“For over a decade after returning from Iraq and being medically retired for combat PTSD I still thought I was the only veteran dealing with anxiety, depression, and social withdrawal. It was not until I met Dr. David Tharp who told his story about surviving war and through his psycho education that I realized I was not the only one staying up all night battling suicidal ideation and living with combat PTSD. I had been leading retreats as a combat counselor and barely surviving as I endured the transference of my clients. I still had not come home completely from the battlefield that I was trying to save my clients from.
I was blessed enough to attend Dr. Tharp's seminars and study his book on how to accept that you have PTSD, thrive and overcome the shadows of war, and I learned through his mentoring on how to help other combat veterans cope. Dr Tharp's dedication to educating and saving veterans has helped me come home from the battlefield.”
— Kevin Kessell / Veteran
"I was impressed by Dr. David Tharp's communication skills after being captivated during a 2 hour presentation where he shared his powerful journey through deployment and his return to civilian life after sustaining a spinal cord illness/injury. He began the presentation stating that if he makes one person cry he will feel he has successfully communicated his experience about what combat veterans go through. I do not think there was a dry eye in the room!
As a former mental health provider, now working in VA in an administrative capacity, I was truly inspired. I have worked with many Veterans coping with PTSD, but I have never been exposed to the images and stories during each phase of the military experience. This presentation should be recorded and shared with all mental health providers working with Veterans.”
— Amanda Spector / Special Assistant to the Vice Chairman, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
“This program is beneficial to every combat veteran, man or woman.”
— Debra Christian / Veteran
“It has been my pleasure to have heard David Tharp give his presentation on two different occasions. Once was when he presented his program to me, informally, during a coffee break at a meeting. The other instance was when he presented formally to the Leadership VA cohort with over 120 people in the audience. In both instances his presentation was spellbinding. He is a phenomenal speaker and his topic– blending both scientific evidence and personal experience with PTSD– goes right to your heart.
David’s lecture gave me a much better appreciation of the personal dimension and toll that this disease takes on our psychologically wounded warriors. These valiant individuals have given so much to our nation that, while it is hard at times to sit through David’s lecture without crying– that it is about the closest most of us will ever get to many of these situations. I say that noting that I have served in the USAF and also having been a trauma anesthesiologist for over three decades, including at the Baltimore Shock Trauma Unit.
I cannot emphasize how important messages such as David’s are. I have never quite heard anything like this and feel that his specific program and message deserves wide dissemination. Understanding is the first step on the path to healing. And, understanding is also the first step that most of us need to take to support further funding for treatment for these most deserving individuals among us.”
— Steven Boggs, MD, MBA / Chief of the Anesthesia Service, James J. Peters VA Medical Center
“I think the weak guy is the one who doesn’t do it, because he doesn’t want to confront his demon.”
— Andrew Decker / Veteran
"Like most PTSD programs, there is some amount of skepticism associated with it; however, this is not the case with Project Healing Heroes. They are the real deal! PTSD is not something that affects the individual; it can affect others close to the individual experiencing these invisible wounds. Having friends who have dealt with the scars of PTS(D), it is refreshing to have an organization like this in our corner.
Project Healing Heroes has set out to assist these heroes in their journey; it is their mission. For far too long, my brothers and sisters have fought this fight alone, however now they do NOT have to suffer from these invisible wounds alone anymore. We receive up training for our skill set, yet we receive little or no training on how to deal with the side effects we are faced with day to day. Through this organization, there are answers from professionals that have had their boots in the sand.
Serving in the capacity of a civilian public servant (Firefighter, Registered Nurse, Paramedic, Peace officer) and current Texas Guard company commander, I can say without a doubt that Lt Col David Tharp, PsyD, and the Project Healing Heroes staff are one of the few folks out there that “get it.”
— LT Ed Schmidt, BSN, BS, RN, LP
“I just watched Dr. Tharp’s Module One. It really captures what it is like to return from combat into a non-combat environment. My experience is exactly the same. I would imagine that the rest of his modules will be of equal or greater value. I highly recommend them to any combat veteran who wonders why they don’t fit in – and what they can do about it.”
— Bud Hughes / President, Veterans Freedom Retreat
“I served in both Iraq and Afghanistan. I’ve read Dr. Tharp’s workbook and watched five of the videos so far. I was very quickly drawn in to these presentations. As a Veteran, I don’t want to discuss these topics with anyone other than Veterans. These videos offer a group setting with other Veterans present who participate in the discussion, and they often say the same kind of thing that I would say if I were present. In addition, David has ‘been there, done that’ credibility. The information is spot-on. I am normally very skeptical about ‘good ideas’ and another ‘great program.’ However, this program is real, and I recommend it to any returning Veteran.”
— Thomas Downey / Veteran
“I think that your products are very beneficial to our Veterans as enabling tools to help them in their transition as [wounded warriors], Vets leaving the Service, or Retired Vets. The access to the videos and your products is certainly a plus for any Vet who is interested in your research and publications. I believe your workbook is a gold mine in its layout of information. The Biology of PTSD is exceptional. The way you incorporate the OODA loop in page 149 and following is very interesting for us military folks. The use of the Key Takeaway is a wonderful reminder technique. And your Biography is a story very similar to many of our Vets.”
— David C. Garza / Major General, USMC, Retired