Imagine you are driving home from work and you narrowly avoid a car crash that could have smashed your vehicle into smithereens.
You run home to tell your spouse or friend or parent about it, but no one is around. When you finally find someone to tell the story to, they don't understand what you're talking about or don't want to hear it.
That's how it may feel to be a woman veteran, said Fran Yardley.
"So many of these women have so many 'Oh, my God!' moments that they have not been able to share," Yardley said.
Yardley, a Bartlett Carry-based storyteller, is planning a retreat for women veterans with her cohorts at Creative Healing Connections. It is meant to give the veterans a chance to tell their stories through the arts in a supportive environment.
The retreat will focus on women reintegrating into U.S. society after serving in the military. Women who served in any branch of the military, regardless of when they served or what war they served in, are invited to register for the retreat. Naj Wikoff, president of CHC and a Keene Valley resident, said his organization is looking for a mix of women to participate so they can learn from one another's diverse experiences.
While telling one's story to supportive listeners can help healing, listening to other women's stories can help a woman realize she is not alone, Yardley said.
Wikoff said women in the military are just as vulnerable as men and in addition are more often subject to issues like sexual harassment and rape. He said that soldiers often need some help with healing and reintegrating into society after experiencing combat.
"The Adirondacks are a healing place; they're a place to renew the spirit," said Wikoff. "This is a very long-term tradition that grows out of, in particular, (the tuberculosis cure houses in) Saranac Lake that we are applying towards helping people today."
The retreat will be Aug. 10 to 12 at the Wiawaka Holiday House on the eastern shore of Lake George.
Wiawaka is a retreat center that has been a place for women-centered programming since it was founded during the suffragette movement.
The retreat schedule includes workshops in storytelling, songwriting, yoga and dreamwork, a way of using your dreams for self-diagnosis and healing.
It costs $220, which covers lodging, meals, retreat programming and full use of the Wiawaka facilities. Yardley said CHC and Wiawaka are pulling money together for scholarships because they don't want the price to deter potential participants. The organizations have some full and partial scholarships in place and are pursuing more.
The CHC has been running similar retreats for women with cancer and chronic illness for 10 years at Great Camp Sagamore. The women veterans retreat is the first expansion of programming since CHC attained official nonprofit status.
CHC is actively looking for participants and has limited attendance for the retreat to 20 women. Any more and there won't be as much one-on-one attention, Yardley said.
"We want to make sure that they get the sense that they've been heard," said Yardley.
To register for the retreat or get more information, visit the Web site at www.creativehealingconnections.org/vetretreat or call Christine Dixon at 518-203-3101.