The Eleventh Minute of the Eleventh Hour of the Eleventh Day of the Eleventh Month

war memorials

The Eleventh Minute of the Eleventh Hour of the Eleventh Day of the Eleventh Month is solemnly observed in the US, Canada and other Commonwealth Nations, and the United Kingdom, where it was first commemorated.

In the US, it’s Veterans’ Day, honoring all who served, and throughout the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, it’s Remembrance Day, a day to honor those who gave their lives in service to their countries.

John McCrae, a Canadian military surgeon serving at Ypres, penned the now-famous poem whose poppies have come to symbolize the resting places of not only the thousands who died in the mud and ruins of Belgian no man’s land, but all combatants.

Like many of the poet-soldiers of that war, McCrae would not live to see the war’s end.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

We salute those who served, and those who do today, honoring those who fell and those who returned changed.

ABCT has many fact sheets on some of the traumas that service members and veterans might experience as well as many skilled therapists to help walk you or loved ones through difficult times.

Military Veterans Mental Health

Military Suicide

Military Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

ABCTs’ Find-a-Therapist Directory

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a type of treatment that is based firmly on research findings. It places emphasis on changing your cognitions (thoughts) or behaviors (actions) in order to effect change in how you feel. These approaches help people in achieving specific changes or goals.

Changes or goals might involve:

A way of acting: like smoking less or being more outgoing;
A way of feeling: like helping a person to be less scared, less depressed, or less anxious;
A way of thinking: like learning to problem-solve or get rid of self-defeating thoughts;
A way of dealing with physical or medical problems: like reducing back pain or helping a person stick to a doctor’s suggestions.

Cognitive behavioral therapists usually focus more on the current situation and its solution, rather than the past. They concentrate on a person’s views and beliefs about their life. CBT is an effective treatment for individuals, parents, children, couples, and families. The goal of CBT is to help people improve and gain more control over their lives by changing behaviors that don’t work well to ones that do.

How to Get Help

If you are looking for help, either for yourself or someone else, you may be tempted to call someone who advertises in a local publication or who comes up from a search of the Internet. You may, or may not, find a competent therapist in this manner. It is wise to check on the credentials of a psychotherapist. It is expected that competent therapists hold advanced academic degrees. They should be listed as members of professional organizations, such as the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies or the American Psychological Association. Of course, they should be licensed to practice in your state. You can find competent specialists who are affiliated with local universities or mental health facilities or who are listed on the websites of professional organizations. You may, of course, visit our website (www.abct.org) and click on “Find a CBT Therapist”

The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) is an interdisciplinary organization committed to the advancement of a scientific approach to the understanding and amelioration of problems of the human condition. These aims are achieved through the investigation and application of behavioral, cognitive, and other evidence-based principles to assessment, prevention, and treatment.