It started out as a little voice in our head. Then the voice became a full-blown scream every time we saw a news story detailing the horrors that America’s military heroes are facing because of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. At times, the frustration was almost overwhelming. We saw so many people in need, and we knew we had a program that could help them. But government contracts move at a snail’s pace. We knew that if we were watching politicians blame each other for the poor state of our military health care over CNN and the national news, our soldiers were watching the same game played out before their eyes, while getting little help for their symptoms.

The Life Group is a young company with a big mission: to reduce the overwhelming stress that is such a debilitating force in our lives today so that people may experience a happier and healthier life. We are Rod and Jill Slane. Our background is in music and film production. Our audio vibrational therapy program was designed in reponse to our own struggle with stress and the desire to find a non-pharmacological way to lessen the negative effects of chronic stress. Our flagship program, The Life Program, is a unique vibrational therapy program that safely and gently uses sound vibrations to guide the brainwave patterns to levels of deep relaxation, meditation, and sleep. Basically, it is a fast, easy way to achieve the relaxation response, deep meditation, and even sleep with little or no effort on the part of the user. The technology is delivered through audio CDs, or more currently, on a small digital audio device. In the past year, thousands of units have been sold. Currently, our program is being sold and recommended by healthcare providers across the country, from cardiologists to psychiatrists.

The Life Group is passionate about our commitment to mental wellness. The mental health issues faced by our military troops, who have, with strong commitment and dedication, supported the rights to freedom that many of us tend to take for granted, particularly touch our hearts.

As idealistic as we are, even we knew that it would be difficult to just knock on the doors of the military and expect to get respect with a non-drug, alternative form of therapy. Especially a small company in Stuart, Florida, whose entire yearly operating budget was less than the daily lunch budgets of most pharmaceutical firms. Still, we knew that we had a product that could help. Sitting on the sideline, watching political parties point fingers and pass blame was not an option for us. We knew that if we were watching that happen, so were our suffering soldiers who so desperately needed help, and were getting none. So we did the only thing that we could think of to get help into the hand of those brave souls who were serving us, and needed our help. We gave the program away. Free. To every veteran who asked for it, no questions asked.

Fortunately, The Life Group is located near the Carey-award-winning Miami Veteran’s Medical Center. It is easy to see why the Miami VA Medical Center has been named the top VA hospital in the country for the past four consecutive years. The forward-thinking physicians and psychologists were willing to embrace forms of alternative treatment with open arms.

The Life Group has been supplying our audio relaxation and meditation programs under the name of The Life Program and Natural Wellness Therapy to the Miami Veterans Healthcare System since April 2007.  These products have been utilized in areas such as the fifth floor residential programs including the PTSD units, alcohol rehab, Biopsychosocial units, Inpatient Psychiatry, all groups run by the Psychology Department, Pain Management, Outreach Psychiatry including MHICM and Upbeat, and most recently OSAC (Outpatient Substance Abuse Clinic).  All to rave reviews and full compliance by participants, including the clinicians who use the program both at home and at work.  This alternative therapy is also reaching into the Primary Care Clinics and most recently to the OEF/OIF returnees as well.  Additionally, there are three of our Group Therapy Sound distribution system that accommodate up to 32 headphones in place within the hospital, with another in the Outpatient Substance Abuse Clinic.

The program has spread to other VA Medical Systems, and is working its way into the Army and Department of Defense. Recently, we have released a line of digital audio players that are a full solution in the delivery of our technology.  These small audio devices include three relaxation programs along with our hour-long delta sleep program.  We designed these players specifically from the suggestions we received from the Miami VAMC clinical staff.  They are a complete solution to the end user - easy to operate and all-inclusive.  And they recharge from the wall like a cell phone, A/C charger included, alleviating the need for batteries.  The program is a non-invasive solution that compliments any treatment regime, and is a perfect compliment to the program that is administered during group therapy. The program has received enthusiastic reviews.

<< click here to see letters from the VA treatment providers >>

We know that the program is effective in battling mental fatigue, anxiety and insomnia – all issues that lead to combat fatigue and ongoing mental and emotional issues, such as PTSD. It is our hope that one day, every soldier in-theater will have access to one of these “vibration therapy devices.” We see the program as a preventative in-field mental wellness tool that strengthens the soldier’s resiliency to the emotional trauma that they must endure on a daily basis.

Even when this formidable goal is accomplished, there is much more to The Life Group’s agenda.

Our mission is actually three-fold. First, to personally provide help to as many military members who are in need of assistance as possible.

Secondly our mission is to raise awareness among the public of the dilemma faced by our returning military family who are facing PTSD issues. There are several reasons that many people who are suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder do not step forward. First is the personal stigma of doing so. We have talked to a number of soldiers who, when complaining about PTSD symptoms to their superiors, were criticized – even chastised. Unfortunately, there is still a stigma surrounding mental health. It is time that we stand up and look mental health issues in the eye, and see them exactly for what they are… health issues. In the case of our soldiers, PTSD is the result of battlefield injuries – no different than any other injury. Perhaps one day, a soldier suffering from PTSD will be awarded a Purple Heart for wounds received while defending his or her country. Until that happens, the mental health professionals supporting our soldiers are working under outdated budgetary guidelines and rules regarding treatment, and are walking a fine line between answering to the ever increasing awareness of the public regarding the alarming numbers of soldiers with emotional trauma, and the dinosaur hierarchy that still thinks it can sweep these issues under the rug, like the dirty little family secret that it has been for the past 60 years.

Compounding the problem, is the fact that many soldiers are afraid that once they are classified with a “mental health issue”, they could become ineligible to serve in certain civilian fields, such as law enforcement. People who enlist in the military tend to be people who, at the core, have a servant’s heart. Many return from military duty to join the ranks of police officers, firefighters and others who serve our country in a civilian manner. Often, they feel that the stigma of being diagnosed with a “mental disorder” will have a negative impact on their ability to get or keep these positions, so they suffer in silence. We must work to provide a system that promotes prompt treatment and follow up so those affected by mental health injuries can return to work and home life quickly and safely.

Finally, we view the third part of our mission as our most difficult – to encourage other businesses, both large and small, to reach out beyond their “normal” charitable practices, and help those who are returning from the conflict in Iraq and other world hotspots with traumatic injuries that may or may not be visible on the surface. So few are willing to step up to the plate. We even went to our local congressman for help in making our initial donations. Despite repeated phone calls a emails, we never even received a return phone call.

It doesn’t matter how we personally feel about the war, or what our political views are. What matters is that there are people who have been sent into conflict as our protectors, representatives, and ambassadors. These people, our own brothers and sisters, are returning from these conflicts with huge emotional injuries that our military is struggling to address. As a country known as one of the most compassionate on the planet, we, as individuals, need to stand up and embrace these heroes and use every resource we can spare to let them know that we are here for them. It saddens us to see so many Americans taking their freedom for granted, while so many of those who made the freedom possible are suffering emotional trauma that affects not only themselves, but their families as well. Particularly egregious, are the companies who are profiting from the war, yet doing little to help. We invite every company in America to step up to the plate by donating goods or services where they can.

Recently, we attended a Mental Health Awareness Day at the Miami VA. We were absolutely overwhelmed with the level of gratitude and excitement about The Life Program. It is absolutely amazing that the idea that a company would donate resources to soldiers in need is a novel idea.

Let’s work to convert this “novel” idea to one of standard business practice!