Portland summit on post-traumatic stress disorder

Fighting war's hidden wounds

By Daniel Hartill , Staff Writer
Sunday, June 8, 2008

Veterans, therapists gather in Portland for summit on post-traumatic stress disorder

PORTLAND - Soldiers scarred with post-traumatic stress disorder can get better. The reason: The human brain can sometimes heal itself if given help.

"The brain is resilient," said Rosemary Masters, the director of the trauma studies center of the Institute for Contemporary Therapy in New York City. "I know that a lot can be done to reduce the severity of PTSD."

One-on-one counseling, carefully prescribed medicine and a variety of relaxation techniques can all aid someone who is coping with hidden war wounds, she said

The most successful treatments seem to be accompanied by a brain that relearns how to store memories so that they are less destructive, the nationally known therapist told about 75 people Saturday at a statewide summit on post-traumatic stress disorder.

Nowhere else can the recovery take place, she said.

"Terror wounds the brain, just as bullets wound the body," Masters said.

The disorder takes place because of exposure to trauma, events so tough to endure that the body chemistry is affected.

For soldiers in war, the likelihood that they will develop the disorder, or a related symptom such as depression, goes up with every traumatic experience, Masters said. Eventually, it can be too much.
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