Everyone is talking about how to prompt AI for better content creation. At least that’s how it seems when visiting networking platforms like LinkedIn. You can’t scroll two clicks without landing on several how-to guides on the topic. Prompt engineers impart wisdom about how to get AI language learning models to do your bidding. Most of the advice centers around AI content creation and how to use the technology to replace professional copywriters and content creators on your marketing team. It’s possible to use AI like ChatGPT, Google Bard, and Claude to create content with precise directions from a human. However, that’s not necessarily the best way to leverage the power of AI technology. Michael Goldrich offers a more effective way to use AI to achieve your marketing goals. The founder and chief advisor at Vivander Advisors LLC, Goldrich relies on a 5-step process to guide companies through an AI transformation. His new book, Too Many Hats, Too Little Time explores Generative AI and its transformative impact on the business world. Innovators and leaders can learn how to integrate AI while preserving human judgment and creativity. Thinking outside the AI content creation box“I see a lot of stuff online where people are selling tools for specific business problems, but I think it’s backward thinking,” Goldrich said. “You need to look at the entire company and see how people work before offering them specific solutions.” So, what exactly does that mean? When you understand the business's overall challenges, you can provide more robust solutions. Instead of prompting AI to create content for your brand, Goldrich suggests something more groundbreaking: AI personas. An AI persona is a character or identity created for an artificial intelligence system to interact with users. Creators give the AI persona a specific personality, tone, and style of communication to mimic a human-like quality. Think of the last time you interacted with a chatbot or virtual assistant on the website of your favorite brand. They were created with an AI persona tooled toward improving the customer experience. What Goldrich proposes cranks AI personas up a notch to serve a more innovative purpose. Last year, he spent considerable time experimenting with ChatGPT 4. He first learned the art of creating effective AI prompts. “One of the first principles of creating a good prompt is to create a role. For example, you are a digital marketer, or you are a social media manager. After the role is created, you write the prompt to provide enough context that is associated with the role to deliver the output you want. Writing good prompts is the key to getting the AI to do what you want it to do,” he said. “Once I had that down, I started getting specific with it and asking the role to persist through the chat.” Asking ChatGPT to persist means it maintains continuity and context throughout the conversation. Requesting persistence creates a more coherent and meaningful interaction between a human and AI. Goldrich then used what he’d learned to create two separate AI personas and directed them to interact through ChatGPT. Each persona had unique characteristics such as a profession and a tone of voice. After much experimentation, he succeeded in using the AI personas to solve a specific conflict by interacting with one another based on his prompts. He continued to experiment with creating AI personas until he had an entire “board” of them, each with an area of expertise beneficial to his business marketing goals. The personas could converse with one another and with him in a similar way you would expect to see a board of directors operate, Goldrich said. 5-step plan for AI persona successHe was so stunned by the results he decided to share them. In his book, Goldrich outlines the steps he took to tailor personas to align with company goals and have them interact in meaningful ways. He includes screen captures of real, unedited conversations he had with his team of AI personas to demonstrate how the process works. “A quarter of the book is these back-and-forth conversations,” he said. Goldrich expresses in his chapter on strategies for engaging with AI personas that how you choose to engage with the digital entities significantly impacts the quality of insights they provide. He provides basic and advanced techniques for prompting and AI persona creation so you can get the results you need. Goldrich likens AI language models like ChatGPT 4 to a remote employee on the first day of work. “You can get them to do what you want, but you have to be clear and concise on what you want,” he said. One of the challenges of prompting with AI is drift, Goldrich warned. “You can’t use the same prompt over and over because you won’t get the same response each time.” You must give it adequate context. For instance, you can’t just say, “be a copywriter” and expect it to understand your input and produce quality output. “One of the reasons people get so frustrated when prompting AI is because Google has trained us to type a series of keywords into a search bar,” said Goldrich. “ChatGPT is the exact opposite. It’s not 3 or 4 words but three or four comprehensive sentences. The more thoughtful you are, the better the