Health

Sweat lodge at Army base helps with PTSD treatment for veterans






Participants leave offerings at the sweat lodge at Fort Carson in Colorado. Photo by Monica Mendoza / U.S. Air Force

A sweat lodge at the Fort Carson Army base in Colorado is going strong after 21 years, KOAA reports.

Sweats at the He Ska Akicita Inipi (Colorado Warriors Sweat Lodge) typically occur twice a month. The ceremony is often recommended for veterans and active duty soldiers who are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

"I've deployed five times. I've been there and back, and all that negative baggage that you collect and the things that you see and stuff like that, this helps you cope," Kevin Cheek, a member of the Otoe-Missouria Tribe who serves in the Air Force, told KOAA. "This helps you deal with all that."

Fort Carson also hosts a Sun Dance ceremony every summer.

Get the Story:
Vets turn to sweat lodges to treat PTSD (KOAA 2/10)

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