“It’s like wearing a backpack full of rocks.”

 - Buzzy, Vietnam Veteran

I work with a lot of Combat Vets, so much of my experience with trauma comes from the military. But of course, Vets don’t have the market cornered on trauma. Civilian life has plenty of opportunities for trauma — leaving behind nightmares or unwanted memories, avoidance of triggering situations, strong reactivity, hyper-vigilance, anxiety, or depression.

I know combat Veterans who fought in Vietnam who have just started having issues with post-traumatic stress in the last few years. The brain tries really hard to protect us. It will push away things that we are not ready for, and then, when we are in a place where we can process, it will come back. Little by little. 

Trauma, like grief, is not linear. It’s more like a roller coaster. You can be on the upswing for a while, and suddenly, your stomach lurches as you are looking over the edge of a monster drop. And then out of nowhere, you’re clicking upwards again. It’s helpful to remember this, that no feeling is going to last forever.

PTSD is a label that is being phased out. It is often written PTS(D) which points to something really important. The D is wrong. The D means that this is some disordered thinking, some inappropriate behavior. But that’s not what post-traumatic stress is. 

This is not like having an illness that we’re trying to cure. It’s like having an injury that we’re trying to heal. 

If you have post traumatic stress, there is not some fundamental problem with you. There is a problem with what happened to you. And your brain is doing the best it can to process that. This is a normal reaction to abnormal circumstances. 

It might seem like semantics, but for those who are dealing with it on a daily basis, the lens shift is a profound one.

If you are living with post-traumatic stress, it might feel impossible to overcome. But you have options for easing the symptoms, learning skills to manage them, and improving your self-confidence. Just some of them are:

Therapeutic writing (see the end of the articles here on Blue Mala for examples of topics to write about.)

Mindfulness (see videos)

Prolonged Exposure Therapy

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

Medications

And many more.

You’re not alone with this.

Want more?

• Writing Prompts: to Help with Trauma

• Profane meditation for Veterans (and others who love swearing) (Audio)

• 3 ways to deal with depression right now

• Welcome to yoga (Video)