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Veterans and PTSD
Personal Considerations
‡ This presentation will contain images, and
  topics about combat and Post Traumatic
  Stress Disorder (PTSD). I intend to invoke an
  emotional response.

‡ If you feel uncomfortable at any time you may
  leave without comment or question.
13155532 veterans-and-ptsd
13155532 veterans-and-ptsd
‡ Joes are divorcing
Soldiers Around Me͙
                      ‡ Lots of beer drinking
                      ‡ Risk taking (fights)
                        and not caring about
                        consequences
                      ‡ Drug and Alcohol
                        Abuse
                      ‡ Joblessness
                      ‡ Nightmares and lack
                        of sleep
                      ‡ Attrition of NCOs
‡ Driving at night at 30 MPH a trigger
Myself
         ‡ Easily irritated

         ‡ Hyper vigilant- very wearisome

         ‡ Startle response

         ‡ Merging onto the freeway and driving

         ‡ Relationships ended

         ‡ Easy to get into a fight

         ‡ No memory/concentration

         ‡ Strange emotions unexpected

         ‡ 4th of July was no fun
2005 Oregon Violent Death Report
13155532 veterans-and-ptsd
2000 to 2006, 1,066 male veterans
                                      in Oregon took their lives.

Suicides among Oregon service members
and veterans over the past five years shows
that more Oregon veterans died at their
own hands than at the hands of their
enemies in war zones
                                         Officials calculate the deaths at a rate
                                         of roughly 20.2 per 100,000 soldiers --
                                         which is higher than the adjusted
                                         civilian rate for the first time since the
  Yearly increases in suicides have      Vietnam War
  been recorded since 2004, when
  there were 64 -- only about half
  the number now. And they've
  occurred despite increased
  training, prevention programs and
  psychiatric staff
The numbers kept by the service branches don't
show the whole picture of war-related suicides
because they don't include deaths after people
have left the military. The Department of Veterans
Affairs tracks those numbers and says there were
144 suicides among the nearly 500,000 service
members who left the military from 2002-2005
after fighting in at least one of the two ongoing
wars.
                                 The true incidence of suicide among military
                                 veterans is not known, according to a report
                                 last year by the Congressional Research
     6 years
                                 Service. Based on numbers from the Centers
     72 months                   for Disease Control and Prevention, the VA
                                 estimates that 18 veterans a day -- or 6,500 a
     288 weeks
                                 year -- take their lives, but that number
     1066 Oregon Suicides        includes vets from all previous wars.

  3.7 Suicides a Week
A 2003 New England Journal
of Medicine Study found that
15 percent to 17 percent of
Iraq and Afghanistan veterans
were suffering from PTSD,
and more than 60 percent of
those showing symptoms
were unlikely to seek help
because of fears of
stigmatization or loss of
career advancement
opportunities.
According to the PDRHL from
the Department of Defense
Behavioral Health Survey

43% of 2000 National
Guard Members had
readjustment issues after
returning from the war zone(s).
Nationally, the overall rate
of PTSD has been described
as being at least 30%.
I would be seen as weak by my unit members      65%
My unit leadership might treat me differently   63%
My unit would have less confidence in me        59%
My leaders would blame me for the problem       51%
It would harm my career                         50%

Difficulty getting time off for the problem     55%
It is difficult to schedule an appointment      45%

I don͛t trust mental health professionals       38%
Mental health care doesn͛t work                 25%

I don͛t know where to get help                  22%
13155532 veterans-and-ptsd
Red Badge of   Stephen Crane͛s book about
               the Civil War contained themes
  Courage      of masculinity symbolized by
               war.
               Where are the mental wounds?
               Do we discount them because
               they are
                  ‡ invisible
                  ‡ counter to our notions of
                           masculinity
                  ‡ ͞secondary͟
PTSD from Ancient Greece to the
           Present
                ‡ Nostalgia
                ‡ Hysteria
                ‡ Shellshock
                ‡ Buck fever
                ‡ Combat fatigue
                ‡ Battle reaction
                ‡ Disorderly action of the
                  heart
                ‡ Soldier͛s heart
                ‡ Homesickness
                ‡ Irritable heart
And what about when
your warrior͛s anger
goes home? What is
it like with his wife
and children? Is it
useful then, too?

