"Return to life"

“Return to Life”: A Bridge of Hope and Healing My name is Liz de Clercq. I am an emotional therapist using therapy dogs with a specialization in posttraumatic stress disorder. During the Swords of Iron War, I initiated the "Return to Life" project, which is a unique project for emotional therapy using Newfoundland dogs, a breed of maritime rescue dogs with a rare closeness and resilience and very deep emotional intelligence. The project provides support to soldiers who have been injured and suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, or who have been injured and are in the process of rehabilitation, during the most difficult period of their lives. When words no longer help, dogs speak the language of the heart. The dog's eyes meet eyes that have seen difficult scenes, crying eyes, and restless thoughts. After meeting soldiers who need a different therapeutic method – one that combines warmth, loyalty and a language that goes beyond words that creates a deep connection between the dogs and the soldier – I decided to try and expand the treatment to more and more soldiers who need it. Therapy with dogs enables deep emotional healing and helps reduce stress, depression, anxiety, and loneliness. The dog becomes a bridge between the therapist and the patient, leading the soldiers to rediscover their inner strength and personal resilience. What do the dogs of "Returning to Life" do?                                                                                              They are partners in the journey. The therapy dogs and I come to a therapy session that includes a conversation that allows the soldier to receive emotional support, guidance and spiritual strengthening and therapy in contact with the dog. The therapy provides a new beginning in life and a supportive relationship with a therapy dog that comes to visit him during hospitalization and rehabilitation, which are part of a bright spot and in the lives of the injured soldiers. I intend to train a team of therapists in therapy dogs to expand this therapeutic project that gives great hope for the rehabilitation of the soldiers. My team of therapy dogs and I will reach wounded soldiers in hospitals such as Sheba Hospital, Beilinson Hospital, Soroka Hospital,Beit Levinstein Hospital and various rehabilitation centers across the country. In these moving encounters, the dogs provide unconditional love, unique emotional communication and moments of peace and quiet for the soldiers. In addition, the project will accompany soldiers who have expressed a desire to understand the process of receiving a therapy dog that will continue to accompany them further. How can you help? In order to continue and expand this important activity so that we can continue to support the rehabilitation of soldiers even after they return home, we need your donations. Your donation will allow us to reach more soldiers and to provide the soldiers with the emotional support and resilience they so need. Together, we can give hope and recovery to those heroes to return to life“Return to Life”: A Bridge of Hope and Healing Join us - Donate now. ♥️Every donation is another step on the path to recovery♥️