There & Back Again
"Navigating Life After War"
Advisory Board
Major General John D. Blair (Ret)
General Blair served with the military for over 40 years, most recently as The Adjutant General of New Hampshire. His responsibility was to oversee the administration and operation of the NH National Guard to ensure troops are trained, equipped and mission-ready to support national security objectives, as well as protect life and property, and preserve peace, order and public safety as directed in times of natural disaster and civil emergency. Major General Blair’s service included active duty during the Viet Nam war as a helicopter medivac pilot and received the Purple Heart. He has held many positions during his career to include Battalion Commander, Aviation Facility Commander, US property and Fiscal Office, and Chief of Staff, Army. He received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of NH and has a Master’s degree in Political Science.
Seane Corn
Seane Corn is an internationally celebrated yoga teacher known for her impassioned activism, unique self-expression, and inspirational style of teaching. She has been featured in numerous articles, news programs, and has appeared on the cover of over a dozen magazines. As a strong and articulate voice for social change she was named the National Yoga Ambassador for YouthAIDS, and shares their mission to raise funds, provide service, and spread national awareness about the global emergency of HIV/AIDS. Seane has spent time in India, Cambodia and Africa working with impoverished prostitutes and street children, teaching yoga, providing support and aid, and educating them about HIV/AIDS prevention. She participates on the boards of the Cambodian Children’s Fund and the Engage Network. In 2007, Seane co-created “Off the Mat, Into the World®”, a leadership training program designed to help participants find their own unique purpose through yoga, meditation and self-exploration exercises, as well as provide them with the organizational skills necessary to activate that purpose through local outreach and service oriented projects. This effort is designed to initiate social circles of change in local communities nationwide. Seane also created the yoga program for “Children of the Night”, a shelter near Los Angeles dedicated to providing education and services for adolescent prostitutes. In 2005 Seane was honored with the “Conscious Humanitarian” award for her outreach efforts. Her award winning DVD’s “Vinyasa Flow Yoga” are available through Gaiam International, and her “Yoga From the Heart” DVD can be found through the Yoga Journal Live Series. www.seanecorn.com
MICHAEL S. DAVISON, Jr. , Lieutenant General US Army (Ret.)
Senior Vice President for Strategic Planning, Mistral Group
Michael Davison has extensive military operational experience at all levels of command. In industry, his experience includes business development, marketing, and sales of defense systems. At Mistral Group, he is responsible for business development and strategic planning to meet the needs of the US military for integrated ballistic armor and advanced combat system technology. Prior to his position in Mistral, he served as President of Israel Military Industries (IMI) Services USA, Inc. At IMI Services USA, he was responsible for marketing and sales of IMI's technology and products to the US Department of Defense and Federal law enforcement agencies, lobbying activities with Congress and the US Government, and teaming agreements with US defense industry. At M.I.C. Industries, Inc. he was responsible for international marketing and sales of the Ultimate Building Machine used for rapid on-site construction of steel structures for military and civil shelter requirements. General Davison also served as Director, Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), Office of the Secretary of Defense, from August 1997 to August 2000. He was responsible for oversight, management, and customer support so that security cooperation programs and Foreign Military Sales supported the national security and foreign policy strategy of the United States. General Davison worked for CINC, US Central Command as the Chief, Office of Military Cooperation in Cairo, Egypt (1992-94). General Davison retired from the United States Army on October 1, 2000, and received the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, as well as decorations from the governments of Egypt, Spain, and Taiwan for his accomplishments as Director, Defense Security Cooperation Agency. General Davison has a Masters of Science degree in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and is a graduate of the USMA at West Point. for more information go to www.mistralgroup.com
Richard Miller, Ph.D.
Richard Miller, PhD is the author of Yoga Nidra: The Meditative Heart of Yoga and Integrative Restoration: The ancient practice of Yoga Nidra for easing stress, healing trauma and awakening to your timeless Presence. He is the founding president of the Center of Timeless Being, co-president of the Institute for Spirituality and Psychology, and co-founder of The International Association of Yoga Therapy. Richard teaches in the lineage of his spiritual mentor, Jean Klein, and has devoted his life to integrating the nondual wisdom teachings he has received with mentors from the fields of yoga, tantra, advaita, Taoism and Buddhism. Richard is a consultant on research projects studying the healing effect of Integrative Restoration - iRestÒ, his adaptation for Westerners of the ancient practice of yoga nidra, with diverse populations including active duty soldiers experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder, the homeless, children and people experiencing chronic pain. Richard leads meditation retreats and trainings throughout North America with a focus on enlightened living in daily life. To learn more about the Center of Timeless Being and Integrative Restoration iRestÒ Yoga Nidra programs please visit: www.nondual.com.