                    Cicero
Back then, PTSD was called
combat fatigue, and it was a
serious problem. In the
European Theater, 25
                                WWII
percent of all casualties
were serious PTSD cases. In
the Pacific Theater, the rate
varied widely, depending on
the campaign. In some of
the most intense fighting,
like Okinawa in 1945, it
accounted for over a third of
all wounded.
Iraq and    According to a more recent
              Post-Deployment Health
Afghanistan   Reassessment 38 percent of
              regular soldiers, 31 percent of
              Marines, and 49 percent of
              National Guard report
              psychological symptoms.

              Those who had served
              repeated deployments were at
              extremely high risk of problems
              and the toll on their family
              members was great.
What is going on?
The Brain
On September 13, 1848,
Phineas Gage   Phineas Gage was foreman of
               a work gang blasting rock
               while clearing the roadbed for
               a new rail line. After a hole
               was drilled into a body of rock,
               one of Gage's duties was to fill
               the hole with gunpowder, add
               a fuse and sand, and then
               pack the charge down with a
               large tamping iron.
13155532 veterans-and-ptsd
In total, how
                                                                                         many times
                                                                                          has Mark
                                                                                          McGwire
                                                                                           swung a
                                                                                        Baseball Bat?
                                                                                       He labored through the 2000
                                                                                       season with a bad right knee,
                                                                                       missing virtually all of the second
                                                                                       half. He had surgery to correct
                                                                                       patella tendinitis.

                                                                                       One season with a bad knee
           G     AB      R      H    2B    3B   HR    RBI    SB    BA    OBP    SLG
                                                                                       changed his swing enough to
Career   1874   6187   1167   1626   252    6   583   1414   12   .263   .394   .588
                                                                                       cause him to retire.
Conditioning

        ‡ Pavlov in 1904
        ‡ Skinner developed
          further into
          Behavioral
          Engineering

        ‡ Rewards and
          Punishments develop
          automatic behaviors
͞Train Like You Fight͟
           Methods used to train is
           an application of
           conditioning techniques to
           develop ͚quick shoot͛
           ability.

           The modern soldier trains
           in full gear, shooting
           blanks at realistic targets
           until reflexive fire is
           obtained.
Train Realistically
          This muscular, life sized
          male upper torso body
          form is intended
          specifically for precise
          marksmanship training.
          The cavity in its back
          holds red balloons to
          resemble vital organs.
          The body drops when a
          red balloon is shot.
The Unnatural Act of Killing Another
               ‡ It is estimated that in
                 World War II, 75 to 80
                 percent of riflemen did not
                 fire their weapons at an
                 exposed enemy.

               ‡ In previous wars nonfiring
                 rates were similar.

