My first exposure to key work done in Ukraine on the spiritual and psychological rehabilitation of veterans and families came via a recent private video.

It showed a community beneath wisps of white cloud at an undisclosed location in the Ukrainian countryside determined to repair itself.

This wasn’t just about the regeneration of the mind but something deeper—a reconstruction of spirit and place. There was a powerful oneness to Ukraine coming across in this video, a braided resilience.

Understandably, most Ukrainian news focuses on devastated frontlines, shattered cities, drones slamming malevolently into targets.

The work undertaken here taught me not to see the conflict in purely fragmentary terms, or indeed Ukraine’s veterans as somehow separable from other Ukrainians.

The viewing was followed by a webinar called Connecting and Healing: Veterans, Family and Community Integration in Ukraine, bringing together fresh Ukrainian accounts, plus additional Norwegian expertise, and the views of one US practitioner.

Responsible for both the webinar and the work behind the video is Les Simm, a remarkable Brit who has dedicated himself over the years to a number of essential causes. Simm initiated this particular work with Norwegian Elisabeth Langdal of Mental Health Human Rights Info (MHHRI), the resource database on the consequences of human rights violations on mental health.

Simm was also the last person awarded the Royal Victoria Hospital Badge after qualifying in the military as a psychiatric nurse before advancing into other major fields during a distinguished 30-year military career. Incidentally, for what it is worth, as the first ever purpose built military hospital, the Royal Victoria was inspired by Florence Nightingale’s work in Crimea.

If the goal of the webinar was to bring expertise together in the shape of psychosocial support for military personnel, veterans, and their communities, it was also to look at what can be done going forwards. ‘How do we keep the lights on?’ said Simm.

© CounterPunch