The Abyss. The word evokes a visceral response. It also evokes contemplation and a search for deeper knowledge and understanding. The abyss of despair can feel heavy too from all accounts. It pulls you into a dark, suffocating existence that can feel like you are drowning, prevent you from getting out of bed, or compel desires to end your life. By many accounts I should have drowned in an abyss of despair at the age of six, when I experienced a devastating tragedy. I did not. Where many find themselves in a deep and dark place daily in their lives, unable to reach the surface, I was able to reach the shore and its safety.

Are you in the depths of the abyss due to anxiety, depression, or trauma? If you are you are not alone, even if you believe otherwise. Depression seems to run rampant in today's high pace, socially connected society with seemingly few answers or solutions. It is a place that no one relishes. So why stay? It is confounding to think, anguishing to see, and no doubt devastating to experience. I hope this book does some small thing that allows you to keep your head above water long enough to gain the strength to reach the safety of shore. If nothing else, I want you to realize, especially if you are a military veteran, that nothing in our past should prevent you from having a future.