               ‡ In Vietnam the nonfiring
                 rate was close to 5 percent
I yelled ͞kill, kill͟ ͚til I was hoarse. We yelled
it as we engaged in bayonet and hand-to-
hand combat drills. And then we sang about
it as we marched. I had stopped hunting
when I was sixteen. I had wounded a squirrel.
It looked up at me with its big, soft brown
eyes as I put it out of its misery. In 1969 I was
drafted and very uncertain about the war. I
had nothing against the Viet Cong. But by the
end of Basic Training, I was ready to kill them.
                              -Jack, Vietnam Veteran
                        On Killing
͞To survive and be victorious on the battlefield, our
warriors must aggressively seek out the enemy and kill
them. This has far reaching spiritual and psychological
implications. In order to be ͞successful͟ the warrior must
not miss a beat in pursuing and eliminating adversaries one
after another. When they attack the enemy, they are
trained to go one step beyond personal moral boundaries
and take the life of another human being. This eventually
becomes their personal horror of war- this is one primary
aspect that damages the soul. The ͞killer instinct͟ that is
so energetically thrown around in locker rooms and
corporate sales meetings becomes a very real impulse to
soldiers in the heat of battle. Without this instinct the
warrior is very luckyʹ or very dead.͟
                      Down Range: To Iraq and Back
Almost all service members returning from
the war zone will experience some of these
behaviors and reactions. It͛s vital that you
remember that having these reactions does
NOT automatically mean you have PTSD. It
would be abnormal if you didn͛t experience
some of these feelings and behaviors following
what you have been through in the war zone.
Amygdala
‡ Connection with lots of
  areas of the brain
‡ Emotional stamping of
  events
‡ Increases reflexive
  reactions
‡ Signals sent ͚upward͛
  are checked by
  prefrontal cortex.
Signs & Symptoms of PTSD
‡ Flashbacks, or reliving the   ‡ Self-destructive behavior,
  traumatic event for             such as drinking too much
  minutes or even days at a     ‡ Hopelessness about the
  time                            future
‡ Shame or guilt                ‡ Trouble sleeping
‡ Upsetting dreams about        ‡ Memory problems
  the traumatic event           ‡ Trouble concentrating
‡ Trying to avoid thinking or   ‡ Being easily startled or
  talking about the               frightened
  traumatic event
                                ‡ Not enjoying activities
‡ Feeling emotionally numb        you once enjoyed
‡ Irritability or anger         ‡ Hearing or seeing things
‡ Poor relationships              that aren't there
Anxiety
‡ The mind stays on            ‡   Physical symptoms
  vigilant, ever on alert.
                               ‡   Emotional fatigue
‡ This keeps emotions and
  the body aroused.            ‡   Mental fatigue
‡ Chronic or severe arousal    ‡   Spiritual fatigue
  changes the nervous
  system.
‡ Smaller threats than usual   ‡ Exaggerated stress
  sound the alarm.               response
‡ Takes longer to return to    ‡ Avoidance is hallmark
  resting state.
Dissociation
‡ Perceived detachment of     ‡ Traumatic memories are
  the mind from emotional       walled off
  states or even the body.    ‡ Dissociated material is
‡ Dreamlike state or unreal     highly emotional and
  place.                        relatively non verbal
‡ Poor memory of specific     ‡ Triggers can be the sense,
  event                         body movement, dates,
‡ DID, Fugue                    stressful events, strong
‡ Fragmented                    emotions, cognitive
                                patterns, behaviors, out
‡ State-dependent               of the blue, and
  memories                      combination.
B   Buddies VS Withdrawal

A   Accountability VS Controlling

T   Targeted VS Inappropriate Aggression

T   Tactical Awareness VS Hyper-vigilance

L   Lethally Armed VS Locked and Loaded

E   Emotional Control VS Detachment

M   Mission Operational Security VS Secretiveness

I   Individual Responsibility VS Guilt

N   Non-defensive Driving (combat) VS Aggressive Driving

D   Disclipine and Ordering VS Conflict
You are likely to feel okay
the first few months after
returning home from war


       Many cases of PTSD do not
       become dysfunctional until
       years later


                      Ignoring it does not make it
                                          go away
What is Dysfunctional?
           ‡ Impaired in function;
             especially of a bodily
             system or organ (of a trait
             or condition) failing to
             serve an adjustive
             purpose.
           ‡ If a person is behaving in
             ways counter-productive
             to their own well-being
13155532 veterans-and-ptsd
‡   Medication
Many Treatment   ‡   Psychotherapy
   Options       ‡   Exposure Therapy
                 ‡   Cognitive Behavioral
                     Therapy (CBT)
                 ‡   Eye Movement
                     Desensitization &
                     Reprocessing (EMDR)
                 ‡   Memory Work
                 ‡   Art Therapy
                 ‡   Thought Field Therapy
                 ‡   Healing Rituals
                 ‡   Group Therapy
                 ‡   And More͙
Call of Duty 4

U.S. Army medical researchers have noted that

soldiers that play violent video games, are better

able to handle the stress of combat. More

elaborate (virtual reality) combat simulations are

now being used to treat combat veterans who

are suffering from severe stress reactions from

combat (PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder).




