In an effort to support veterans dealing with mental health challenges, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression, a healing retreat in Three Points has been making strides in fostering connection and healing. Navy veteran Samba Jargu and his partner Kelly Davis, founders of the plant medicine collective Green Spirits Healing, hosted a weekend retreat at VFW 10245, offering veterans an opportunity to connect, learn new skills, and address mental health issues in a supportive, non-judgmental environment.
A Team Effort: Building Connections Through Gardening
The retreat focused on a unique, hands-on activity: building raised garden beds. The veterans, many of whom had no previous gardening experience, worked together to unload thousands of pounds of soil and construct the beds. Using a truck and pallet to move the soil, the group employed teamwork and creativity, offering a tangible sense of accomplishment.
For Jargu, the retreat was not just about gardening—it was about creating a space where veterans could bond and open up to one another. “Connection with other folks who have that understanding, who see you as an individual,” Jargu said, reflecting on the importance of shared experience in the healing process.
Addressing Mental Health Through Connection
Jargu and Davis wanted to provide a space where veterans could speak openly about their mental health issues and receive support. Many of the participants, like Jargu himself, have struggled with mental health challenges stemming from their military service. Jargu emphasized the significance of breaking the cycle of feeling like “I’m always the problem, but there’s nothing I can do about it.”
In addition to the gardening activity, veterans participated in therapy sessions with an integrative development doctor, yoga classes, and other therapeutic practices such as massage, plant, and animal connection therapy. These activities were designed to help the veterans relax, reflect, and open up about their struggles, allowing them to explore different ways of coping with their mental health.
Breaking the Isolation: A Sense of Community
The retreat’s focus on community-building and shared experiences allowed veterans to connect with others from different walks of life. Jargu highlighted the importance of seeing veterans from diverse backgrounds engage and support one another in ways that they might not have experienced before. “It’s cool to see people from different walks of life open up,” he said.
For many participants, the weekend retreat was an introduction to a support system they had been seeking but struggled to find. “We had people who didn’t really know how to find some of this help,” Jargu explained. The retreat was a safe space where veterans could meet others who understood their struggles and were willing to support one another in a non-judgmental environment.
A Vision for the Future
Jargu and Davis hope to continue offering retreats, aiming to build on the work done during this pilot program. One of their goals is to finish the raised garden beds, which will eventually grow fruits and vegetables that veterans can keep. Jargu believes that having a tangible connection to something they helped create can offer veterans a sense of purpose and fulfillment.
“I think that’s something that we all look for, but it’s one of those things that’s really hard to find, especially for some of us,” Jargu said, speaking to the challenge of finding acceptance and overcoming the daily struggles of mental health.
Through this retreat, Jargu and Davis are not only helping veterans address their mental health needs but also creating a lasting sense of community, healing, and support that veterans can rely on as they continue their journey toward recovery.
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