Post Traumatic Stress

I’ve been reading a lot lately about Post Traumatic Stress, especially with the Ft. Hood attack.  While normally associated with combat, it comes after any traumatic event, and it is very real.  The degree that it effects people varies from person to person.  Some will need professional help; others will just need someone to talk to.  The person will want to be alone at first, but that is probably the one thing that they shouldn’t do.

Here’s my experience with Post Traumatic Stress:

• I was part of the Iraq Invasion in 2003
• I saw things that no one should have to: bodies, death, people killing people, me killing people, and I knew more then once that I was going to die.
• I came back with issues; I couldn’t be around groups of people, was nervous all the time, didn’t want people close to me physically, had bad nightmares, and still don’t do loud noises.

I got through it without professional help, used lots of friends that went through the same thing, and a loving wife. We talked over breakfast, lunch, dinner, and drinks for months before getting through everything (you never really got over it). 

The hardest thing for me was what could have happened.  Every time I thought about what happened I started having visions of what could have gone wrong and how much worst it could be. 

Here are a couple tips on how you can help others:

• Don’t give up, just be with them
• Don’t ask about what happened, it will come out, just be there to listen
• Don’t judge, you weren’t there, keep listening and you may understand
• Even if you think the person did something wrong you weren’t there
• Have the person talk to others that were in the same situation, it helped me
• Be a friend no matter how bad things seem to be
• Most people don’t want to share every thing with others that weren’t there; I mean that’s why we go over there to fight instead of waiting for it to come here.  We don’t want our family, friends, and country to experience war first hand.

I hope you understand a little more.  If you want more information check out the Veterans Administration web site, http://www.ptsd.va.gov/

Stay Safe,

Ben