                                   www.strategypage.com
What is a HERO
       ?
13155532 veterans-and-ptsd
Pathologizing
It is important that therapists who work with veterans
be educated in the warrior tradition and its rituals in
order to recognize and help veterans identify with [the
use of] warrior traits. Ignoring these traits is harmful
to the veteran, for then the inner warrior remains
invisible. Pathologizing the traits is also harmful, for
then the vet is further wounded by reductionist
interpretations that may minimize their importance
to him͙ or empty them of their spiritual potency.
                                          -Edward Tick, Ph.D.
                                            War and the Soul
I am an American Soldier.
I am a Warrior and a member of a team. I serve
      the people of the United States, and live
      the Army Values.
I will always place the mission first.
I will never accept defeat.
I will never quit.
I will never leave a fallen comrade.
I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough,
      trained and proficient in my warrior tasks
      and drills.
I always maintain my arms, my equipment and
      myself.
I am an expert and I am a professional.
I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy,
      the enemies of the United States of
      America in close combat.
I am a guardian of freedom and the American
      way of life.
I am an American Soldier.
Family Members
‡ Provide opportunities to       ‡ Do not pressure to talk
  talk                           ‡ Do not stop them from
‡ Don͛t be afraid to ask about     talking
  the war                        ‡ Try not to make judgmental
‡ Accept your limitations          statements
‡ Offer attention, interest,     ‡ Avoid telling what one
  and care                         ͚should͛ do
‡ Educate yourself               ‡ Watch for clichés or easy
‡ Find available resources         answers (war is hell)
‡ Be supportive with             ‡ Avoid giving advice without
  expectation that                 fully listening
  readjustment will occur        ‡ Don͛t rush things
13155532 veterans-and-ptsd
You might feel you can go it alone,
              but͙.

                      Post Traumatic Stress
                      Disorder (PTSD) is not
                      only an individual
                      problem but also a
                      family and
                      community
                      problem.
Community
     ‡ Join the local VFW or
       American Legion
     ‡ Make regular phone calls
       to other ͚buddies͛
     ‡ Be a resource for fellow
       vets
     ‡ Create a book club
     ‡ Mosaic.com
     ‡ Welcome home every vet
       you see
     ‡ Join Vets for Vets
     ‡ Volunteer, even though
       you don͛t feel like it
Quick Rundown
‡ Training has given you faster reflexes for combat actions
‡ Experiences give emotional shaping to memory
‡ It is normal to have mixed feelings about wartime
  experience
‡ Having some symptoms does NOT automatically mean you
  have PTSD
‡ Only a clinician can diagnose you with PTSD
‡ PTSD is not permanent and many treatments are available
‡ There are MANY resources available for treatment
‡ If left untreated it will negatively impact everyone around
  you
‡ Healing is found via community
Hotlines
eddiecoyote.com
warriormyth.blogspot.com
13155532 veterans-and-ptsd
Thank You