output is going to be.” His step-by-step guide makes understanding the purpose of AI personas and creating ones to suit your needs easy. Whether you’re seeking specialized advice from a legal AI persona or want a panel of AI collaborators, following his instructions makes it possible. Goldrich’s plan is ideal for startups and small to medium-sized companies that lack the resources to hire expert advisors. “You can have a sandbox environment of advisors to help you identify the ‘gotchas’ with ideas for growth or other business operations,” he said. His book includes a cautionary note about using AI personas. “It’s important to remember these AI personas draw upon training data to respond in a way that’s consistent with an expert’s public persona,” said Goldrich. “It’s emulation, not impersonation. They can’t capture the full scope of that person’s knowledge, experience, or consciousness.” AI’s take on AI personasPerhaps the most entertaining part of Too Many Hats, Too Little Time is the conclusion. It features book reviews from each of the AI personas he created. “Some of them liked it, some of them didn’t,” Goldrich said, laughing. “The lawyer (persona) was concerned about privacy, while some of the others were concerned about losing the human in the loop.” You can find Goldrich’s book on Amazon. Interested in learning more about how his company helps organizations transform with the power of AI? Feel free to connect with him on LinkedIn or send him an inquiry via email. About the Author - Shari Berg
0 Comments
Sarah Hendess and her sister, Charissa Howe, were on a family trip in England when they hatched their plot to start a publishing company for independent authors. They sat inside an English pub, forming the idea for Two Sisters Press into a solid plan. “I jokingly call us a PUBlishing company considering where we were when we had the bright idea,” said Hendess, laughing. Independent authors don’t have to worry. Their decision to dive into the publishing business wasn’t inspired by too much ale. As readers, they found themselves frustrated over the inability to find the specific types of books they enjoyed and wanted to have options. “Starting our own press just seemed like a good solution to the problem,” said Hendess. A pledge to deliver a better experienceAs an author herself, Hendess is a huge fan of independent publishing companies. She worked with a small family press (Wild Rose Press) to publish her historical novel, Second Chances in Hollywood. “I was in a weird space,” she said. “I wasn’t having any luck with agents because no one was sure how to position my book in the market, even though it’s clearly a historical novel.” That’s when she ended up on Wild Rose Press’s proverbial doorstep and had decidedly better luck. Hendess said she’s happy with her publisher and has signed on with them to exclusively publish her second book, A Capital Christmas. The historical romance takes place at the Smithsonian Castle in Washington, D.C. Hendess and Howe hope to provide the same kind of service to the independent authors they hand-select for publication with Two Sisters Press. “One of the biggest frustrations I had as an aspiring author was how long it took to get a response from a press or an agent,” said Hendess. “The standard is to wait four to six months, and if you don’t hear from them, then assume it’s a no.” They don’t want authors querying their press to ever experience that level of aggravation. “We want every single author who submits something to us to get an answer one way or the other within four weeks. We feel it’s considerate and respectful of the author’s time. Even if it’s a no, we’re going to tell them.” How the publishing process worksThe publishing process for Two Sisters Press is straightforward. Any author of adult historical fiction, young adult fiction, and middle-grade fiction can submit a partial or full manuscript for consideration. A full list of genres is on their website under the publishing tab. “It’s a shorter list of things we don’t take,” said Hendess. “We’re not doing nonfiction except for memoirs. We’re not interested in graphic violence or Stephen King-style submissions. We’re both big fans of historical novels and specifically seek out rom-coms and other romance novels.” Hendess said the sisters prioritize lesser-heard voices when they have a waiting list for publication. Two Sisters Press currently is in a holding pattern for new submissions until January 2024 because it has reached capacity, she said. Because of their small size, they can only publish between six and eight full-length novels and 15 to 20 picture books per year at this time. “When we are accepting new manuscripts, you can find a form on our website to fill out that asks for a synopsis, contact information, and the first five to 10 pages of the manuscript. We then review it to decide if it’s a good fit for our press. If we think it is, then the next step is for us to ask for the full manuscript.” Sending the full manuscript isn’t a guarantee of publication, Hendess warned. “Sometimes once we get the full manuscript, we can see that the premise is good, but the manuscript is lacking somewhere.” As a traditional royalty publishing house, authors