I am a Vietnam veteran with combat related PTSD. The acknowledgement of PTSD is relatively new; before the 1980’s most doctors said that there was no such thing as PTSD, and allot of people, veterans and non-veterans, suffered without treatment. When the psychological community finally recognized it they called it “Delayed Stress Syndrome,” but that name did not stick for long, and today it is called PTSD. A syndrome is a group of symptoms, and PTSD has multiple symptoms. All PTSD cases are not treated the same way, and in my opinion the Veterans Administration National PTSD Center in Pal Alto, California is at the forefront of treatment approaches, but even if a person is not a military veteran there are lots of civilian social workers and mental health people who specialize in PTSD. In many ways PTSD is a form of grieving; it is a reaction to a sudden impact on the way we used to be; it takes/rips something from us, and this is the grieving aspect. We are emotionally, and usually suddenly, ripped apart by an intrusive brutal revisiting past event.
I learned meditation, breathing techniques for quieting my mind, it took a long time for me to learn it, just sitting in silence, quiet inside, but it helps me a great deal. It helps me center my feelings and dissolve thoughts before they develop. Topics which I find healing are about the human heart, learning how to love myself, embrace and forgive myself, and topics on personal growth. I also like to write poetry and find that very healing.
So here’s an example:
There’s magic in every moment, there’s a treasure inside my life. I am inspired to let go to my heart, and feel something deeper inside. To find out what lye’s beyond my mind, the secret of silence within. Not bound by time or tangled up in words, I’ve found a freedom there, it’s a lover’s world. Carry my spirit into the realm of the heart, where the mystery ends and the magic begins. I’ve been shown another way to see, with love and dignity. I am grateful.
Poetry always helps me; but know that it’s perfectly alright to cry, in fact when you’ve been hurt, its’ necessary to cry; cry for that part of you which hurts, and be gentle with yourself, go at your own pace, for even this too will pass, and while you may never be the same again, nonetheless, healing will come.
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