06/16/2023
Join me on this vision as I take you for a walk through the first day of the rest of your lives.
Welcome day at the Sentinel.
You arrive just after lunch to see a bright and clean building, walk through the double glass doors and into a large corridor, to the left is a coffee and water station, and to the right, is a comfortable sitting area surrounded by plants and books, a relaxing place to sit and enjoy a peaceful moment. Straight ahead is the receptionist, you head there to check in, and the receptionist welcomes you, provides you with a map of the building, and takes you to your fully furnished studio apartment to settle in. All rooms are located on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th floors, and each has a window looking out onto the glass-covered courtyard, where you will see a community garden swimming pool, hot tubs, sports courts, tables and chairs for games or meals, and lush vegetation surrounds you, step out onto your balcony and take in the fresh air and ambiance. After you have unpacked and organized your things, you head back downstairs to the reception area and meet with your counselor who will assist you in finding the program and routine that best suits your needs upon arrival.
The counselor will also take you for a tour of the entire facility to help you familiarize yourself with it all as it can be overwhelming for some. Dinner is served at 530 in the restaurant, all meals are buffet style and change throughout the week. Lights out is at 2300h.
Over the course of your stay, you will learn the many facets of construction, being able to build a house entirely by yourself. There is also an automotive shop, where you will build and fix vehicles. A computer lab to learn computer sciences. A fitness center where, if you wanted, you could become a personal trainer, nutritionist, or group fitness instructor. You will be able to grow and tend a garden and work on many other self-care therapies/hobbies to help you heal and grow as an individual after your PTSD has brought you down to rock bottom. The goal is to help you manage your PTSD and let it sit as trauma.
Our goal, upon your graduation from the program, is that you leave with the tools you have gained and the trades you have learned, that you will be able to move forward with your life in a positive and successful manner, feeling like you belong today.
“Once you are self-aware of what triggers you and how it triggers you, both physically and mentally, you can find ways to work with and around it so that you can manage it. Once we can get to that point, you can control it, feel it rising within you, and tame it. In time, it gets easier, but it will never go away, we just need to find a better way to gain control of our bodies and our lives in a society that has no way of understanding or helping.” – Tara Williams (Someone who’s gone through it and lives with it every day)
