So here is a touchy subject, the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder on veterans. The reason it is touchy is because the ones who can best make levelheaded evaluation on the subject are the ones not suffering from it. On the other hand, how can someone make any fair evaluation of its effects without having experienced it. The ones who are vocal about it sometimes have a motive for wanting people to think they are sick, and the ones who really have it are either unaware of it or reluctant to admit it. It is generally viewed as a sign of weakness, and therefore a source of embarrassment. I am not the one who should make the call one way or another, but that doesn't keep me from forming my own opinions. The military changes a person and that is a fact, but how this change affect individuals varies. Combat aside, whether you have served in the military or not, everyone will be affected to some degree by PTSD. Life is no bed of roses and traumatic events will occur like it or not. The ability to handle these difficulties varies by the individual and is not based on how strong or weak their mental and emotional control is. As researchers look to learn more about PTSD and ways to counteract is affects on people, there are some interesting questions raised. Would we really want a drug or medicine that removes all effects of life changing events? What kind of world would we live in where our action and experiences left no impression on our mind or emotions?
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EMDR appears to be an evidence-based therapy approach endorsed by the Department of Defense. EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. A therapist developed this based on her own experience walking in the woods. When she was remembering a painful experience, she discovered that left-right eye movement helped to calm her down.
ReplyDeleteJust as scientific and medical advancements have benefited physically sick people, evolution of clinical counseling techniques are positively impacting people suffering mentally as well. Christian counseling employing EMDR and cognitive behavioral interventions would seem the best way to help PSTD veterans who are Christian believers.