won’t pay anything upfront if the sisters accept their manuscript for publication. “Our rates are 40 percent on eBooks and 10 percent on print sales,” Hendess said. From submission to publication takes approximately 12 months. Shorter books or those that need less polishing before printing can get out the door faster. “We don’t want to do it too fast because we want to have time to hype up the book and do a proper book launch,” Hendess said. A few words of advice to new authorsAlways do your research before submitting your manuscript to agents or publishing houses. Hendess said that’s the number one piece of advice she can offer aspiring authors to increase their chances of success. “We sometimes get submissions from authors who clearly haven’t done their research on what we accept and don’t accept,” she said. “You’re setting yourself up for failure when you blindly submit your manuscript. A rejection from us doesn’t mean your book is bad. It just means you queried the wrong person.” Another tip she offered was to find critique partners who will tell you the truth about your manuscript and help you make it better before you submit it for publishing. “My critique partners are the reason that I have a published book,” said Hendess. If you’re an author who partakes in the NaNoWriMo challenge to complete a manuscript in 30 days during National Writing Month in November, Hendess begs you not to submit that manuscript on the first day of December to any publishing houses or agents. “Trust me, they’re not ready for query. Do yourself a favor and hire a freelance editor first to do some polishing and line checks. A lot of (small presses) are doing this on the side, so if it needs more work than we have time to put into it, then we may take a pass.” Lastly, don’t be afraid of small presses as an independent author because the benefits are numerous, she said. “It’s a good way to get noticed by the big five (publishing houses) if it’s your goal in life, especially if you win any awards.” Visit 2sisterspress.com to learn more about submission requirements or to check out their list of published authors. About the AuthorIs it possible to write a book in one weekend? Sure, it is. Just ask children’s author Ammaar Reshi (although he probably wishes you wouldn’t). Reshi, a design manager at Brex, used popular artificial intelligence (AI) tools ChatGPT and Midjourney to create and publish a story called “Alice and Sparkle,” over a weekend. Reshi claims the book is the first of its kind because it was co-created with AI. He gives his writing and illustration partner full credit in the book synopsis. But wait…it gets weirder. The book is about a young girl named Alice who creates her own AI named Sparkle. In the book, they go on fun adventures, combining their knowledge to change the world for the better (or so the synopsis promises). Customer reviews give it a 3.1 out of 5 stars on Amazon. Some reviewers took pot-shots at the fact Reshi relied too heavily on AI to write the book. However, a few others said they were less bothered by the AI involvement and more concerned with the complete lack of storytelling throughout the book. “I’ve seen some amazing stuff that was made using A.I. tools such as Midjourney and ChatGPT,” said a reviewer with the handle Hamsteroid. “This is not that.” Hamsteroid goes on to say the book lacks an arc in the storytelling and just abruptly ends. Fellow reviewer Langue Master said, “This is what happens when AI is used to write a story with no human writer behind to guide things. This story is quite empty in terms of its story arc and content and the illustrations are poorly made/generated.” Ouch. Besides the possibility of garnering blistering reviews for AI-generated content, there are other reasons why you probably shouldn’t rely on it to write that dystopian novel you’ve had brewing in your brain for the last decade. Before you make nice with ChatGPT or another AI tool, take some time to discover: What the heck is an AI content generator?Technophobes (and those living under rocks) may have zero clue what AI content generators are all about. For the uninitiated, AI content generators are technology programmed to use Natural Language Generation (NLG) to turn thoughts into words on a page. Since AI can’t think like humans, engineers train them to learn how to engage in human-like conversations. They rely on vast amounts of information gleaned from the internet – articles, blogs, news stories, Reddit threads – to respond to prompts. One of the most talked about technologies in this space is ChatGPT. It’s dominated the news cycle since the beginning of the year. However, AI content generators existed long before ChatGPT hit the scene. Some of the most popular technologies for creating written content include Jasper AI and AI Writer. DALL-E and Midjourney currently covet the top spots for AI image creation. How is AI disrupting the publishing industry?While most organizations are figuring out how to use AI to replace their marketing teams full of humans, there is another group of people coveting its so-called power to generate words quickly. Wannabe authors have turned to generative AI to make their dreams come true. As we discussed earlier in