If you were standing on a riverbank and saw someone float by, struggling to make their way to the shore (and safety), you would figure out a way to help them.

🛟 You’d toss a raft or a rope

📳 You’d call 9-1-1 and/or yell for help from others nearby

💦 You might even jump in and go help them yourself, depending upon your training and other factors

If it happened again— at the same place— you would probably consider it a coincidence.

But if occurred over and over…

… and over and over and over again…

You would begin looking for the CAUSE of the issue— not just the consequences.

👇

Or, to say it another way— you would question WHY this is happening.

You would go “upstream” and investigate.

🤷‍♂️

Apply the metaphor on two levels…

1️⃣ Why do “others” struggle with PTSD and Moral Injury (the soul hurts and spirit hurts we empower people to overcome)?

Perhaps we need to address the current concern (i.e., “pull people out of the river”) WHILE ALSO going “upstream” to see how we can remedy the issues— by preparing people for what they’ll face beforehand, increasing strength & resiliency, etc…

2️⃣ Why do WE individually focus more on symptoms rather than causes?

For sure, it’s not an “either-or,” but a “both-and.”