New Federal Grant from Department of National Defence Awarded to the Canadian Women’s Wellness Initiative
Over the last three consecutive years, the Canadian Women’s Wellness Initiative (CWWI), has been awarded a grant from Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) to teach the Transcendental Meditation® (TM®) program to military veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS) and related comorbidities while serving in the Canadian Armed Forces. The Canadian Women’s Wellness Initiative is a charitable organization mandated to bring the TM program to individuals whose lives are impacted by toxic levels of stress.
In February 2023, the Minister of Veterans Affairs, the Honourable Lawrence MacCaulay, and his team met with the National Director of the Canadian Women’s Wellness Initiative, Helen Creighton, to review the work of CWWI in bringing the TM program to Veterans and their family members.
VAC posted articles on TM helping veterans.
(Click on photo to enlarge it.)
Department of National Defence Grant Awarded in April 2023
Based on the success of the VAC-funded grants, the Department of National Defence (DND) has now fully funded a new grant for CWWI to teach TM to survivors of Military Sexual Trauma (MST) who are currently serving, or who have served in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) or the Department of National Defence: Community Support for Sexual Misconduct Survivors Grant Program. [At this link, Canadian Women’s Wellness Initiative (CWWI) is listed under Nova Scotia, where their National Office is located.]
The project can also include family members or support workers and will be taught in 8 major Canadian cities where TM teachers have taken additional training to work with this population.
This initiative aims to bring an effective evidence-based stress-reduction technique to those who have experienced sexual misconduct within the Defence community. Due to the trauma and negative emotions linked to sexual misconduct, this population is at risk for prolonged mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, PTS, low self-esteem, addiction and more.
Research has demonstrated that the TM program is one of the most effective methodologies for reducing the above issues, which are often present in those who have experienced sexual misconduct. Overcoming the negative effect that sexual misconduct has on one’s mental health is a critical first step in moving forward with one’s life.
Confidential quantitative surveys will be administered pre- and -post TM training for self-compassion (Neff, 2011) and trait anxiety survey (Cohen, 1983).
Self-compassion is the self responding positively in times of personal struggle. In addition to decreases in stress and improved levels of self-compassion, CWWI expects results to be similar to past research with veterans, such as:
• Reduced flashbacks and bad memories: Military Medicine 176 (6): 626-630, 2011
• Improved quality of life: Military Medicine 176 (6): 626-630, 2011
• Decrease in insomnia: Journal of Counseling and Development 64: 212-215, 1985
• Twice as effective as other relaxation techniques for decreasing trait anxiety: Journal of Clinical Psychology 45(6): 957–974, 1989
The CWWI project is overseen by several Advisory Boards, including healthcare professionals and military members and employs a researcher with expertise in qualitative and quantitative data.
CWWI is working with support groups mandated to help those affected by sexual misconduct, networking with doctors, psychologists and psychiatrists who work with this population, and reaching out to support groups.
CWWI is grateful to researchers Ann Royer, PhD, and Tanis Farish, PhD, as well as to Advisory Review Board members Dr. Raju Hajela [Major, retired], Dr. Brian Rees [Colonel, retired], and Ami Stadnick, MSc, R. Psych.
Article submitted by Helen Foster-Grimmett, Lead Instructor—Canadian Armed Forces, Veteran, Police and First Responder Outreach—Canadian Women’s Wellness Initiative.
# # #
An article by Garry Foster on both TM grant programs and research was published in a BC Navy newsletter. It was picked up in a few provinces across Canada. It appears in print and online and is read by active duty personnel, veterans, their families and the public. Click on Volume 68, Issue 25, June 26, 2023, select English or French, and go to page 12 (page 11 in the downloadable PDF) to read: New DND grant expands support for sexual misconduct survivors, including family members.
A similar article by Garry Foster written for the Canadian Women’s Wellness Initiative was published in the September 26, 2023 issue of the Totem Times in English and French on page 5, New DND grant expands support for sexual misconduct survivors. (Click to enlarge and read.)
See this October 29, 2017 post about Helen bringing the TM program to her local area police department: Central Saanich Police Service and Area Police Officers Learn and Benefit from Transcendental Meditation.
Also see Canada’s TM TV News Spot: The Antidote to Stress.
— Written and compiled (citing sources) by Ken Chawkin for The Uncarved Blog.
The Uncarved Blog 