United Nations Civil Society Participation – Activities

Welcome to the United Nations. It's your world.

English
French

NGO Branch
About us
Contact us
ECOSOC Status
Introduction
Applying for Status
Committee on NGOs
NGO Response System
NGO Participation
UN Grounds Pass
Functional Commissions
High Level Segment
Calendar of Events
Conference Registration
Quadrennial Reports

Quadrennial Reports
Quadrennial report due? Read more on our updated page. Click here »

PTSD Relief Now

View Activities

Areas of expertise & Fields of activity:	Economic and Social: Humanitarian Affairs Peace and Security Violence Gender Issues and Advancement of Women: Women and health Social Development: Conflict Sustainable Development: Health Peace and Development in Africa: Development in Africa Peace in Africa Conflict Resolution in Africa: Conflicts Resolution NEPAD: Human Development
Geographic scope:	Regional Africa
Mission statement:	PTSD: A CRISIS ACROSS AFRICA. PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) is a mental disorder caused by experiencing or witnessing deeply traumatic events. Many people think PTSD affects only soldiers, but that is not the case. Anyone who has experienced or witnessed a deep trauma, such as war, extreme violence, sexual abuse or a natural disaster may carry develop post-traumatic stress disorder. Experiences of PTSD may include frequent painful recollections, flashbacks, feeling withdrawn or separate from others, thoughts of suicide and tendencies toward anger and violence. Without intervention, these symptoms may continue for years. Because war has been waged on the ground in villages across 18 countries, many women and children, as well as soldiers in Africa, suffer from PTSD. In South Africa, which is not even at war, Dr. Eugene Allers, past president of the South African Society of Psychiatrists, estimates that up to 25 % of the population suffers from PTSD. In war-torn areas such as The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, South Sudan, etc, estimates range upwards to 50% of the population suffering from PTSD. Individuals who suffer from PTSD are at an increased risk for drug, alcohol and cigarette use, all of which impact health and productivity. Additionally, PTSD sufferers are more often angry, violent or suicidal and are less able to maintain relationships. So PTSD affects not only individuals, but their families, the neighborhood, and the nation as a whole. PTSD is serious and widespread across Africa, and we provide a unique and effective approach to this problem. OUR APPROACH TO PTSD RELIEF: SIMPLE AND SUSTAINABLE. Until now, support for victims of PTSD has depended upon the continuing intervention of highly trained professionals. Over the course of many months or years, these professionals may lead the patients through repeated sessions of cognitive therapy or exposure therapy. They may also prescribe and monitor the patients' progress on pharmaceutical drugs. Unfortunately, while these drugs may mask the symptoms of PTSD, they do not remove the disorder, they do not touch the source of the problem. And while therapy can be helpful, most locations across Africa have little access to such support. For those limited areas that do have access, long term reliance on outside professionals, however beneficial, is not sustainable. In contrast, TM can be learned in just a few sessions with a trained teacher. Moreover, TM teachers can be trained in each region, enabling programs to become self-sufficient. TM is a simple, natural mental technique that enables many PTSD sufferers to move beyond the constant agitation of their thoughts and find relief. It can be used on its own or as an adjunct to other methods of support. PTSD Relief Now specializes in supporting the delivery of Transcendental Meditation (TM) program for the purpose of providing relief from PTSD.
Year established:	2013
Year of registration:	2013
Organizational structure:	PTSD Relief Now is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable corporation in the USA. It consists of the Board of Directors, the Special Advisory Board and the Science Committee. MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS: - Jim Schaefer: Ph.D., International Agriculture Studies, Washington International University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; CEO/founder of Soil Technologies Corp., President of Partners for World Peace, board member of Seeds of Heaven, board member of Global Education Development Ltd. (UK). - Brian Rees, Colonel (ret.) Medical Corps, US Army Reserve, MD, MPH, Tulane Univ. Over 37 years of commissioned military service, 5 tours of duty Afghanistan and Iraq. He is a Graduate of both the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and the U.S. Army War College, Physician. Lead author of two studies related to the TM program and PTSD relief. - Jim Davis: MS in Education Foundations and Administration, University of Kansas; Founder of Chappell Studio and Marathon Foto and currently Senior Vice President of Event Photography Group. - Richard Sage: MA in Management and Policy Formation, Harvard; has completed research and analysis training at MIT, was Lead Planner/Analyst for New York City's anti-poverty programs, and has 20+ years’ experience conducting proprietary strategic market research and analysis across a wide spectrum of business sectors. - David Shapiro: President of PTSD Relief Now, BA cum laude Chemistry, Carleton College, MA Philosophy, M.U.M. Co-author of two studies related to the TM program and PTSD relief, and founder of PSTD Relief Now. MEMBERS OF THE SPECIAL ADVISORY BOARD: - Dr. Jose Luis Alvarez: International Administrator for the TM program for 22 Latin American countries, with 5 years of experience implementing specialized applications of the TM program for PTSD relief and prevention across Latin America. Dr. Alvarez currently has agreements to provide PTSD relief to 1 million children with PTSD in Latin America. - Drs. Willem Meijles: Drs. Applied Mathematics, Rijks Universiteit Groningen: International Administrator for the TM program for South Sudan, Namibia and other international locations. - Dr. Felix Kaegi: International Administrator for the TM program for the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Malawi, Djibouti, and other international locations. - Dr. Carolyn Gaylord-King: Professor, Department of Physiology and Health, and Senior Researcher, Maharishi University of Management and its Research Institute. Member, International Society for Hypertension in Blacks (ISHIB) - Dr. Jamie Grant: Director of International Projects for the David Lynch Foundation, with a Ph.D. in Education, Harvard. - Sibongile Bradley West: Account director for Young Communications Group, Inc., with extensive experience in marketing communications, media relations, political and community outreach. - Ernie Robson: Masters in Management from the Sloan School at MIT, with an extensive background in management and public service for the US government and a history of business entrepreneurship. SCIENCE COMMITTEE. African PTSD Relief Now works broadly with a wide variety of professional and independent researchers in organizing and executing its research functions. The Science Committee guides ongoing research. The team also evaluates the prevalence of PTSD in each country and standardizes PTSD evaluation tests (such as the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist, PCL) so that they are properly understood and scaled for each country in order to provide maximum ease of large-scale evaluation of PTSD. Members of the Science Committee include: Brian Rees, MD., Dr. James O’Halloran, Ph.D., Dr. Carole Bandy, Ph.D., Dr. Vincent Sezibera, Ph. D., Dr. David O'Connell, Ph.D., Dr. Michael Dillbeck, Ph.D., Dr. Pat Barrett, Ph.D., Dr. John Fagan, Ph.D.
Funding structure:	Grants from Governments Fundraising campaigns Funds from other Non-Governmental Organizations Funds from Religious Institutions Other sources Donations and grants from domestic sources Foreign and international grants

Previous

Next

Contact NGO Branch
Questions on applications, reports, or other inquiries Click here »

Online Application
Applying for ECOSOC Consultative Status? Click here »

UN Grounds Pass
Obtaining a UN Grounds Pass Click here »

Conference Registration
Registering for a UN Conference? Click here »