david bram

David Bram is a California native, being born in Fremont and growing up in Vacaville. He is a husband and father of three wonderful children. David’s family has an extensive military tradition and so it was only natural that he too would serve. In 2004 he did just that, enlisting in the Army infantry. During his service he was stationed in Arlington, Virginia conducting funerals in Arlington National Cemetery, and then on to Ft. Lewis, Washington where he deployed to Afghanistan as a squad leader in the summer of 2009. Upon his return he finished his last enlistment and exited the Army in 2013. While away those nine years some of his family relocated to Redding, CA and so after his discharge, David made Redding his home as well.

Over the next several years David fought to overcome the memories and experiences from his time in Afghanistan. PTSD is a very real, but hard to accept condition for combat veterans. Through tireless effort by his family and VA mental health programs, David received some of the help that he needed, but something was still missing. David has always dreamed of having a ranch with horses, and with the VA adopting-equine assisted treatments all over the country, he believes that horses are the key to helping veterans help themselves. He experienced this for himself after completing the first Authenticity Workshop: Conscious Connection and Encouraging Engagement at Roughout Ranch.

David is currently attending college for his bachelor’s degree in the psychology of addictions—a common symptom for unresolved trauma. He is a Registered Alcohol and Drug Technician interning under Wayshower Behavioral Health in collaboration with Roughout Ranch Foundation at Roughout Ranch. David’s short-term goal is to facilitate substance-use disorder groups for the surrounding community, with a focus on veterans. By feeling and using the power of the horses, participants will develop their own understandings of what the horses are teaching them, truly making these groups client based. During these sessions, David will help participants learn to be present and accepting. By accepting our past, we can then learn to live in the present. Something that anyone has a difficult time doing on their own.