PTSD has the potential to turn a persons world upside down, and it’s no respecter of persons. We are all one traumatic experience away from experiencing the terrifying effects that wounds the brain and creates chaos in the body. It hurts and the body has an uncanny way of remembering the pain and holding onto it. Night terrors wake you unsuspectedly and rob you of peaceful sleep. Rest is a benefit of the past. The body reacts in response the the need for protection. The sympathetic nervous system over-activates and all hell breaks loose in the body. It’s literally is a personal “hell” for those who are challenged with the disorder.
This leads me to why I am discussing PTSD. Military men and women all around our nation have put their lives on the line to protect and provide safety. They have voluntarily made huge sacrifices for our freedoms. With that said, why is it so difficult for us to repay their commitment to protect by dismissing, minimizing and rejecting their cry for help off the battlefield? They not only deserve help, but they deserve the best we can give them. After all, they gave us their best.
PTSD requires assessment and treatment by trained professionals. An effective professional has the skill set to provide unconditional positive regard, build rapport, identify symptoms and triggers, target memory networks that are causing distress, and create new, adaptive templates that are stress free. This speaks to an effective, long lasting, permanent treatment approach known to the medical and mental health field, EMDR-Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing. At Restored Connections Family Therapy, we offer EMDR along with other treatment approaches to our service men and women who have put their lives on the line so that they can live their best lives off the battlefield and with their families and friends.
Kathleen G. Shanahan, MA, #AMFT87529
Registered Associate Marriage & Family Therapist
Supervised by Toni Dunning, MA, #MFC51248
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist
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