YARINDIN from Mark Schwartz on Vimeo.
My friend Dr. Richard Grossman; acupuncturist, musician, shaman, healer, is working on this worthwhile documentary movie project with others. What they’re doing is important, healing PTSD in vets using non-traditional, effective methods. They are looking for funding now. Watch the demo video to learn about what they’re doing.
Yarindin is a feature documentary film about 10 veterans ravaged by war who journey to South America guided by American medical professionals and traditional native shamans for initiation into the indigenous medicine of the Amazon. The warriors’ prayer is to be released from the nightmare of war and have their bodies, minds and souls restored.
These warriors cry out for healing and release from unbearable pain. But sadly, due to the complexity of treating PTSD, many never fully recover. Western medicine and traditional psychology simply doesn’t have the tools yet.
Sue says “no one ever recovers from war.” Our V.A. hospitals are underfunded, understaffed, and can’t cope with the increasing numbers of returning vets from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan with PTSD. The treatments too often are mainly giving them meds and short-term counseling. Maybe this helps some, but for too many, it’s not nearly enough. Self-medicating through alcohol and drugs is common and of course just makes things worse in the long term.
If shamanism and indigenous medicines can heal some of them, then I say, let’s do it.
Sue is right.
While it can be argued I’m not entirely sane, following The Warrior’s Path, with a good twelve years of NA/AA mixed in, is why I enjoy the degree of sanity I have today.
I’ve got 21 years clean and sober and would be dead or worse than dead if I hadn’t done so.”I’ve always been crazy, it’s kept me from going insane.” Thank you, Waylon.
Well, beer and weed are an important part of the path, but I haven’t used a ‘drug’ – legal or otherwise – nor taken a drink of liquor since 1987.
When my team and I got back from a research trip that took us into the war zone, the other members busily began drinking beer. Being a sober person, I didn’t have that option. I think I now understand why so many vets come into the rooms of 12 Step programs saying that if they don’t drink, the nightmares keep them from sleeping.
You may find “Shamans and Healers” – the book I wrote about my experiences in Peru very interesting.