How We Help

Melwood runs MST-specific retreats to connect female veterans and survivors with shared experience to one another and to promote a framework for moving on.

It is common for sexual trauma survivors to have also suffered from a moral injury, sometimes arising from how their case was handled or their experience of military justice and other times from the sheer fact that members of their team, unit, or military family committed the ultimate betrayal of trust instead of protecting their comrades. The dynamics on these retreats are powerful indeed with warriors often strengthening and healing one another as a function of their own individual journeys through trauma and beyond to renewed confidence, positive relationships, and growth.

Melwood’s Operation Tohidu® retreats are held at Melwood’s Retreat & Recreation Center located in Nanjemoy, Southern Maryland. In this safe and secluded environment, veterans, service members, Melwood staff and MST survivors work together to address the stigma of MST and to collectively find a release from its grip. It is a program run by veterans for veterans, led by a survivor who exemplifies and inspires post-traumatic growth.

“Tohidu” is a Cherokee word meaning peace of mind, body, and spirit. Operation Tohidu’s® experiential program focuses on confidence-building, outdoor activities, and group discussion in a relaxed, positive environment using proven techniques for the self-management of symptoms, stressors, and responses. Our highly trained staff of veteran facilitators, certified recreational support professionals, and peer mentors facilitate activities that highlight individual abilities and the value of group support to drive post-traumatic growth.