Healing Protectors: A Place to Heal and A Path to Lead- For Veterans

05/06/2026

I received this message from a veteran today, and he asked me to share. Thank you, my friend. You will always be my brother...even though you served in the Army ;)...Semper Fi...IYKYK

"If you want to really say Thank you to a Veteran, donate and support Healing Protectors' mission and ministry to serve, support, and assist them in their transition back into our civilian community.

They have already reached many of us veterans right where we were, and I can vouch for their commitment and ability to assist in our reintegration and maximize our quality of life with constructive strategies that we did not receive in our military service.

If you are a veteran reading this, our military training taught us how to survive and succeed,

Take this opportunity to engage with Healing Protectors and add to your training beyond survive and succeed, there is thrive! “Pro Deo et Patria”

501(c)(3) nonprofit providing EMDR, IFS, and nature-based trauma therapy for veterans. Led by Marine veteran Beau Laviolette, LCSW. A place to heal and a path to lead.

29/05/2026

We are so incredibly grateful for the amazing community of therapists who showed up and showed OUT for our veterans today!

Over 100 therapists from across the country joined us for our IFS + EMDR Demo Series fundraiser, supporting Healing Protectors — a nonprofit dedicated to providing IFS-informed EMDR nature retreats for veterans.

These healers not only invest in their own growth as clinicians, but they put their hearts and their resources behind those who have served our country. That means everything. 🇺🇸

Thank you. From the bottom of our hearts — thank you.

💙 To learn more about Healing Protectors and how you can support our veterans, visit the link
https://healingprotectors.org/

25/05/2026

Today, on Memorial Day, we remember those who never made it home.

This empty chair by the water is more than a seat. It represents the brothers, sisters, friends, and family members whose absence is still felt deeply. Some names are spoken often. Others live quietly in our hearts. But none are forgotten.

At Healing Protectors, we believe healing happens in community, especially for those carrying grief, survivor’s guilt, trauma, and the weight of memories that never fully leave. Nature has a way of slowing us down enough to remember, reflect, and reconnect.

Whether you served or not, this post is for someone you miss today. Someone you served beside. A family member. A friend. Someone whose chair now sits empty.

Today, we honor them. Always.

Thank you to those who continue to support our mission that no veteran has to heal alone https://healingprotectors.org/

09/04/2026

There’s a moment during our graduation ceremony that never gets old.

A veteran who has already walked through the program comes back to stand in front of a new veteran who has just completed it. There’s no spotlight, no big speech. Just presence. Respect. Understanding.

I think all of us need a place—or a person—where we can share things we don’t feel safe sharing anywhere else. Someone who can sit with us, hear us, and not try to fix it or judge it.

That’s what our guides do.

They’re veterans who have done the work themselves and choose to come back to walk alongside someone else. They hold space. They listen. They remind the next veteran that they’re not alone in this.

There’s something powerful about being seen by someone who truly understands.

Out here, in nature, surrounded by others who have walked a similar path, healing begins to take shape in a different way. Not forced. Not rushed. Just supported.

I’m incredibly grateful for everyone who makes this possible. Whether you’ve donated, provided materials, cooked meals, or simply supported in any way—you are part of this.

Because of you, this continues.

If you’d like to learn more or support a veteran attending a future retreat, visit
www.healingprotectors.org

A place to heal. A path to lead.

09/03/2026

Please share!! (There is a veteran out there who needs to see this post)

This empty chair represents a veteran who will not be at our next Healing Protectors Nature Retreat.

Sometimes that chair is empty because someone never made it back home.

Sometimes it’s empty because a veteran did come home, but they don’t yet know that help is out there. They’re carrying things quietly. They believe they have to handle it on their own. They think no one will understand.

Sometimes that chair is empty because hope feels too far away.
But there is hope.

At Healing Protectors, we create a place where veterans can step away from the noise of everyday life, spend time in nature, connect with other veterans who truly understand, and begin the process of healing. No pressure. No judgment. Just a space to breathe, reflect, and reconnect.

Our retreats are always free for veterans. No veteran should ever have to pay a dime to receive support and healing. They’ve already paid a price by putting their lives on the line for our country.

This empty chair is waiting for the next veteran who needs it.
You can help fill it. Our next retreat is coming soon, March 27-29!!

Please consider sharing this post so a veteran who needs this might see it. If you feel called, you can also donate to help sponsor a veteran so they can attend the next retreat.

Learn more or donate here:
https://healingprotectors.org/

Thank you so much

A place to heal. A path to lead.

09/03/2026

This empty chair represents a veteran who will not be at our next Healing Protectors Nature Retreat.

Sometimes that chair is empty because someone never made it back home.

Sometimes it’s empty because a veteran did come home, but they don’t yet know that help is out there. They’re carrying things quietly. They believe they have to handle it on their own. They think no one will understand.

Sometimes that chair is empty because hope feels too far away.
But there is hope.

At Healing Protectors, we create a place where veterans can step away from the noise of everyday life, spend time in nature, connect with other veterans who truly understand, and begin the process of healing. No pressure. No judgment. Just a space to breathe, reflect, and reconnect.

Our retreats are always free for veterans. No veteran should ever have to pay a dime to receive support and healing. They’ve already paid a price by putting their lives on the line for our country.

This empty chair is waiting for the next veteran who needs it.
You can help fill it. Our next retreat is coming soon, March 27-29!!

