Operation Healing Forces: Healing the Whole Force, One Family at a Time

Some missions happen without fanfare. No parades. No headlines. Just quiet acts of courage, repeated daily, in homes across the country.

This is the life of a Special Operations family. And this is why Operation Healing Forces (OHF) exists.

At Lotus River Wellness, we’ve had the privilege of walking alongside many SOF spouses and families—and we’ve seen firsthand what invisible wounds can do. The toll service takes on the warfighter is undeniable, but what’s less often acknowledged is the impact that long, repeated deployments, high-risk missions, and silent suffering have on the family unit.

Operation Healing Forces isn’t just filling a gap.

They are rewriting the narrative around warrior recovery—by finally including the people who matter most.

Why Special Operations Families Are Different

Let’s be clear: all military families serve.

But Special Operations families serve differently.

SOF service members are selected for their elite capabilities, mental resilience, and ability to perform in unimaginable conditions. But that level of performance comes at a price—one that’s often paid in silence, behind closed doors.

These warriors operate in the shadows. Their missions are classified. Their losses are buried deep. They deploy often, return changed, and rarely have the space—or the language—to process what they’ve experienced.

Spouses and partners step in as caregivers, emotional translators, co-parents, and silent warriors of their own.

And too often… everyone suffers quietly.

The OHF Difference: Rest, Reconnection, Renewal

Operation Healing Forces recognizes what many organizations overlook:

• You cannot heal the warrior without healing the marriage.

• You cannot heal the mind without tending to the nervous system.

• You cannot rebuild the mission without rebuilding the home.

That’s why OHF doesn’t just focus on individual recovery—they serve the whole couple.

Through week-long retreats in peaceful, luxurious settings, OHF offers SOF couples a sacred pause. A space to reconnect as partners, not just as caregivers and operators. A setting where they can finally breathe, talk, sleep, laugh, and rediscover each other outside the context of war.

The retreats are more than just vacations. They are strategic interventions, designed to:

• Restore intimacy and communication between couples

• Reduce chronic stress through nature and intentional rest

• Connect SOF families with ongoing support and community

• Create a container for emotional healing and long-term growth

What It Means to Be Seen

For many couples, OHF is the first time someone has acknowledged their sacrifices without asking for more.

It’s the first time the spouse feels recognized—not just as the one who “held it together” during deployments, but as someone who also needs healing, care, and space to process.

It’s the first time the warfighter hears:

• “You don’t have to carry it all anymore.”

• And maybe even more powerfully:

• “You don’t have to do it alone.”

Why We Stand With OHF

At Lotus River Wellness, we believe in community-based healing. We believe in the power of rest, the necessity of nervous system regulation, and in giving military spouses the tools they need to come back home to themselves.

We also believe in partnerships that change lives—and that’s exactly what OHF does.

By including the spouse in the healing process, by wrapping their arms around the entire family, and by creating a safe haven for reconnection, OHF is doing what few organizations have the courage, clarity, and compassion to do:

They are healing Special Operations Forces from the inside out.

And when the family heals, the warrior becomes whole again.

To the Families OHF Serves...

We see you.

We honor you.

And we’re walking beside you.

If you’ve ever felt like there’s no space for your healing… let this be your sign that you belong in this conversation too.

🌿 Learn More

To learn more about Operation Healing Forces or explore how their retreats might support you and your partner, visit [https://www.operationhealingforces.org](https://www.operationhealingforces.org)

And if you're a SOF spouse ready to begin your own journey of personal healing, reconnection, and growth—consider joining us at Lotus River Wellness. Our trauma-informed Yoga Teacher Training program is designed specifically for military spouses, including scholarship pathways for those connected to OHF.

Because your healing matters too. And you were never meant to carry it all alone. ❤️