Supporting Armed Forces Veterans with Access Bars by Yvonne Cormier

I believe in giving back to my community, and particularly to those in service to others. Being a 20-year army veteran myself, I have a soft spot for those in military service and for veterans.

Access Bars is a great way to contribute to them, especially since so many have experienced post-traumatic stress, so my partner and I offer free Access Bars clinics about once a month at a local veteran support centre. It’s very rewarding when I see service members or veterans who were in a lot of pain before their Bars session get up from the session and say, “Wow, my pain is gone!”
This recently included a man with a paralyzed arm, which gave him lots of nerve pain, who said he was pain free after the session. For many, it’s also about letting go of built-up stress and anxiety. Some who have come to the free Bars clinic more than once have reported better sleep, less worry, and that they "can now go into crowded places.” One reported that “things are better mentally, which is a great relief.”

For me, I’m sure that being a veteran myself helped me to get a foot in the door, along with providing some data showing the effect of Access Bars on levels of pain, stress, anxiety and depression. And the manager of the veteran support centre that I went to was very open to alternative therapies, as it was another such therapy that really gave him his life back, so anything is possible. If you are interested in supporting armed forces veterans in the UK, I have listed a couple of websites you can use to find an organization in your area. If you require some assistance after you find an organization, you can contact me through the Access website.

Support for Veterans (put your county in the search field)

Help for Heroes (send them an enquiry)

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