Please consider sharing this post so a veteran who needs this might see it. If you feel called, you can also donate to help sponsor a veteran so they can attend the next retreat.

Learn more or donate here:
https://healingprotectors.org/

Thank you so much

A place to heal. A path to lead.

30/01/2026

During my time in the Marine Corps, I experienced an unexplained seizure. I had been doing well as a Marine, so it didn’t make sense. My commitment to serve was still strong, but something forced a stop I didn’t understand. I was sent home shortly after 9/11, carrying the weight of leaving my buddies behind, knowing they would deploy.

Years later, I was sitting alone in my office, praying about whether I should start this nonprofit. I was reflecting on: Is this mine to do?

Something nudged me to pull out my Marine Corps boot camp book — the one with the photos and names of the men I served alongside. I hadn’t looked at it in years.

As I flipped through the pages, one name stopped me: Moore — He was my bunkmate. Someone I lived beside, trained with, and trusted.

As I kept looking, I noticed something written beside his name—that on January 26, 2005 (21 years ago today) He and 30 other Marines were killed in a helicopter crash
My heart sank, so I kept reading.
And then I saw more names.
Names that were familiar.
Too familiar.
That’s when it hit me.
This wasn’t just a tragic story I had stumbled upon.
This was my platoon.

Sitting there in my office, realizing I had been sent home shortly before this happened, something settled in me — I knew I needed to do this work.

I once shared this story with someone and said, “I was supposed to be on that helicopter.”
She looked at me and gently said, “Actually, you were not supposed to be on that helicopter.”

Some things still don’t make sense to me — why me, and why did any of this happen? I may never fully understand it. But I do know this: I can’t change what happened, but I can choose how I respond to it.

This is how I serve today. This nonprofit wasn’t born from an idea or a plan. It was born from responsibility — to honor service, to support healing, and to make sure veterans and their families don’t have to carry these things alone.

Thank you to all who have supported me and continue to support this mission. https://healingprotectors.org/

Healing Protectors: A Place To Heal and A Path To Lead- For Veterans

13/01/2026

Why Nature Helps the Mind Rest

In therapy, we often talk about mindfulness — practices like meditation or prayer that help us slow down and get grounded. While these can be incredibly helpful, many people find it hard to simply sit still. Our minds get restless. Our bodies crave stimulation. And instead of calming down, we sometimes feel more overwhelmed.

This is where Attention Restoration Theory comes in.

Attention Restoration Theory suggests that nature gives our brains a chance to rest and reset in a gentle way. Nature offers just enough stimulation — the sound of wind, the movement of trees, the rhythm of walking — without overwhelming us. It’s engaging, but not demanding.

I often think of it like going to the gym. If you’ve never worked out before and try to lift heavy weights right away, you’re likely to get injured. You have to start light. Nature does that for the nervous system. It gives the brain something to connect with while still allowing it to recover.

In our veterans retreats, nature becomes part of the healing process. It helps veterans slow down, step away from constant stimulation, and give their minds and bodies a much-needed break — often in ways that feel more accessible than traditional mindfulness practices alone.

Sometimes healing doesn’t require doing more.
It starts by letting the system finally rest.

07/01/2026

Identifying and Letting Go of Burdens

On the second night of our nature retreats, we do an exercise called “Identify and Let Go of the Burdens We’re Carrying.”
In IFS therapy, burdens are the heavy beliefs, emotions, or experiences that parts of us have been carrying for a long time. They often sound like:
“I’m not enough.”
“It’s my fault.”
“I have to stay on guard.”

These burdens usually come from past experiences or trauma — and they were never meant to be carried forever.
That evening, veterans take a quiet 10-minute walk to a secluded place in nature where a fire is waiting. Fire has long been used across cultures as a symbol of release, purification, and renewal. It transforms what’s placed into it, turning weight into ash and light.

Each veteran takes time to name a burden they’re ready to let go of. Not to erase their story — but to release what no longer serves them. As the burden is offered to the fire, something often shifts. There’s relief. There’s clarity. There’s space to breathe again.

Letting go doesn’t mean forgetting what happened.
It means choosing not to carry it alone anymore.
This moment is often quiet, powerful, and deeply personal — a reminder that healing can be both intentional and gentle.

Healing Protectors: A Place To Heal and A Path To Lead- For Veterans

06/01/2026

“When we stop fighting our inner world, it stops fighting us.”

The White Wolf and the Black Wolf

There’s a well-known story about two wolves living inside each of us — a White Wolf and a Black Wolf. One represents qualities like compassion, peace, and clarity. The other carries anger, fear, pain, and survival instincts. The question is often asked: Which one wins?
Most people hear the answer: whichever one you feed the most.

But there’s another version of this story that offers deeper wisdom. In that version, the answer is simple:
If you feed them right, they both win.

The Black Wolf isn’t bad or broken. He carries qualities the White Wolf doesn’t — strength, vigilance, determination, boundaries, and the ability to survive hard things. But when the Black Wolf is ignored, dismissed, or pushed away, he doesn’t disappear. He fights harder for attention, often showing up as reactivity, anger, or overwhelm.

When the Black Wolf is acknowledged, listened to, and guided with care, those same qualities become protective and useful rather than destructive. The work isn’t about feeding one wolf and starving the other — it’s about learning how to lead both.

When compassion and clarity walk alongside strength and protection, the inner system settles.
And healing begins to feel less like a battle and more like balance.