Susan Parks-Cohen, Ph.D.
Susan is a Harvard trained clinical psychologist and neuropsychologist and works as a clinician and post doctoral neuropsychology training director at a Boston area psychiatric facility. She is a committed clinician and teacher in these areas. Susan also has a private practice offering psychotherapy, evaluation and personal coaching services to people with a wide variety of needs. Susan has special interests in healing and motivation through personal coaching. In 2006 she traveled through India with a Lifestyle Medicine Conference serving as a Harvard Medical School faculty member. She taught Indian health professionals about the power of using the principles of personal coaching and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in their practice to motivate patients to lead healthier lives. Susan is also passionate about educating and managing concussions and head injuries that often go un-noticed to others, but have profound impact on individuals’ lives. For more information, go to www.drsusanparks.com.
Matthew Sanford
A leading voice for change, Matthew Sanford has inspired and enhanced the lives of thousands as he demystifies the mind-body connection through his work as an author, speaker and yoga teacher. Paralyzed at age 13 in a devastating car accident that killed his sister and father, Matthew followed the advice of doctors to “forget his lower body” until at age 25 he discovered yoga and the healing power of the mind-body connection. Now 42, Matthew brings his powerful message of healing to health care, corporate, yoga and general audiences nationwide. His pioneering work began in 1998, teaching an adaptive yoga class for people living with a wide range of disabilities. Realizing all people could benefit by having a deeper connection between mind and body, Matthew founded Mind Body Solutions in 2001, a non-profit dedicated to transforming trauma and loss into hope and potential. Matthew is using his pioneering experience with yoga, paralysis and disability to transform our current approach to rehabilitation, which includes a growing initiative for veterans, as well as a groundbreaking pilot program at CourageCenter, a leading transitional rehabilitation facility in Minnesota, which incorporates a mind-body approach into the rehabilitation process while measuring outcomes. Matthew shares his story in his award-winning book WAKING: A Memoir of Trauma and Transcendence. His honors include the Yoga Journal’s Karma Yoga Award,the Judd Jacobson Memorial Award and the Eleven Who Care Awardfrom KARE-TV. In 2008, Matthew was recognized as a national hero when he won a Volvo For Life Award. His inspirational story and life’s work has captured the attention of national media including the NBC Today Show; People Magazine; Natural Health; Dr. Oz/Oprah & Friends, XM 156; Voices of America Hosted by Sen. Bill Bradley; and Speaking of Faith. www.matthewsanford.com or www.mindbodysolutions.org.
Bessel van der Kolk, M.D.
Medical Director, has been active as a clinician, researcher and teacher in the area of posttraumatic stress and related phenomena since the 1970s. His work integrates developmental, biological, psychodynamic and interpersonal aspects of the impact of trauma and its treatment. His book Psychological Trauma was the first integrative text on the subject, painting the far ranging impact of trauma on the entire person and the range of therapeutic issues which need to be addressed for recovery. Dr. van der Kolk and his various collaborators have published extensively on the impact of trauma on development, such as dissociative problems, borderline personality and self-mutilation, cognitive development in traumatized children and adults, and the psychobiology of trauma. He was co-principal investigator of the DSM IV Field Trials for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. His current research is on how trauma affects memory processes and brain imaging studies of PTSD. Dr. van der Kolk is past President of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Professor of Psychiatry at Boston University Medical School, Co-Director of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network Community Practice Site and Medical Director of the Trauma Center at HRI Hospital in Brookline, Massachusetts. He has taught at universities and hospitals across the United States and around the world, including Europe, Africa, Russia, Australia, Israel, and China. His latest book, co-edited with Alexander McFarlane and Lars Weisaeth, explores what we have learned in the past twenty years of the re-discovery of the role of trauma in psychiatric illness. Traumatic Stress: The Effects of Overwhelming Experience on Mind, Body, and Society was published by Guilford Press in May, 1996.
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