. Mindfulness offers a daily anchor, reminding us that healing is not about perfection but about showing up with awareness, even when it feels uncomfortable. Those who walk this path in Mindful Recovery demonstrate incredible resilience, choosing each day to face themselves with honesty and courage rather than numbing or escaping.

Our participants practicing mindfulness are building healthier relationships—with themselves and with others. Through the gentle practice of pausing, noticing, and breathing, they’ve been learning to set boundaries to protect their well-being and nurture their growth. They have discovered a new capacity for self-compassion, recognizing that setbacks do not define them but rather become part of a larger story of strength. This ongoing practice has transformed not only how they relate to their own struggles but also how they show up in the world—with authenticity, care, and a deepening sense of connection.

In many ways, mindfulness in recovery has been a daily act of bravery. It is the quiet but powerful decision to choose presence over avoidance, compassion over criticism, and growth over stagnation. It affirms that the path to staying sober is not just about avoiding what harms us but about embracing what heals us—awareness, kindness, and the unshakable strength found in the present moment.

From Combat Stress to Inner Stillness: How Veterans Are Using Mindfulness

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by Amy Friedman

While I don’t personally know what the stress of combat entails, I can imagine why the veterans that I meet with keep coming back to sit together in meditation week after week. I have had the privilege to share Mindfulness Meditation with veterans every month for the past six years. Many have returned on those Thursday afternoons to learn ways to manage their stress response, create non-judgmental awareness, and absorb a community of support. Some have come out of curiosity or a recommendation from a friend. They return because it helps them navigate life’s ups and downs and find ways to slow down enough to respond versus react.

It is here that we spend time together in shared silence and stillness, absorbing sensations, settling thoughts, sifting through emotional states, and practicing coming back to the present moment again and again. A practice that is simple but certainly not easy. We learn how to use mindfulness to calm the nervous system and create alternatives for choice to emerge; choices based on empowerment and agency versus fear and caution.

At the end of each session, we share our insights and what is present in our hearts and minds. I am repeatedly reminded of the gift of sharing mindfulness in a community setting. The veterans share their applications of these practices to aid in sleep, relationships, family situations, and with body ailments. Like one veteran said this past month, “that practice felt just like putting on a perfectly fitting baseball glove,” it heals and meets them exactly as they are.

National Make a Will Month

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Did you know that August is National Make-a-Will-Month?

We should all have a will regardless of our age or tax bracket. But making (or updating) our will is one of those things on our to-do list that often never seems to get done. And there’s plenty of reasons why people put it off: it can seem daunting to do and, let’s be honest, it’s not exactly pleasant to think about the world spinning on after we’re no longer in it and it’s a lot more pleasant to think we’ll be around long enough to do it “later.”

But having will allows you to specify exactly how your assets should be distributed after your death. Without a will, state intestacy law will determine the distribution, which may not align with your wishes. A will ensures that your beneficiaries, including minor children, are provided for according to your desires. You can appoint guardians for your children and set up trusts to manage their inheritance. And, if you have pets, your will can include provisions for their care, ensuring that they are looked after according to your wishes. By clearly outlining your wishes, a will can help reduce the potential for disputes among family members. It provides a clear plan that can be followed, minimizing confusion and conflict.

A will can also help reduce the amount of estate taxes that will need to come out of your estate. By carefully planning your estate, including the use of trusts and other mechanisms, you can potentially lower the taxable value of your estate. Your will can include plans for gifting portions of your estate to family members or other beneficiaries. These gifts, if structured properly, can reduce the overall size of your estate and therefore reduce the estate taxes. Charitable contributions made through your will can provide significant tax deductions for your estate. By designating a portion of your estate to qualified charities, you can reduce the taxable value of your estate.

Leaving a portion of your estate to charity also allows you to continue supporting causes you care about even after your death. This can be a powerful way to create a lasting impact and be remembered for your philanthropy. Your will can specify exact amounts or percentages of your estate to be given to your favorite charities. (And we hope we are one of yours!) This ensures that your charitable intentions are clearly documented and executed according to your wishes.

Fortunately, there are a number of good resources out there to make the process straightforward and reasonably simple.

The first great resource for Montanans considering estate planning is from Montana Law Help, a service of Montana Legal Services Association. They have a great guide on Getting Started and another on What You Should Know When Writing a Will in Montana. Because there are specific and unique concerns for Native American wills, they also provide a free interactive Will-in-a-Box tool for those.

Next, you can find free fill-in-the-blank forms, including wills, at the Montana Department of Health and Human Services. DPHHS also routinely offers free estate planning clinics for Montanans aged 60 years or older and any enrolled tribal members. More information about those, including a schedule, can be found here.

Lastly, FreeWill can be an excellent tool for writing your will. This online tool will guide you through the process in about 30 minutes or so.

There you go. Three great resources to help you with writing your will from start to finish. Easy-peasy. And did we mention that for all of the resources above, there is no cost to you?

So, since August is National Make-a-Will-Month, let’s make August the month we finally put a tick next to “Make a Will” on the to-do list!

 

Disclaimer: the above is not intended to be and should not be construed as legal or financial advice. If you have questions beyond the scope of the resources provided above, please speak with your legal and/or financial advisor. This post is not sponsored or endorsed by MLSA, MT DPHHS, or FreeWill.

The Power of a Growth Mindset

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by Kathy Mangan

“Perhaps it is time to level set the mindset.  Even though some confuse “growth mindset” with terms such as grit and effort, that is not the case.  Effort is involved but it isn’t just about effort.  Far more than effort, your mindset is about your access to support and your repertoire of strategies to help you solve problems.  Effort is your means to an end, not the end.  The end is that learning is improving.” (Dweck, 2015.)

Carol Dweck, one of the foremost authorities on fixed and growth mindsets really helps us understand the power of thought as it pertains to trauma resilience.  The way we view the events of our lives matters.

Dweck acknowledges that there is probably no such thing as a PURE growth mindset.  We are mix of growth and fixed mindsets.  We, at the same time, believe that we can improve through effort and learn strengths and abilities and also that are abilities are just what they are.

Those of us with a fixed mindset see intelligence as static.  This sets us up for feeling threatened by the success of others, to avoid challenges, to give up easily, to ignore feedback and to expect reward without any effort.  On the other end of the spectrum, those of us with a growth mindset see intelligence as something that can be developed.  This opens us up to embrace challenge as opportunity, to be inspired by the success of others, to put in the effort required to retrain our brains and to use feedback as guidance to help us grow.

The great news, once you recognize where you fixed mindset patterns of thinking are, you can begin to shift them.  Exploring your relationship with “what if I fail?”, accessing the those in your life who support you and actually listening to them, recognizing that you do have choice, and then acting on the choices that you identify are key to getting started.