this blog post, using AI to write a novel can backfire. Some publishers have publicly admonished writers who used AI to generate bland content. Science fiction publisher Clarkeworld Magazine took to its Twitter account in mid-February to proclaim it was closing submissions because of the sheer volume of AI-generate content it had received. Of the 1,200 submissions it received in February, Clarkesworld founder Neil Clarke claimed more than 500 were AI-produced. Another publication, Science, has outright banned content generated by AI in any of its journals. Its policy states, “text generated from AI, machine learning, or similar algorithm tools” is considered scientific misconduct. On the image side of things, Getty Images has banned the upload and sale of AI-generated illustrations because of fears over future copyright claims. We’ll talk more later about whether you can copyright AI-produced content. What are some of the common problems with AI content?AI language models like ChatGPT can assist with content generation. However, they’re not a substitute for human creativity, critical thinking, or subject matter expertise. Beyond lacking the emotions of a human writer, relying on AI to write an entire novel (or any other content, for that matter) comes with risks.
Who holds the copyright for AI-generated content and illustration?The short answer to who holds the copyright for AI-generated content and illustration is not you. Herein lies a huge problem with organizations relying on AI tools like ChatGPT and Midjourney for creating all their written and visual content. Images and text 100 percent generated by AI don’t qualify for copyright protections, according to the U.S. Copyright Office. In late February, the copyright office ruled in the case of the comic book “Zarya of the Dawn,” whose author used illustrations produced solely by Midjourney. Since non-humans created the images, author Kristina Kashtanova gained copyright protections for the story, but the images were excluded. The same holds true for text written by AI that humans have not altered in some way. When AI makes all the decisions about how something is written or designed, it bypasses the human creative process required for copyrighting. Choosing humans over machinesIt’s tempting to turn to machines over humans to produce content, especially when you’re looking to cut expenses. Aspiring authors can fall into this trap along with organizations. Choosing humans over machines is a better option. Not only does it get you higher-quality content, but it also ensures you own the rights to that content once it’s completed. We hope you make the right decision. AuthorShari Berg has known she wanted to be a writer since she was old enough to hold a pencil in her hand. She believes everyone has a story to tell, and it’s her job to discover it. Shari owns The Write Reflection, a Pittsburgh-based copywriting and content writing company that empowers small business owners to wield the power of words. Rules of Order, the latest offering from Jeff Vande Zande, evokes an eerie feeling of déjà vu for more than one reason. Firstly, it features a group of people forced to live together who can’t agree on, well, anything. Sound familiar? It’s like a real-life depiction of current events set against a dystopian backdrop. Secondly, fans that have read his previous work, The Neighborhood Division, recognize the characters and the storyline. The overarching theme in that collection of stories focused on battling with the instincts of the self vs. the community. One of the stories called “Load” left readers wanting more. Not one to leave his fans hanging, Vande Zande fulfilled their wishes by expanding the short into its own novel. In the shorter version, readers are introduced to the main character, Harvey Crowe. He has good intentions but struggles a bit with the execution. When we meet Crowe again in Rules of Order, he’s still busy trying to convince his neighbors that they must get on board with strict guidelines for weight limits in their individual apartments to protect the entire building from collapse. Although this time around, we gain more insight into his motives. If you’re asking why they couldn’t just move to a new building, readers get the impression that’s not an option in this dystopian future. Readers aren’t told exactly how it happened, but we’re led to believe that leaving the building and venturing into the outside world is akin to an immediate death sentence. It’s effective storytelling that Vande Zande leaves it up to the reader to fill in the blanks on how the outside world became so inhospitable to human life. “The bigger message I wanted to convey is that it was probably a good dose of capitalism that destroyed the outside world, and somehow, capitalism still found a way inside the building,” said Vande Zande. “It just became a microcosm of how the planet used to conduct itself. We want more for ourselves as individuals, even if we’re hurting the group.” The sky is falling…literallyWithout spoiling the storyline, it’s safe to say for most of the novel, Vande Zande taps into the reader’s anxiety with a sense of urgency about when – not if – the building will collapse. This sense of impending