When rage bubbles up in 32-year-old Kyle Komora of Crystal Lake, he lets the emotion swell up until it's too big for him to grip anymore. Then it just falls away.

It's a method he learned in "group," which is what some call a free alternate therapy group that's meant to help local veterans cope with issues such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Before joining the group last year, Komora, who served two tours in Iraq from 2001 to 2005, was living in a constant state of anger. Frustration would be triggered too fast and too easily, and then it wouldn't go away.

"This is the one group out there that has helped me," Komora said. "All the other groups and therapies I've tried just made things worse."

But if Tuesday's session doesn't bring a certain number of committed veterans – decidedly about 12 people – this particular group likely will not get the funding it needs to continue, said Ted Biever, who spearheaded the alternative therapy group about two years ago.

Unlike other types of therapy he has tried, Komora said the alternate therapy group doesn't force his war stories to the forefront of his mind. It doesn't ask veterans to focus on the experiences that cause them pain, but rather on how to work through the feelings instead.

Veterans are taught certain therapeutic techniques, including tapping certain parts of their head or chest, which is meant to help them de-stress.

Breathing meditation techniques also are taught, said Tamara Gold, the coach who leads the sessions.

Gold, of Huntley, is the second person to lead the group, but uses similar methods as the first. The issue is for the past six sessions, Gold has been doing it without receiving any type of payment.

The McHenry County Behavioral Health Foundation has been working to get grant funding that would help pay for Gold's time as well as different logistical components.

But before creating a new 10-week curriculum, Gold said she wants to see more people commit to the group at Tuesday's next session. Biever said between five and eight people typically show up.

"You want to have commitment from a set number of individuals, in this case about 12, who are going to do the program from beginning, middle, to end," Gold said.

If Tuesday brings more people, Gold said it will help assure her that a new curriculum will be put to good use in the county. If not, she said she likely will not be able to continue teaching in an unfunded program.

An administrator for the Behavioral Health Foundation, Sharon Smith, said the foundation supported the group when it first began, but has not been involved since Gold stepped in as therapist.

"It's our goal to help coordinate and support this program going forward, so veterans have this alternative therapy, because it works," Smith said.

She said information collected during a session has proven to her that the methods seem to work.

Veterans were asked to rate their stress level on a scale of one to 10 before the session and again once it was over. In only an hour, Smith said all the veterans' stress went down at least two points.

If funding for this particular group is not achieved, Smith said there still will be efforts made by the foundation to find a way to support veterans with alternative therapy. However, she added, this particular group is "near and dear" to the foundation.

"We're trying to get guys to tell their friends; I talk to all the guys that come into my office about it," said Biever, a veterans service officer with the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs.

He urged anyone who is interested to attend the session from 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Lake in the Hills American Legion. Any questions should be directed to Biever at 815-529-2571.

“[A lot of] these kids coming home now have PTSD, and the VA just doesn’t have enough counselors to help them,” Biever said. “They won’t have anywhere else to go if this ends.”