Understanding PTSD

A lot of people have a misunderstanding of the term PTSD. PTSD means Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

This is not meant to be a clinical study on the subject but a more direct dialogue delving into the subject in everyday terms. If you want clinical language, studies or statistics, there are plenty to be found. This is just a conversation.

Before I get into the guts of this, let me give full disclosure that I have PTSD, myself. When people hear this and know that I am a veteran, they too often automatically assume that my PTSD is caused by military service. That is a mistaken assumption. My military service involved some experiences which were dangerous, potentially life threatening but not what I consider traumatic. Just eye opening. I went through two bomb scares during my time in the military and was active duty in West Germany the day the Berlin Wall came down. Nobody was injured or killed in any of that.

My own PTSD comes from being through two live shooter events, once on a bus and once in a bar. I have also been through two abusive relationships, sometimes involving physical violence and twice where my life was subversively threatened. In addition, I have been mugged where my scalp was split open with a pry bar, been stabbed, shot at, through physical fights…