doom led to Falling Sky as the original title of the novel. “It was titled Falling Sky for a long time,” said Vande Zande. “But the publisher eventually decided it was too close to some other movie and book titles and that because of it, it just wasn’t grabbing him.” Vande Zande started brainstorming a new title and kept coming back to Robert’s Rules of Order, which he used as a frequent reference when writing the board room scenes for the book. “I thought about making the new title Rules of Order and the publisher loved it.” Of course, with Vande Zande, there always is a hidden meaning behind his book titles. Not only is Rules of Order a nod to Robert’s Rules, but it also is a play on words for how the order of society – rich vs. poor – was conducted within the building. The book title isn’t the only aspect of Rules of Order with a double entendre. Characters’ names also carried hidden meanings. One such character is the well-to-do Gerald LaMark, one of the newest and youngest members of the apartment building board. Vande Zande said he named LaMark after the character Lamarque in Les Miserables. “It’s kind of an homage to him because there’s a line in one of the songs that only Lamarque speaks for we people here below,” said Vande Zande. “It seemed a good parallel since LaMark speaks for the residents on the lower floors of the building.” Two of the most interesting characters in the book are the building supervisor, Sam, and his wife, Anya. Unfortunately for Crowe, he can hear every conversation the couple has through a leaky ventilation pipe between their apartments. Most of those arguments are about how much they dislike each other. “Some readers have shared with me that the super and his wife represent the oversharing that happens on social media these days,” said Vande Zande. “For me, they represent the existential threat of nuclear weapons that we can’t control among all the things that we try to do to protect ourselves and our planet. The whole planet can get annihilated only on our inability to get along.” It’s hardly a surprise the building in Rules of Order is an analogy for our planet. The world is facing an ongoing climate crisis, divisiveness, and authoritarianism – all things represented within the microcosm of Crowe’s building. Sam and Anya represent the overarching feeling that we’re in the palm of a hand we can’t control and that can crush us at any moment no matter what insignificant actions we take to prevent our demise. “The more we try, the harder we fail,” said Vande Zande. “We’re really botching it as a species.” Looking toward the futureReaders who enjoy The Rules of Order also may want to check out Vande Zande’s 50-page novelette, Parable of Weeds, which discusses the nuances of gated communities.
It may be a while before fans of Vande Zande’s brand of dystopian writing have a new story to immerse themselves in. After writing two novels in 2020, Vande Zande said he needs some time to restore his creative juices. Not to worry, though. He’ll be back to taking aspects of the real world, turning the volume up on them, and creating an amazing tale again in the future. For now, readers can get their copy of Rules of Order on Amazon. "I used to be the fist-pounder on the table. I had to learn how to be a real mediator. It gave me a whole new perspective on dealing with my PTSD." Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder affects one in every 11 people in the U.S. That means you likely know someone who is struggling every day with the devastating effects of PTSD. June is National PTSD Awareness Month. Spreading awareness about PTSD is not something I wait for other people to do. For those who do not know, one of my dearest friends is in his 17th year of living with PTSD. Together, we wrote and published Wars End With Me, the story of his ongoing battle. I met Pat Strobel in 2002 when I was working as a reporter at a daily newspaper in his hometown of Butler, Pa. When he deployed to Iraq in February 2003, my editor tasked me with chronicling Pat’s service in the pages of the newspaper. Every few weeks, as Pat had time, he would send me some photos of himself and a quick update on what it was like living – and fighting – in an active warzone. Less than seven months after he was deployed, I received a call to tell me that he was seriously injured when his convoy came under attack in Fallujah. The physical injuries and emotional trauma Pat suffered that day forever changed him. For the last 17 years, Pat has struggled with PTSD. It has complicated his personal and professional life. Three years have passed since we first published his story. What better way to catch up with our readers, who have joined Pat on every step of his journey? I reached out to Pat who, as always, is willing to share the most personal moments of his life in the pursuit of helping others with PTSD. What follows is a progress report and encouragement for others with PTSD to keep fighting the good fight. Going Dutch on PTSD Shortly after our book launched in December 2018, Pat was offered a three-year assignment as a director of maintenance. The catch: he would serve out the stint in the Netherlands, overseeing a Dutch workforce performing maintenance