“You don’t get over it you get on with it, and the reason we say you don’t get over it is because it is a scar. It’s a scar in one’s memory and these scars stay with you for the rest of your life,” said Rev. Richard Berg, C.S.C., is the message he shares when working with veterans and families suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome commonly known as PTSD.Veterans believe that once they get over what they experienced in combat situations, life will get easier. Through the creation of The SCARS Project in Portland, Oregon, Fr Berg created a series of tools to share with veterans and their families to help them recognize that a soldier never gets over the experience but can get on with life after the trauma.
“It’s not something people get over, it’s something people need to get on with. And that’s where I come in and try to help them,” said Fr. Berg.
Fr. Berg’s journey to ministering to veterans and their families began in 2012. After Mass, a gentleman approached Fr. Berg and inquired about the possibility of having him interview and talk to a group of active military personnel he was treating for PTSD. The man felt Fr. Berg’s empathy and gentleness in his preaching would resonate with the patients.
“I interviewed nine active military men who were being treated here in Portland for PTSD. They really opened up to me and told me about what was really going on inside. I was amazed at how able these men were to be able to express the deeper, inmost pains and hidden suffering that they had been enduring as a result of their combat experiences and other experiences in the military,” shared Fr. Berg. Hearing these stories inspired the idea of writing a book that could help others struggling with PTSD. “I got them to agree that I could share some of their stories in a book. I took little fractions of their own experiences and incorporated them into a book called Scars published in 2013 by Corby Press (now available on Amazon).”
The book experience ignited a series of opportunities to offer ministry and assistance to veterans. During his research, Fr. Berg found PTSD is not the same thing for each person.
One example is a sniper and nurse who returned from Iraq and Afghanistan unable to deal with his family. The veteran could carry on his official duties with no problems but could not relate to his wife and children, and even the family dog was afraid of him.
Another example is a soldier who came back from Afghanistan and became a dealer at a casino. He is a well-liked gentleman that others gravitate towards because of his outgoing personality. The man shared with Fr. Berg that he was unable to sleep when it was dark outside and could be personable on the outside but was miserable inside.
“In the first situation, you have someone unable to cope with his loved ones, and in the second situation is a guy unable to cope with himself. These are two very kinds of different expressions of PTSD. Just as there are many different kinds of personalities among us in life, so there are many kinds of different post-traumatic stress disorders because they plug into memory, but also into one’s personality,” noted Fr. Berg.
Through The SCARS Project, Fr. Berg identified different tools to help veterans and their families deal with PTSD. The first one is assuring safety and security. Safety is being in a situation where a person feels protected from harm and security is where a person feels like they belong. “I’m secure in that I have a family or that I belong in a friendship or a relationship. Freedom from harm and security is bonding.”
“The second one is to have a very firm resolution and conviction about my goal and my goal in life – what I am here in the world to do and able to achieve, and I’m going to continue to work and be committed to that goal no matter what,” said Fr. Berg noting no matter what the suffering is, a person needs to continue to find a way to be useful in life and with others.
“The third step is what I call lifeline and that’s a tough one. Lifeline, as I explained to them, is to find someone with whom you can truly be yourself as you are. That is one of the most important things that you can do. That someone who can have the strength and courage to really know you as you are with your suffering,” shared Fr. Berg. It’s getting people to love themselves as they are and this is where the grace of God has to come into the whole picture.
The SCARS book was adapted into a therapy play for use during treatment and in 2023 the book was made into a movie.
In 2024, Fr. Berg concluded the 501c3 corporation The SCARS Project and turned over all assets to the Returning Veterans Project in Portland and is excited to see all the good work that will continue through the organization.
“PTSD is not just something that affects and scars an individual but it scars families and employers and the people that these dear people who are so suffering are relating to,” said Fr. Berg. He is proud of the trauma tools he was able to design and pass onto the Returning Veterans Project and plans to continue encouraging veterans to seek help for their pain and suffering.
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Click here to watch the movie.
Published November 2024.
