Tag: cPTSD

Veterans, PTSD and the 2A

by Trek4PTSD, posted in In the News

On 8 April, 2018, The Huffington Post published a story on how veterans with PTSD were afraid to seek treatment because they are scared that doing so may lead to the government taking away their guns.  Most Americans may not feel that this is a concern and that it should not be a reason for veterans to seek treatment, but it is.  This is due to so many gun control advocates saying that those with mental illness should not own guns, and in doing so throwing PTSD into the generalized pool of mental illness.

This is a conversation I have had with fellow Marines.  One in particular knew he had PTSD but was afraid that it would lead to his guns being taken away from him.  He was also afraid that his PTSD might damage his family relations.  For him “the wizard”, term used by aircrew to refer to mental health specialists, always carried a stigma of distrust.  Aircrew fear that going to “the wizard” will lead to them being grounded.  Now, seeking mental healthcare might lead to having something that he had a close relationship with being taken away from him.

Veterans have a special relationship with guns.  They have learned to love and respect them.  Although for many, the smell of the gun powder, the recoil of the weapon and the sound of the round being fired might trigger their PTSD, for many more it is a release.  And it is for these that enjoy the smell of the gunpowder and firing them, that this is the biggest concern.  After all, for a significant portion of their life they were given a gun by the government that they now fear will take it away.  And many of them also look at it as if they were trusted with one to protect this country, even while living with PTSD; now that they are no longer part of the military, they cannot be trusted with one.

This stigma is one that we must overcome.  It is everyone’s responsibility to remove these fears.  Politicians must work closely with Veteran groups and the mental health community to come up with a solution to this problem.  We need to get these veterans the help they need, the help they deserve, the help they earned.

Lets not leave these men and women behind.  They would not leave us behind.

Start the conversation, leave your thoughts, lets talk about it.

Semper Fidelis and #TrekOn

Huffington Post Story: [https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/veterans-ptsd-treatment-guns_us_5ac523c9e4b09ef3b2431392]

 

PTSD is Like a Long Hike

by Trek4PTSD, posted in Thoughs from the Trek

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a journey, one that can only be done alone.  However, it is not one that does not require help.  At some point you will require assistance from those who love you, those you meet along the way who are going on the same journey as you will provide comfort knowing that you are not the only one going through it, and even strangers will pick you up and help you out.  But it is you, and only you, who has to take the next step, and the one after that, and so on.  The same goes for a long hike.

As you journey down the path of PTSD you will be faced with steep ascents and challenging descents, cold nights and sweltering days, pain in your body and your mind.  And then, at the end of the day you find yourself looking at a beautiful sunset.  When you summit the mountain, you will behold views only few people have seen and that inspire awe.  On the end of your descent you will find refreshing lakes, springs or rivers.  And the next day you will awake to a beautiful new day.

As the days, weeks, months go by, you will change.  And as time goes by, you may be faced with the urge to quit, but you will not.  You see those on the journey with you, those who love you, and those who don’t know you but still love you and you will continue.

It is you that must put one foot in front of the other and take the next step.  It is you that must not give up, but continue down the trail no matter how hard it may get.  It is you that must keep going and never quit.  And when the journey is over, you will come out stronger, better and happier.

The trail changes you, PTSD changes you.  Both are difficult and trying.  Both will challenge you and make you ache, sometimes to the point of wanting to quit.  And both are full of rewards if you have the will, and you do, to see it through.

Never quit, never surrender, never give up.  Keep walking no matter how heavy your pack is and do it at your own pace.  You will prevail and you will be a better person for going on.

#TrekOn and you will win.  You are never alone.