on U.S. Army pre-positioned stock. His new job was part of a partnership between the U.S. and Dutch governments. Pat was tasked with teaching former Dutch military personnel with mechanical backgrounds how to perform maintenance on U.S. Army equipment. “That director of maintenance job was short-lived, because my boss was unexpectedly reassigned, and someone needed to step up,” said Pat. That someone was him. “I assumed that role, and that’s when the job became really challenging.” His new job required a little bit of finesse and a lot of political correctness. “And good communication skills to keep major political incidents from cropping up,” Pat added. The last job Pat had in the U.S. before taking on this new assignment prepared him well. His biggest responsibilities there were contracts and negotiations. Those skills came in handy when he had to mediate between the U.S. Army and the Dutch government over a stalemate on the fine details of the working relationship. Serving as a mediator was a new experience for Pat. He had served with the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment out of Fort Carson, Colo. during his active enlistment. He was the guy who fixed all the equipment, to put it simply. Fixing people was never his skill set. Until now. “I used to be the fist-pounder on the table,” he said. “That kind of behavior doesn’t work with the Dutch people. They are very laid back and not easily rattled. I had to learn how to be a real mediator. It gave me a whole new perspective on dealing with my PTSD.” Family ties Leaving his family behind for three years was the most difficult part of taking the new assignment. It was an unfortunate negative that he worked around because, as Pat puts it, he needed a reset. He made it home just twice – with an additional visit in the Netherlands from his wife – before COVID-19 hit and locked everything down. With just two months left on his current assignment, Pat said he is eager to return home for good. One of the good things that happened with his family involves his son, Josh. For those who have read Wars End With Me, you know that Josh enlisted in the military (much to Pat’s dismay). He did not want his son to suffer the same way he had and believed the stress over his son’s decision was a trigger for his PTSD. After a few years as a Corporal in the 101st Airborne and several deployments to Africa, Josh Strobel now has a full-time position with the Iowa National Guard. The new role removed him from active duty in the Army, which has made Pat extremely happy. “It’s one less thing for me to worry about. I don’t have to wonder where he’s at. Once I’m home, I’ll get to see him all the time. If I could have done what he’s doing, I would have. I didn’t even know that active guard existed when I joined the Army.” A different kind of therapy One of the downsides of his three-year stint in the Netherlands was the lack of access to his usual therapy for his PTSD. Working with the Dutch, Pat said, was an alternative form of therapy. Before his new assignment, Pat struggled a lot with angry outbursts because of his PTSD. He has mellowed out and attributes his attitude adjustment to Dutch influence. “The Dutch really have shown me that life shouldn’t be so competitive. Everybody is playing music. Everybody is happy. It’s just a different mentality.” The Dutch do not feel pressured to perform at work the same way Americans do, Pat noted. Screaming and banging his fists on the table when things were not going as planned did not motivate them. It forced him to find a new way to lead. He discovered presenting them with metrics about their job performance compared with others doing similar work (who were more efficient at their tasks) was the best inspiration. “They taught me so much about leadership. I tried to shape my leadership style around their ethics because, at the end of the day, I was trying to extract as much talent from them as I could. Knowing what motivates workers is the key to effective leadership. That, and a lot of patience. I’m definitely learning a lot of patience,” he said, laughing. Lessons learned, anger burned The last three years had their fair of challenges, but Pat is thankful for the experience. “There was nothing but success stories here. That’s what I liked about this place. Getting back around maintenance – grease, oil – it was good for my morale and good for my PTSD. I was starting to doubt myself before I came here. Coming here and separating myself from all those things was almost therapeutic.” Pat said his new attitude will help him better manage his PTSD and his job opportunities once he returns to the U.S. “I don’t know where the perfect job is or if there is such a thing. What I do know is this job I have now has taught me that I just need to shut up and color.” AuthorShari Berg has known she wanted to be a writer since she was old enough to hold a pencil in her hand. She believes everyone has a story to tell, and it’s her job to discover it. Shari owns The Write Reflection, a Pittsburgh-based copywriting and content writing company that empowers small business owners to wield the power of words. I sighed with relief on Monday morning as I watched my book go live on Amazon.
