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Once a Warrior: Wired For Life
"Once a Wired For Life" illustrates how to turn negatives into positives and assists our highly trained military personnel in utilizing their tremendous potential in achieving success and happiness after their released from military service. This book highlights the path along the way to transitioning from warrior to civilian. It is not a book to read just once, but one to study over and over again.
- GenresMilitary FictionWar
126 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2005
4 people are currently reading
60 people want to read
About the author
Bridget C. Cantrell
10 books16 followersDr. Bridget Cantrell was appointed the 2008 and 2004 Outstanding Female Non-Veteran for her service to veterans by the Governor’s Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee and the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs. In 2008, she received the Didi Hirsch Foundation Leadership Award for Erasing the Stigma of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
She has her Doctorate of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology and is a private practitioner. Dr. Cantrell is one of a small number of specially selected and trained mental health providers for the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs PTSD Program, under the supervisor Thomas Schumacher, MS Director. She is also a provider under the Mental Health Fee Service Program, Puget Sound Veterans Health Care System (Seattle VA Medical Center). She also holds various contracts in the state of Washington one of which is the Vet Center Contract, which enables her to see combat veterans.
Dr. Cantrell is also an honorary member of the Red Feather Society, which is a Native American Combat Veteran’s association on a national level. This honor is as result of her work, knowledge and dedication to veterans. She has also been extensively exposed to the understanding and meaning of the Native American Ceremonial Rituals, which offer an alternative approach toward combat trauma recovery. She has worked with veterans for nearly twenty-years.
Specializing in trauma for several years her primary work now encompasses treating war veterans from all eras and their family members. She also works with those veterans who have been sexually abused while serving in the military. In 2003, she received the Highest Productivity award for the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA) PTSD program.
Her dissertation research entitled “Social Support as a Function of PTSD within Washington State Vietnam Veteran Populations” was presented to the Washington State Senate Select Committee for Veterans as part of the Governor's Master Plan for the needs of veterans. Her research included a five-site sample of Vietnam veterans’ bio-psychosocial needs that was used for planning future programs for the King County Veterans Program.
Dr. Cantrell's research findings were formally presented at the European Traumatic Stress Conference, Edinburgh, Scotland. She was also invited to present her study in Brisbane, Australia at the Brisbane International Traumatic Stress Conference, as well as the International Society of Traumatic Stress Studies meeting, New Orleans, Louisiana.
In the Spring of 2004, she formally invited by the U.S. Army to provide mental health services to the paratroopers of the 173d Airborne Brigade stationed in Vicenza, Italy. While there, she focused upon helping these troops reintegrate with their loved ones and readjust to peacetime conditions after their prolonged combat exposure in Northern Iraq. Information and observations from this time of working with the Iraqi Freedom veterans gave birth to a new workbook course entitled “Turning Your Heart Toward Home”. This course was followed by the co-authored book “Down Range: To Iraq and Back” … which now has more than one million in print. In her latest co-authored work, “Once a Warrior: Wired for Life” Dr. Bridget Cantrell takes readers on to the next step in the process of coming home and re-integrating when a tour of duty is finished. This book focuses on how to once again become a civilian after being trained in for military duty.
Dr. Cantrell’s newest books: “Souls under Siege: The Affects of Multiple Troop Deployments—and How to Weather the Storm”, will help us all find ways to support and tend to those living under the pressures of multiple deployments. Its thrust is to not only expand awareness of the issues involved, but to also outline sensible tools for finding relief in these trying times. “Souls under Siege” is not a book to sit idle on your shelf. It will become a useful g
She has her Doctorate of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology and is a private practitioner. Dr. Cantrell is one of a small number of specially selected and trained mental health providers for the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs PTSD Program, under the supervisor Thomas Schumacher, MS Director. She is also a provider under the Mental Health Fee Service Program, Puget Sound Veterans Health Care System (Seattle VA Medical Center). She also holds various contracts in the state of Washington one of which is the Vet Center Contract, which enables her to see combat veterans.
Dr. Cantrell is also an honorary member of the Red Feather Society, which is a Native American Combat Veteran’s association on a national level. This honor is as result of her work, knowledge and dedication to veterans. She has also been extensively exposed to the understanding and meaning of the Native American Ceremonial Rituals, which offer an alternative approach toward combat trauma recovery. She has worked with veterans for nearly twenty-years.
