PTSD does not have to be the end of anything

PTSD does not have to be the end of anything
by
Chaplain Kathie

With the reports coming out about the suicides going up among veterans as well as active military, the saddest fact is that none of it has to happen. PTSD is a serious, disabling wound caused by a traumatic event. When the person happens to have served in the military, it is caused by multiple traumatic events building on a series of others. Experts know traumatic events cause PTSD in survivors of a one time event in their lives. A car accident, fire, crime and natural disaster can take hold onto the minds of many. One time out of their lives can change those lives forever. When citizens enter into the fire and police departments across the nation or any emergency services, these events come into their lives with more frequency. The biggest difference is when we are talking about people in the military, it is a 24/7 job while they are deployed. They do not get to go home, be a regular person when their shift is over. They stay on guard, exposed to more events until their deployment ends.

When they return back to their homes, they return with the events carried deeply embedded within their soul, trapped in their minds while they wonder when the day will come they have just "gotten over it" instead of understanding what those events are doing to them as they wait.

PTSD claims more territory as they wait for it to go away, mask the pain with drugs and alcohol, pushing everyone they used to love away from them as they allow only the emotion of anger to surface.

Families want them back to the way they were before and when they show no signs of life in the "old person" the families end up resenting the changes instead of understanding them. Combat veterans always say "I just want to be the way I was before" because they cannot accept the fact every event in a human's life changes them. Wishing, wanting and regretting thrive while recovery time is lost and PTSD gets worse.

Some veterans look at older veterans falling apart, drinking too much, doing drugs, living on the streets, getting married for the 5th or 6th time and believe they are doomed to the same outcome. What they do not see is usually veterans become that wounded because they did not receive help when PTSD was mild. The hopeful reality is that even veterans that far down can be helped out of that pit and it is not hopeless for them to live a decent life.

As soon as help for PTSD is begun, it stops getting worse. The sooner it begins, the better the outcome. Getting help with medication alters the chemicals in the brain back to a "normal" level. Getting therapy helps the veteran heal emotionally, allowing them to talk about what is weighing heavily on their soul to someone they know will not judge them heals them. Reconnecting to their faith, knowing God is not punishing them heals their soul.

As we look at the figures of the newer veterans entering into this spiral of hell, we all need to know that while the sooner the better is best, it is not hopeless for older veterans to begin to heal. As time went on, some of the results of PTSD are forever a part of them but they can learn to cope with what cannot be healed. They can minimize the strength of flashbacks and nightmares. They can reduce the anger they feel. Even if they cannot hold a job because of medications and other factors like short term memory loss, impaired judgment or other symptoms, many have ended up working in their communities to give back.

If they are helped early on, PTSD does not have to end a career, end a marriage or allow the end of hope for a better future. Stopping PTSD from getting worse begins today and it will not get worse. Then comes tomorrow when hope returns, laughing replaces the crying as the wall is broken down, anger is replaced by love, relationships replace loneliness and the energy it took to try to hide the wound is turned into healing the wound from within.

It is not too late for Korean War veterans, Vietnam veterans, Gulf War veterans, Afghanistan or Iraq veterans and it is not too late for you to heal. You just need help finding the tools to do it. Open up to someone you know cares about you, go to a Veterans Center, call your family doctor, call your spiritual leader, find someone to talk to and begin to heal today. Tomorrow depends on what you do and instead of seeing your life slip away, take it back and heal.

And now a message from Papa Roy.

Good morning, encourage someone today!

Words do matter

A comforting, cheering, and encouraging word from any friend, that compassionates their distressed case; this lifts up the heart and inspires it with joy; so a word in season, raises up a soul that is bowed down, and gives it comfort and joy: such a good word is the Gospel itself; it is good news from a far country, which is like cold water to a thirsty soul, very refreshing and reviving. (J. Gill)

Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad. (Proverbs 12:25)

Today, you can encourage someone who is desiring to hear a word to cheer their heart. There are no better words than the Words found in the Bible. Do you know someone who needs a kind word? Today in prayer, thank Christ for His encouragement and ask Him to guide your heart to someone who needs a kind word. "Kind words do not cost much. They never blister the tongue or lips. Though they do not cost much, they accomplish much. They make other people good-natured. They also produce their own image in other men's souls, and a beautiful image it is." – (Blaise Pascal)