1-800-273-8255 Press 1 for the Veteran’s Crisis line.

People are aware that cancer exists. They know that PTSD is real, but we have months to talk about things so that greater understanding can lead to a better functioning and compassionate society.

Somewhere between 6-8% of the US population will have PTSD at some point in their life. You don’t have to live with PTSD forever, it’s not a vow, till death do us part. There will always be echos of the trauma in your life, but with the right therapy, you’ll overcome the disorder part and function more optimally.

PTSD can be caused by many things but most commonly: severe accidents, chronic abuse, sexual assault, combat, vehicle crashes, natural disasters… If you’re reading this blog, chances are high that you have heard all of this before. Have you talked to someone about it? Why not share this post?

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The US observes Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) awareness day on June 27 every year. PTSD is a kind of mental health condition that happens to a person due to some terrible incident in their life. PTSD is the effect of chemical and neurological changes in the brain of the person with a traumatic incident. 

Economic Times article about PTSD awareness day, 2022

HERE is an article about dating someone with PTSD. It’s somewhat simplistic but it gets the point across. Unfortunately, it doesn’t do the complexity of the situation justice. It’s hard being in any type of relationship with someone truly suffering from PTSD. Even after significant therapy and years of working on myself I know that I’m a difficult person to live with. I’ve listened to many friends talk about how they destroyed their marriage or other significant relationship unintentionally. Like a startled fighter puts up their hands in defense and ready to attack, sometimes those immediate reactions are out of our control and cause massive rifts between people.

Often someone suffering with PTSD doesn’t want to burden their loved ones with the weight they feel when thinking of the trauma. The family member desperately wants to help carry the burden and in reality, they can. If you have PTSD and can learn to trust someone with a part of your burden, it can actually get lighter. Learning to trust again is one of the HARDEST things. I still struggle with trust.

If you don’t trust your therapist then you’ll never invest in the treatment. If you never submit yourself to the process, it will never work. If you think therapy never did anything for you, ask yourself: did I actually give it my all? What was I holding back??

Generally, whatever you’re holding back is actually the crux of the issue. Without addressing that, you might as well not even go… Sure, you can treat symptoms and engage in loads of alternative therapy. They DO help but they can’t resolve the mental hang up that was initiated by the trauma.

I see on too many group/forums, Vets asking, “How do you cope? How do you get through the day?”
I see too many vets in those groups answering, “You just gotta stay busy.”

You know what that’s called? Avoidance.

There, I said it. Get pissed. Never read this blog again… OR, maybe you’re upset because you realize that staying busy is just keeping you from thinking about the problem that will continually exist until you deal with it.

TOO MANY have been subjected to horrible abuse, assault, rape, near death experiences, observing the worst humanity has to offer… I KNOW it’s not easy and it will never be the same. Our experiences permanently shape us; it’s our choice if the outcome is for better or worse.

Will you crumble under the pressure or grow?

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These Veteran stories of struggle, adventure, and post traumatic growth need to be heard!
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