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13155532 veterans-and-ptsd

  • 2. Personal Considerations ‡ This presentation will contain images, and topics about combat and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). I intend to invoke an emotional response. ‡ If you feel uncomfortable at any time you may leave without comment or question.
  • 5. ‡ Joes are divorcing Soldiers Around Me͙ ‡ Lots of beer drinking ‡ Risk taking (fights) and not caring about consequences ‡ Drug and Alcohol Abuse ‡ Joblessness ‡ Nightmares and lack of sleep ‡ Attrition of NCOs
  • 6. ‡ Driving at night at 30 MPH a trigger Myself ‡ Easily irritated ‡ Hyper vigilant- very wearisome ‡ Startle response ‡ Merging onto the freeway and driving ‡ Relationships ended ‡ Easy to get into a fight ‡ No memory/concentration ‡ Strange emotions unexpected ‡ 4th of July was no fun
  • 7. 2005 Oregon Violent Death Report
  • 9. 2000 to 2006, 1,066 male veterans in Oregon took their lives. Suicides among Oregon service members and veterans over the past five years shows that more Oregon veterans died at their own hands than at the hands of their enemies in war zones Officials calculate the deaths at a rate of roughly 20.2 per 100,000 soldiers -- which is higher than the adjusted civilian rate for the first time since the Yearly increases in suicides have Vietnam War been recorded since 2004, when there were 64 -- only about half the number now. And they've occurred despite increased training, prevention programs and psychiatric staff
  • 10. The numbers kept by the service branches don't show the whole picture of war-related suicides because they don't include deaths after people have left the military. The Department of Veterans Affairs tracks those numbers and says there were 144 suicides among the nearly 500,000 service members who left the military from 2002-2005 after fighting in at least one of the two ongoing wars. The true incidence of suicide among military veterans is not known, according to a report last year by the Congressional Research 6 years Service. Based on numbers from the Centers 72 months for Disease Control and Prevention, the VA estimates that 18 veterans a day -- or 6,500 a 288 weeks year -- take their lives, but that number 1066 Oregon Suicides includes vets from all previous wars. 3.7 Suicides a Week
  • 11. A 2003 New England Journal of Medicine Study found that 15 percent to 17 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans were suffering from PTSD, and more than 60 percent of those showing symptoms were unlikely to seek help because of fears of stigmatization or loss of career advancement opportunities.
  • 12. According to the PDRHL from the Department of Defense Behavioral Health Survey 43% of 2000 National Guard Members had readjustment issues after returning from the war zone(s). Nationally, the overall rate of PTSD has been described as being at least 30%.
  • 13. I would be seen as weak by my unit members 65% My unit leadership might treat me differently 63% My unit would have less confidence in me 59% My leaders would blame me for the problem 51% It would harm my career 50% Difficulty getting time off for the problem 55% It is difficult to schedule an appointment 45% I don͛t trust mental health professionals 38% Mental health care doesn͛t work 25% I don͛t know where to get help 22%
  • 15. Red Badge of Stephen Crane͛s book about the Civil War contained themes Courage of masculinity symbolized by war. Where are the mental wounds? Do we discount them because they are ‡ invisible ‡ counter to our notions of masculinity ‡ ͞secondary͟
  • 16. PTSD from Ancient Greece to the Present ‡ Nostalgia ‡ Hysteria ‡ Shellshock ‡ Buck fever ‡ Combat fatigue ‡ Battle reaction ‡ Disorderly action of the heart ‡ Soldier͛s heart ‡ Homesickness ‡ Irritable heart
  • 17. And what about when your warrior͛s anger goes home? What is it like with his wife and children? Is it useful then, too? Cicero
  • 18. Back then, PTSD was called combat fatigue, and it was a serious problem. In the European Theater, 25 WWII percent of all casualties were serious PTSD cases. In the Pacific Theater, the rate varied widely, depending on the campaign. In some of the most intense fighting, like Okinawa in 1945, it accounted for over a third of all wounded.
  • 19. Iraq and According to a more recent Post-Deployment Health Afghanistan Reassessment 38 percent of regular soldiers, 31 percent of Marines, and 49 percent of National Guard report psychological symptoms. Those who had served repeated deployments were at extremely high risk of problems and the toll on their family members was great.
