I learned some things about myself and was also able to let some of the butterflies at the site lift some of the pain I have been holding. Thank you for allowing us the time to dig deep and express our deepest feelings and fears.

I found the Veteran Women Voices Retreat to be life changing! Relaxing in the company of other women veterans to build a sense of community and to write with such comfortable and compassionate facilitators, was so fulfilling.

I have grown so much since we gathered and I am so grateful for the time we spent writing and learning to not edit ourselves. That was a gift called freedom. Having the ladies supporting us through that process in that environment was so perfect for (self)-treating PTSD and helping me get it out in another way.

I loved the sense of closeness and support I found almost immediately with women who knew what it was like to serve and be a Veteran.

I am so grateful to have been selected to attend the VWV 3 day retreat!  It was an amazing experience to be able to write and share the most vulnerable parts of myself while still feeling supported and respected.  It left me with a sense of peace that I didn’t even know I was missing.

Veteran Women’s Voices has changed my life.  I find it impossible to trust anyone or anything–I often literally push people away.  But, during these writing sessions, surrounded by groups of incredible women who are genuinely listening, I feel compelled to open up in the rawest form.  And then, to close my mouth and return that support.

I liked practicing silence and just quiet thinking. I love to write and started a blog this year where I thought I would publish more and haven’t. Sadly. I enjoyed hearing the stories. We all carry these experiences inside ourselves and rarely discuss.

VWV retreat gave me the time and space to reflect on my experiences in the military and take a break from the daily routine. The retreat location, at foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, is gorgeous and relaxing. Attending veteran writing workshops with other women is integral to creating a cathartic space free of judgment.