What I Learned About Post Traumatic Stress

Post Traumatic Stress is the body’s natural response to critical life incidents, affecting each of us to varying degrees and in different ways physically, emotionally, cognitively, and spiritually. Within the VA, PTS is generally ranked by severity somewhere between one and ten. Anyone who has survived a fire, flood, hurricane, tornado, shipwreck, rape, or any sort of life-threatening incident never forgets what happened. PTS is our reaction to traumatic or unpleasant incidents or chapters of our lives. Symptoms include nightmares, flashbacks, loss of sleep, irritability, short temperedness, loss of concentration, hostility, weight gain, loss of self-worth, anxiety, and survivor's guilt.

During the post-Vietnam War period when the term Post Traumatic Stress Disorder replaced the old school WWI term “shell-shock” and the WWII term “battle-fatigue.” The VA tends to take a clinical approach to Post Traumatic Stress and continues to call it a disorder (PTSD). PTS is not a disorder in my opinion, but a natural response to trauma we experience. Most veterans agree that there is a negative connotation to calling this reaction a disorder - it suggests there is something wrong with them. Truthfully, what we are responding to is natural. Post Trauma Stress should be universally considered an injury (PTSI) rather than a disorder. Sometimes people never fully recover, but that doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with them. Just like any other injury, even if it’s not possible to get back to 100%, there are many methods to get people back to living a mostly normal life.

Although I’m a non-combat Vietnam era vet, I have many friends who saw combat in that war or are combat veterans of the conflicts in the Middle East. They all returned home wanting to put the experience behind them and, with only a few exceptions, most are not comfortable talking about their experiences. Many returned home with a newfound addiction to drugs and/or alcohol. Generally they received little help from anyone, including the VA.

Over the course of time, and many cups of coffee, a good friend of mine provided me some insight and understanding of PTSI, based on his own experience and what he has learned about himself as a Vietnam Army Combat Veteran. His wife encouraged him to write down his experiences while in Vietnam, and the result was a piece called, “Through My Eyes” chronicling his tour of duty in Vietnam 1968 - 1969. It was the beginning of his recovery process from PTSI. He has attended a number of Veterans’ Camp gatherings as both a participant and advisor. Though he still suffers from PTSI, Bob has learned coping mechanisms to deal with it, and over the past 45 years he has come a long way.

Through our discussions, I learned that many veterans didn’t realize what effect combat had on them until they returned home. It was at home that my friend began to realize that simply getting a good night’s sleep would be a blessing. His attitude and conversations had changed considerably after the war, along with his level of impatience. Most combat vets are hesitant to talk about what happened to them, or read war stories, or watch certain movies because they do not want to reignite memories.

I could never fully comprehend the anguish and fear my friend experienced as a combat Vietnam vet, but I can understand the flashbacks. My own experience with PTS is based on my 32-year marriage to a woman with PTS. Even after 50 years, she still struggles with memories of rape, a car accident, and the loss of our 8-year-old daughter. My friend told me that while he could not comprehend what we went through losing a child, he appreciated knowing how I dealt with it. Many of us agreed that we share a common healer in Jesus, even though most people at a Vet Camp would not appreciate a dialogue that included a lot of Jesus talk.

My friend also discovered that spouses of combat veterans can play an important role in successfully addressing PTS. At one family Vet Camp, he shared his experience speaking with just the spouses. He talked about the emotions, concerns, and fears that their partners would not share with them. They were very appreciative of his willingness to open up and give them a better understanding of the issues their loved ones may be dealing with.

Today we have many combat Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who struggle with similar flashbacks and stress-related issues when they return home and strive to melt back into civilian life. However, PTS also affects our men and women within our community support systems, such as police officers and firefighters, and is recognized as being a key factor in the health and stability of these organizations.

At home, and on any given day, at least 22 veterans take their own lives, typically due to PTS. However this past summer, the Department of Veterans Affairs indicated this number is now closer to 20 veterans committing suicide every day. I personally believe that the most recent statistics on these suicides likely do not consider vets suffering from PTS, who in the past overdosed on drugs or and/or alcohol. Though the exact figures are unknown, any number of military personnel taking their own lives is unacceptable, it is too many.

The universal goal among veterans advocacy groups is to dramatically reduce that number by working with our vets by giving them the knowledge, tools, and resources to understand what PTS is and how to cope with it. Veterans’ Camp, or veteran gatherings, have proven to be a successful means to begin a dialogue.

Nearly all vets with PTS have trust issues to varying degrees. Even amongst themselves, vets may not open up or even realize that their suffering can be helped. The purpose of Vet Camps is to provide a safe place where vets can meet other vets with PTS while learning how best to cope with it. At these camps, we talk about issues that cause them concern, such as a lack of support from the VA. Many others open up about the ugliness of war and the loss of their comrades and friends. Occasionally, discussions revolve around similar topics to what is discussed here on RallyPoint: what our government expects of our military, such as rules of engagement and intelligence failures, and the overall effectiveness of our armed forces.

If you or anyone you know may be suffering from PTS, just remember that it is not a disorder, but an injury, and there are thousands of vets like you who would love to help out.