From the time Patrick reached out to me, until the time Wars End With Me went live on Monday, it's been four long years. With the help - and patience - of a lot of people, we've finally brought Patrick's dream to tell his story to fruition. When we started this book nearly four years ago, we had no idea where the journey would lead us – or that it would take so long to get there. But, like the daily battle our veterans and active military personnel who have been diagnosed with PTSD face, we made the commitment to continue on until every word we wanted to share was included somewhere in the pages of this book. First and foremost, we would like to thank our families. Our mothers, fathers, siblings, children and spouses have been our biggest cheerleaders throughout this entire process. You have been there for us, encouraging us when we felt like quitting, and supporting our efforts to bring hope to other veterans struggling with PTSD. We love and appreciate each and every one of you. This book also would not be possible without the assistance and participation of the veterans and medical professionals who agreed to share their stories and their advice to others struggling with PTSD in the pages of this book. Thank you for your bravery and for your honesty in chronicling your ongoing battle with PTSD. To Dr. Sudip Bose, a heartfelt thank you for not only sharing your efforts to bring awareness to PTSD and abolish the stigma surrounding it, but for continuing to fight for the health and well-being of our veterans. Our readers will want to check out The Battle Continues, Dr. Bose’s nonprofit organization that is dedicated to raising awareness and providing assistance to veterans who have returned from war. Information about the organization can be found in the Resources section of this book. To Kate Dahlstedt, co-founder of Soldier’s Heart clinical psychologist, your candidness about women veterans and PTSD is greatly appreciated. Oftentimes, women veterans struggling with PTSD can be overlooked. But the trauma is just as real and devastating for them as it is for their male counterparts. Additionally, your sharing of the Soldier’s Heart program protocol for the book is something we especially appreciate, as we feel it is something that truly can make a difference in the lives of those who have picked up this book in their quest to be understood and helped. Information about Soldier’s Heart can be found in the Resources section of this book. To Dr. Roger Brooke, a licensed psychologist and Director of the Military Psychological Services at the Duquesne University Psychology Clinic, thank you for sharing your perspective on how PTSD not only affects the mind, but also the soul. Your words, combined with those of Kate Dahlstedt, provide powerful credence to the belief that PTSD trauma resides not in the mind, but in the soul. It is our hope that your words encourage veterans to consider tackling their PTSD in a way that they may not have previously considered. To Samantha Supernaw, a licensed therapist who shared her successes with a specific form of counseling protocol for individuals with PTSD, thank you for taking the time to share this groundbreaking therapy method with our readers, and for your willingness to continue to hone your skills and expertise so that you may be a resource for our veterans. To our editor, Peter Bosak, who helped us to bring this manuscript to life in a readable format, thank you for being a part of this journey. Your wordsmithing abilities have been truly appreciated. And lastly, to the veterans and their families who have dedicated their lives in service to this country, we appreciate you the most. We hope those of you who are struggling with PTSD – whether you are an active military member, a veteran or a loved one – find the contents of this book to be helpful to you, providing a sense of peace in knowing that others share in your journey, and the encouragement to continue the battle. Find our book here on Amazon. |
Categories
All
Archives
April 2024
|