PTSD Awareness Wrong Road Sign

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
May 15, 2015

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There seems to be so much confusion about PTSD caused by good hearted people "raising awareness" about what we already know and the only thing that pops into my head is the rotary sign.

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We go around and around year after year then wonder why we still see the same results. More civilians are aware that veterans have problems after combat but veterans already knew that. They see more veterans committing suicide and think that is the only way out because they don't see that a lot more veterans are surviving and healing.

Have any of these awareness raisers actually made any of them aware of where to get the help they need? Do they know what works and what doesn't work? Do they even know enough to explain to the veterans why they ended up with PTSD?

They try "this" and then they are told to try "that" but no one seems willing to explain to them that what works on one veteran may not work for them and have a list of other things to try any more than they come close to being able to listen to know what they should suggest.


The latest craze is PTSD service dogs. I adore dogs! In a lot of cases, these service dogs are miracle workers. They will not help veterans if they are afraid of dogs or simply don't like them or are allergic to them. What's the next best thing for these veterans?

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For some veterans, therapy is one on one but that may not work as well as group therapy for them and on the flip side, you may have a veteran sitting in a group session never saying anything because he/she may very well need one on one. In the case of PTSD caused by sexual assault, a female talking to a male therapist won't get the same result as a female therapist.

Top that one off with a therapist with no special trauma training won't provide the same level of help as a therapist with a background in trauma and even they won't give the same level of treatment as someone specializing in the type of trauma the person needs help with.

There are all kinds of signs on the road that get us from where we are to where we want to go. If we don't start to talk about how to get there, then we'll end up with this sign.

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They cannot be cured. There is no cure for what has already happened. The great news is, they are not stuck where they are. We just need to start acting more like tow trucks to help them get out of the ditch. We need to be like the GPS gadgets so they get there the best way possible avoiding traffic and getting lost but we can't do that unless we already know what directions to give. Ever hear a GPS give directions part of the way then have nothing else to say? No! Mine keeps having to recalculate because I didn't pay attention to the last thing it told me to do. My GPS can find me wherever I am and get me back on the road so I can get to where I want to be.

Before I had one, I used Mapquest. I'd print out directions from the airport to where I was staying. Worked good most of the time until I got lost in Tiffin Ohio in a cornfield for two hours. The printed directions didn't offer any backup plan in case I messed up. While Mapquest and the GPS had the same basic information, it was how that information was delivered and was able to adapt to my situation. The paper directions had no way to adapt to the simple fact that I get lost getting out of a paper bag.

We need to listen to them so we don't suggest something stupid. Sometimes it may sound dumb to them at first, like when I told a Marine with some physical issues that Yoga would work best for him. I am always telling them they need to take care of their mind body and spirit equally. In his case, Yoga would do the trick. He got angry and then said "What the ,,,,,next? Knitting?" I laughed and told him if that works to calm down his body, go for it.

Another veteran wouldn't be able to do Yoga so I suggesting walking. For another swimming would work better and another equine therapy. If a veteran is afraid of horses, then that won't work. Not every veteran likes horses. I had one veteran tell me they called a therapy farm and they were pushing him to go even though he told them he hated horses but they wouldn't suggest anything other than their place.

Some doctors are only interested in medications. After all, a lot faster to have med appointments than therapy sessions. They need to be able to offer suggestions for the veteran to get the therapy they need to go with the pills. Pills are intended to level the chemicals of brains and to numb. Numbing isn't healing.

Remember, there is no one size fits all to helping veterans and it is about time we finally understand that or we'll keep failing veterans instead of helping them get to where they could be,,,,healing.