  • 22. On September 13, 1848, Phineas Gage Phineas Gage was foreman of a work gang blasting rock while clearing the roadbed for a new rail line. After a hole was drilled into a body of rock, one of Gage's duties was to fill the hole with gunpowder, add a fuse and sand, and then pack the charge down with a large tamping iron.
  • 24. In total, how many times has Mark McGwire swung a Baseball Bat? He labored through the 2000 season with a bad right knee, missing virtually all of the second half. He had surgery to correct patella tendinitis. One season with a bad knee G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BA OBP SLG changed his swing enough to Career 1874 6187 1167 1626 252 6 583 1414 12 .263 .394 .588 cause him to retire.
  • 25. Conditioning ‡ Pavlov in 1904 ‡ Skinner developed further into Behavioral Engineering ‡ Rewards and Punishments develop automatic behaviors
  • 26. ͞Train Like You Fight͟ Methods used to train is an application of conditioning techniques to develop ͚quick shoot͛ ability. The modern soldier trains in full gear, shooting blanks at realistic targets until reflexive fire is obtained.
  • 27. Train Realistically This muscular, life sized male upper torso body form is intended specifically for precise marksmanship training. The cavity in its back holds red balloons to resemble vital organs. The body drops when a red balloon is shot.
  • 28. The Unnatural Act of Killing Another ‡ It is estimated that in World War II, 75 to 80 percent of riflemen did not fire their weapons at an exposed enemy. ‡ In previous wars nonfiring rates were similar. ‡ In Vietnam the nonfiring rate was close to 5 percent
  • 29. I yelled ͞kill, kill͟ ͚til I was hoarse. We yelled it as we engaged in bayonet and hand-to- hand combat drills. And then we sang about it as we marched. I had stopped hunting when I was sixteen. I had wounded a squirrel. It looked up at me with its big, soft brown eyes as I put it out of its misery. In 1969 I was drafted and very uncertain about the war. I had nothing against the Viet Cong. But by the end of Basic Training, I was ready to kill them. -Jack, Vietnam Veteran On Killing
  • 30. ͞To survive and be victorious on the battlefield, our warriors must aggressively seek out the enemy and kill them. This has far reaching spiritual and psychological implications. In order to be ͞successful͟ the warrior must not miss a beat in pursuing and eliminating adversaries one after another. When they attack the enemy, they are trained to go one step beyond personal moral boundaries and take the life of another human being. This eventually becomes their personal horror of war- this is one primary aspect that damages the soul. The ͞killer instinct͟ that is so energetically thrown around in locker rooms and corporate sales meetings becomes a very real impulse to soldiers in the heat of battle. Without this instinct the warrior is very luckyʹ or very dead.͟ Down Range: To Iraq and Back
  • 31. Almost all service members returning from the war zone will experience some of these behaviors and reactions. It͛s vital that you remember that having these reactions does NOT automatically mean you have PTSD. It would be abnormal if you didn͛t experience some of these feelings and behaviors following what you have been through in the war zone.
  • 32. Amygdala ‡ Connection with lots of areas of the brain ‡ Emotional stamping of events ‡ Increases reflexive reactions ‡ Signals sent ͚upward͛ are checked by prefrontal cortex.
  • 33. Signs & Symptoms of PTSD ‡ Flashbacks, or reliving the ‡ Self-destructive behavior, traumatic event for such as drinking too much minutes or even days at a ‡ Hopelessness about the time future ‡ Shame or guilt ‡ Trouble sleeping ‡ Upsetting dreams about ‡ Memory problems the traumatic event ‡ Trouble concentrating ‡ Trying to avoid thinking or ‡ Being easily startled or talking about the frightened traumatic event ‡ Not enjoying activities ‡ Feeling emotionally numb you once enjoyed ‡ Irritability or anger ‡ Hearing or seeing things ‡ Poor relationships that aren't there
  • 34. Anxiety ‡ The mind stays on ‡ Physical symptoms vigilant, ever on alert. ‡ Emotional fatigue ‡ This keeps emotions and the body aroused. ‡ Mental fatigue ‡ Chronic or severe arousal ‡ Spiritual fatigue changes the nervous system. ‡ Smaller threats than usual ‡ Exaggerated stress sound the alarm. response ‡ Takes longer to return to ‡ Avoidance is hallmark resting state.
  • 35. Dissociation ‡ Perceived detachment of ‡ Traumatic memories are the mind from emotional walled off states or even the body. ‡ Dissociated material is ‡ Dreamlike state or unreal highly emotional and place. relatively non verbal ‡ Poor memory of specific ‡ Triggers can be the sense, event body movement, dates, ‡ DID, Fugue stressful events, strong ‡ Fragmented emotions, cognitive patterns, behaviors, out ‡ State-dependent of the blue, and memories combination.
  • 36. B Buddies VS Withdrawal A Accountability VS Controlling T Targeted VS Inappropriate Aggression T Tactical Awareness VS Hyper-vigilance L Lethally Armed VS Locked and Loaded E Emotional Control VS Detachment M Mission Operational Security VS Secretiveness I Individual Responsibility VS Guilt N Non-defensive Driving (combat) VS Aggressive Driving D Disclipine and Ordering VS Conflict
  • 37. You are likely to feel okay the first few months after returning home from war Many cases of PTSD do not become dysfunctional until years later Ignoring it does not make it go away
  • 38. What is Dysfunctional? ‡ Impaired in function; especially of a bodily system or organ (of a trait or condition) failing to serve an adjustive purpose. ‡ If a person is behaving in ways counter-productive to their own well-being
  • 40. Medication Many Treatment ‡ Psychotherapy Options ‡ Exposure Therapy ‡ Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) ‡ Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR) ‡ Memory Work ‡ Art Therapy ‡ Thought Field Therapy ‡ Healing Rituals ‡ Group Therapy ‡ And More͙
  • 41. Call of Duty 4 U.S. Army medical researchers have noted that soldiers that play violent video games, are better able to handle the stress of combat. More elaborate (virtual reality) combat simulations are now being used to treat combat veterans who are suffering from severe stress reactions from combat (PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder). www.strategypage.com
  • 42. What is a HERO ?
  • 44. Pathologizing It is important that therapists who work with veterans be educated in the warrior tradition and its rituals in order to recognize and help veterans identify with [the use of] warrior traits. Ignoring these traits is harmful to the veteran, for then the inner warrior remains invisible. Pathologizing the traits is also harmful, for then the vet is further wounded by reductionist interpretations that may minimize their importance to him͙ or empty them of their spiritual potency. -Edward Tick, Ph.D. War and the Soul
  • 45. I am an American Soldier. I am a Warrior and a member of a team. I serve the people of the United States, and live the Army Values. I will always place the mission first. I will never accept defeat. I will never quit. I will never leave a fallen comrade. I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills. I always maintain my arms, my equipment and myself. I am an expert and I am a professional. I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy, the enemies of the United States of America in close combat. I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life. I am an American Soldier.
  • 46. Family Members ‡ Provide opportunities to ‡ Do not pressure to talk talk ‡ Do not stop them from ‡ Don͛t be afraid to ask about talking the war ‡ Try not to make judgmental ‡ Accept your limitations statements ‡ Offer attention, interest, ‡ Avoid telling what one and care ͚should͛ do ‡ Educate yourself ‡ Watch for clichés or easy ‡ Find available resources answers (war is hell) ‡ Be supportive with ‡ Avoid giving advice without expectation that fully listening readjustment will occur ‡ Don͛t rush things
  • 48. You might feel you can go it alone, but͙. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is not only an individual problem but also a family and community problem.
  • 49. Community ‡ Join the local VFW or American Legion ‡ Make regular phone calls to other ͚buddies͛ ‡ Be a resource for fellow vets ‡ Create a book club ‡ Mosaic.com ‡ Welcome home every vet you see ‡ Join Vets for Vets ‡ Volunteer, even though you don͛t feel like it
  • 50. Quick Rundown ‡ Training has given you faster reflexes for combat actions ‡ Experiences give emotional shaping to memory ‡ It is normal to have mixed feelings about wartime experience ‡ Having some symptoms does NOT automatically mean you have PTSD ‡ Only a clinician can diagnose you with PTSD ‡ PTSD is not permanent and many treatments are available ‡ There are MANY resources available for treatment ‡ If left untreated it will negatively impact everyone around you ‡ Healing is found via community