Specializing in trauma for several years her primary work now encompasses treating war veterans from all eras and their family members. She also works with those veterans who have been sexually abused while serving in the military. In 2003, she received the Highest Productivity award for the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA) PTSD program.
Her dissertation research entitled “Social Support as a Function of PTSD within Washington State Vietnam Veteran Populations” was presented to the Washington State Senate Select Committee for Veterans as part of the Governor's Master Plan for the needs of veterans. Her research included a five-site sample of Vietnam veterans’ bio-psychosocial needs that was used for planning future programs for the King County Veterans Program.
Dr. Cantrell's research findings were formally presented at the European Traumatic Stress Conference, Edinburgh, Scotland. She was also invited to present her study in Brisbane, Australia at the Brisbane International Traumatic Stress Conference, as well as the International Society of Traumatic Stress Studies meeting, New Orleans, Louisiana.
In the Spring of 2004, she formally invited by the U.S. Army to provide mental health services to the paratroopers of the 173d Airborne Brigade stationed in Vicenza, Italy. While there, she focused upon helping these troops reintegrate with their loved ones and readjust to peacetime conditions after their prolonged combat exposure in Northern Iraq. Information and observations from this time of working with the Iraqi Freedom veterans gave birth to a new workbook course entitled “Turning Your Heart Toward Home”. This course was followed by the co-authored book “Down Range: To Iraq and Back” … which now has more than one million in print. In her latest co-authored work, “Once a Warrior: Wired for Life” Dr. Bridget Cantrell takes readers on to the next step in the process of coming home and re-integrating when a tour of duty is finished. This book focuses on how to once again become a civilian after being trained in for military duty.
Dr. Cantrell’s newest books: “Souls under Siege: The Affects of Multiple Troop Deployments—and How to Weather the Storm”, will help us all find ways to support and tend to those living under the pressures of multiple deployments. Its thrust is to not only expand awareness of the issues involved, but to also outline sensible tools for finding relief in these trying times. “Souls under Siege” is not a book to sit idle on your shelf. It will become a useful g
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 13, 2018
A quick 'how-to' guide for soldiers on how to reintegrate into society. The act of transitioning is a hard one and this one has the bonus of being written by actual veterans who made the shift, it includes sections focusing on Combat Operation Stress (COS) and PTSD.
A good idea, given how many soldiers grow up INTO the military and find it hard to identify their own emotions, and acknowledge the defensive mental barrier surrounding them.
A good idea, given how many soldiers grow up INTO the military and find it hard to identify their own emotions, and acknowledge the defensive mental barrier surrounding them.
January 14, 2013
I don't know, it's not bad, maybe it just wasn't the time for me. I have been home for a few years now.
April 29, 2022
As someone with a veteran for a husband and also someone who works with veterans looking to improve their health, I found this a practical book, with a numbers of insights. I feel like I can understand them more after reading this.
March 5, 2009
This book is meant to aid soldiers coming back from a deployment to readjust to civilian life again. The most helpful part of the book is when the author talks about reframing some behaviors that were appropriate for a war zone and are no longer needed (like carrying a locked and loaded weapon all the time, or using aggression when dealing adversity). The least important part of the book is when it becomes the yellow pages for organizations that help veterans. It is nice to know your resources but why should I buy your book over looking them up on the internet. I felt the chapter on getting a job in the civilian world was particularly worthless and sometimes even condescending. I would recommend the book for a returning soldier but I wish the authors had elaborated on the strengths of the book and left out the good advice chapters.
September 12, 2009
An excellent and quick read for those who are interested in what it is like to re-integrate back into civilian society after serving in our armed forces. Written with all soldiers (of all branches of the armed forces) in mind, it is friendly and comes from an applied perspective that is useful for therapists without being heavily theoretical. Real life examples are abundant, unfortunately so are minor typos. Still, nothing big enough to distract from the value of the text. Recommended for those who are new to the topic, and short enough to read in a couple of hours.
April 12, 2015
this is a quick read. it's very gentle (which at times might seem patronizing). it's not the only resource you would want to have, but the authors offer a lot of reassurance and support and encouragement.
April 15, 2010
Great book.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews