A Sanctuary for Heroes
Guiding veterans through comprehensive systems to combat issues rooted in a need for decompression and reintegration in their post-service lives—all the way home. You served with honor, courage, and sacrifice. Now let us serve you with the care, dignity, and respect you've earned.
Support Resources
Veterans Crisis Line available 24/7 for immediate support
Our Vision
A world where no veteran is lost to CPTSD, isolation, homelessness, or suicide—where every veteran receives the decompression and reintegration support needed to return to a life of purpose, connection, productivity, and emotional stability.
The Aspen Grove: Strength Through Connection
Veterans are grounded in lifelong community, mirroring the interconnected strength of an aspen grove—where individual trees appear separate above ground, but are connected through a vast root system beneath the surface. This vision centers on helping veterans return to a state of renewed creativity, emotional stability, purpose, and deep connection with peers who understand their lived reality.
Never Again Lost
The Aspen Veteran's Project sees a world where veterans are never again lost to suicide, addiction, or homelessness. CPTSD no longer steals their breath or futures; isolation is impossible because every veteran is held within a living, interconnected community—mirroring the strength of an aspen grove.
AVP imagines veterans raising families, building careers, creating art, sleeping peacefully, and living fully again after decompression and trauma recovery. The organization aims to help the nation honour its veterans not only with gratitude but with deep transformation, returning them whole, grounded, and equipped for long-term thriving.
Raising Families
Creating Art
Living Fully
Our Mission
AVP guides combat veterans from survival to thriving through multi-modal healing, deep nature immersion, physical and creative challenge, philosophical dialogue, and peer bonding on a protected mountain sanctuary in southern New Mexico—followed by lifelong support and brotherhood. This is not a retreat but a permanent reintegration pathway.
The Aspen Grove Metaphor
The organization moves veterans through preparation, immersion, reflection, creative challenge, and peer connection in a protected wilderness environment. AVP offers nature-based healing, philosophical exploration, physical challenge, and team rebuilding—followed by ongoing support that extends for life.
The aspen grove metaphor reflects AVP's core belief: veterans appear separate, but beneath the surface they are connected through shared roots, shared experience, and a shared pathway to healing.
More Than Survival—Reclaim Your Life
AVP exists because every veteran who carried war home deserves more than survival—they deserve to reclaim their life. The project guides small cohorts of combat veterans through a proven multi-modal process:
Preparation
Intention-setting and readiness assessment
Immersion
Deep nature connection and healing
Dialogue
Philosophical inquiry and reflection
Challenge
Physical and creative growth
Connection
Rebuilding trust with peers
Purpose
Renewed self and lifelong support
This journey culminates in renewed purpose and the rediscovery of self. AVP is not a retreat; it is the gateway to a lifelong circle of support, including peer groups, reunions, mentorship, and ongoing connection rooted in the sanctuary land.
Founded on Clinical Excellence
Erica Angell
Founder & Clinical Director
Erica Angell, a clinician with 30+ years of experience in somatic, energetic, and trauma-aware therapeutic practices, founded AVP to fill a critical gap in the military system: veterans are trained for combat but not decompressed or reintegrated after service.
Clinical Background
Her background shapes AVP's integrative, evidence-informed approach to helping veterans reclaim their lives after service.
Program Model
AVP's programs are designed around a structured, evidence-informed, trauma-aware methodology shaped by decades of clinical experience and veteran-facing practice.
Individualized
Customized reintegration plans for each veteran
Each veteran receives an assessment-based, customized reintegration plan informed by their service history, trauma profile, symptoms, goals, and unique reintegration needs.
- Physiological dysregulation
- Emotional burnout
- Cognitive overload
- Relational disconnection
- Post-deployment identity fragmentation
Multi-Modal
Integrated therapeutic approaches
Somatic work, energy-based care, trauma-aware coaching, nature immersion, physical challenge, creative expression, and facilitated group dialogue.
- Somatic regulation techniques
- Therapeutic touch and bodywork
- Energy-based modalities
- Trauma-aware life coaching
- Nature immersion and physical challenge
- Creative expression
- Philosophical dialogue and group processing
Trauma-Informed
Safety, choice, trust, collaboration, empowerment; culturally respectful practices inform but do not replace clinical methods.
Safety
Physical and emotional security
Choice
Autonomy and decision-making
Collaboration
Shared power and partnership
Trustworthiness
Transparency and consistency
Empowerment
Skill-building and hope
AVP also incorporates culturally and spiritually respectful practices; Erica's background includes study of Native American shamanic and medicine traditions, which inform but never replace clinical methods.
Leadership & Quality Assurance
Erica Angell oversees strategy, program development, clinical quality, assessment protocols, and staff training to ensure a consistent, evidence-informed reintegration model.
Strategy & Development
Organizational vision and program growth
Clinical Quality
Maintaining therapeutic integrity
Staff Training
Evidence-informed team supervision
Outcome-Focused
Measurable goals, trackable progress, long-term reintegration markers
- Measurable goals for each veteran
- Standardized outcome metrics
- Periodic reassessment and adjustments
- Documentation of symptom reduction
- Long-term reintegration indicators
Lifelong
Continued peer support, mentor check-ins, and reunions anchored to the land
After the core immersion, veterans receive:
- Ongoing cohort support groups
- Regular mentor check-ins
- Annual reunions at the sanctuary
- Continued nature-based grounding opportunities
- A sustained network of veteran peers
Making a Measurable Difference
Real impact on veteran lives across Colorado and beyond
Gratitude Farm gave me a second chance at life. The support, understanding, and brotherhood I found here made all the difference.
You Served with Honor. Let Us Honor Your Service.
Whether you need immediate support, are looking for community connection, or want to learn about our sanctuary programs, we're here for you.
Contact Us
Have questions about our programs or need support? We're here to help. Fill out the form below and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.
Get in Touch
We're here to answer your questions and provide support. Reach out to us anytime.