Mar

9

UNCOVER THE SUN

Filed Under Combat PTSD, PTSD, PTSD treatment, Tears of a Warrior, Today's War, Treating PTSD 

 by Janet J. Seahorn, Ph.D

sun-ray

            There are so many ways to experience trauma in the world.  Combat is just one, but it is one where the impact keeps on giving and giving.  For many whose painful experiences occurred once or twice, many seem to be able to get up in the morning and feel grateful for the opportunity to have a fresh new start.  The sun shines brighter and the colors of the world are more intense, even if some nights are seemingly unbearable.

 

            The difference between a one time experience and multiple traumatic occurrences is the cumulative effect. The more often an individual faces harrowing life events, the more likely the brain is going to be influenced by those events. Because the brain is sculpted by experience, everything good or bad can make a difference.

 

We become who we are due to our genetic foundations and our environment. If that environment is nurturing, safe and challenging in a positive way, we have a greater chance to develop into self-confident, cheerful people. If, however, that environment is saturated with violent, unpredictable and dangerous circumstances the brain molds itself into a survival organism in order to hopefully sustain the trauma. The important thing to remember, however, is the age when a trauma occurs.  Earlier is not always better.

 

We know the brain is not fully developed until the mid twenties (especially in males). So what do you think multiple combat deployments do to a developing brain?  For many young men and women the outcome is pretty darn complicated. Connections within the brain are changed. Neurotransmitters, those chemicals in the brain that allow us to feel pleasure, prepare for fight or flight, suffer with depression, and other human experiences are changed. The physical organism that controls our behavior is changed. Trauma is serious business with serious effects for many.

 

            For warriors returning from combat, the world is not as bright and welcoming as it was before war.  Sense of identity is changed… you leave as a somewhat naive youngster and return as an adult aged beyond your years.  PTSD is like having a gray veil placed over the sun. Sure it still shines. Yes, you can feel the warmth of its rays.

 

Yet, nothing is the same as before you left. Healing from trauma can be the unveiling of the sun. The way to remove that shroud or at least make it lighter is to seek help as soon as possible. You have the strength to Uncover the Sun. More importantly, you deserve to have the full brightness of its rays lighting your days and warming your heart.

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