Feb. 14, 2019
Dear sisters and brothers, friends and colleagues, warriors and civilians, supporters of Soldier’s Heart,
After almost thirteen years of devoted and transformational service in healing the invisible wounds of war, today we announce the closing of Soldier’s Heart, Inc. Our national office in Troy NY and our entire operation will cease shortly.
At this life stage, it has become necessary for us to slow down and move off the front lines of running a non-profit organization while continuing to serve and work in new ways of elderhood, mentoring and council. It has been the greatest honor to serve our warriors, families and nation as we have and our work will continue in other forms. We agree with George Washington and Sitting Bull that as our warriors go so goes our nation, and therefore it is our first duty to bring them truly home and into healing, strength and leadership. We have done our utmost to achieve these noble ends through Soldier’s Heart. We move on trusting that, as we have taught, community takes over and carries the legacy.
Soldier’s Heart has been unique and pioneering among military and veteran care providers. Our work was among the first to focus on the soul wounding and spiritual traumas of war; this has now spread throughout the field. Our work was among the first to call for community participation in healing and homecoming; it is now called for across the nation. Our work practiced soul healing and community return of warriors in ancient, palpable, embodied, practical, wise and spiritually based ways. Our work provided the troops and vets with those blessed aspects of their identities needed to evolve into elder spiritual warriors.
As we close our doors we look back on thirteen years of transformative healing, education and peacemaking in this demanding arena of war and military service. Throughout this time we have effectively tended new and old victims of our ongoing wars, provided significant education, training and preparation to helpers, the military and the public, researched, developed and utilized spiritually- and culturally-based holistic healing, and nurtured a cache of experienced and younger therapist/veterans who are carrying this work into the future. We have brought significant spiritual and social change to the military, the mental health and trauma fields, veterans, their families and communities, academia and religious institutions and both nations of the United States and Viet Nam.
As we close our national office, Soldier’s Heart’s work does not end. We are proud to announce that we have birthed and empowered partners who will continue our work in their respective communities while adding new dimensions of creative healing. At least five Soldier’s Heart partners will offer free veteran healing retreats in the coming year. Watch for announcements. Continue to stay involved.
We could not possibly have done this work without an amazingly involved, caring and supportive staff, cache of board members and volunteers and community. We especially thank staff, board and volunteers past and present for fierce devotion and hard and generous work. And to our national community: You have shared your stories and wounded hearts. You have utilized our teachings for your evolution and healing. You have supported our retreats. You have helped us build schools and Agent Orange centers and homes for the destitute in Viet Nam. You have spread this word and work and some of you have written or interviewed about it. You have brought it into your own communities, your VA hospitals and colleges. You have sent us a little or a lot, whatever you could afford, to support this non-profit effort to transform the invisible wounds of war that, in fact, we all carry.
We are not retiring but slowing down into our own fee for service private practice, which gives us new opportunities to work with our warriors. We will have increased availability to be consultants and clinical guides for veterans'/service members' focused-programming, treatment, education, training and staff development in communities and health centers and on campuses. Our Soldier's Heart Transformational Model and Veterans' Return have proven to be powerful clinical and theoretical frameworks to develop effective training programs in these venues. We also return to the practice of soul healing through depth psychotherapy, global trauma resolution and holistic dream, mythological and creative arts work. We continue our work in Viet Nam and Greece as well as new research and writing. We will do all of this work without the demands of running a non-profit as we have been doing. We are excited about the new possibilities and slower rhythm that this provides us. Our contact information is:
Kate Dahstedt, MA 518-727-8107, email katedahlstedt21@gmail.cm
Ed Tick, Ph.D. 518-727-8090, email dredtick@gmail.com, website edwardtick.com
There really is no way to express the magnanimity of this work, our feelings about it, or the accomplishments we have shared over this dozen plus years. There are so many of you out there whom we love and honor, so many to whom we are grateful. And we know there are also so many who are better off for all we have shared on this blessed and noble journey of war and warrior healing.
We hope and trust you will stay in touch and we will work together in new ways. We salute and bless you all,
Kate Dahlstedt
Ed Tick
Co-Founders