Books that prove meaningful words work.

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  Soldiers who come home with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from the War on Terror say, “War is easy, but coming home is Hell.” The most frequently encountered problems at home for these Soldiers include sleep disturbances, highly exaggerated startle reflex, fear of crowds, anger and rage, the loss of trust, relationship failures, loss of the capacity and interest in emotional and sexual intimacy, and depression that may lead to suicide. Neither at peace with themselves nor with those around them, these Soldiers resort to avoidant behavior and attempt to escape into the use of mind-altering drugs, and especially alcohol. The commonality of these problems points to a single source-- combat catastrophe from which they learned they are profound, if not permanently, vulnerable. Taken from this perspective, combat PTSD is a learned behavior. These affected Soldiers are most like those who have no faith.

 If combat PTSD symptoms come from learning vulnerability or helplessness, and if this lesson damages or destroys faith, then it can be unlearned or replaced by learning the truth. Truth can restore faith. The PTSD Survival Manual aspires to help Soldiers understand that erroneous complex human learning can cause the symptoms of PTSD. The learned behavior called PTSD is highly resistant to change because survival depends on it. However, it is no match for learning the truth of the situation in which the learning occurred. Therefore, learning is a primary theme.

 Soldiers know the life-saving importance of their battle-buddy, fellow Soldiers who stood next to them in the fighting. Psychologically, this bond between Soldiers in combat is an intense, security-giving attachment. Attachment, our second theme, is as essential to learning the truth about combat PTSD as it was to survival in the fighting. A good understanding of attachment will be an expected reward of our undertaking.
Your journey back to faith, or for some Soldiers your discovery of faith for the first time is our third theme or objective. The author acknowledges that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who came to the world to save us from the destruction that our human nature. Being left without the spirit of God will obliterate us. At strategic points, scripture citations give biblical authority and wisdom to the text, and these Bible readings have proven helpful to me, my family and to Soldiers.

 The method of instruction is the case history method. For teaching materials, I selected clinical case histories of Soldiers treated between 2005-2016 at an Army Post in Virginia. PTSD is defined—presenting problem is delineated, and the course of treated is summarized. Readers are challenged to consider what helped to resolve the problems of other Soldiers and successfully concentrate on what was helpful. 

  Since the global War on Terror began, 2.6 million American military men and women have been deployed to the Middle East. Soldiers are carrying a heavy cognitive and emotional burden: 13 to 20 percent of Soldiers have posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. The percentage is four times higher for combat medics and mortuary specialists.

The media’s focus on outlying incidences to portray affected Soldiers as violent, erratic, and dangerous is misleading. If the public cannot understand and empathize with the plight of thousands of suffering men and women, how can we welcome our Soldiers back into society as the heroes they are? How can we help them heal?

Robert S. Brown, MD, PhD, conducted 17,500 treatment encounters with active-duty Soldiers, most of whom suffer from PTSD. In his new book, Sacred Ground: The Psychological Cost of Twenty-First Century War, he tells their stories of suffering, understanding, and recovering. Dr. Brown acknowledges his patients’ sorrow, regret, exhaustion, and depression. He paints vivid pictures of each Soldier’s “sacred moment,” the instant when he or she understands the truth of the combat experience, and healing begins. The result is an empathetic and dignified exploration of a quiet, yet critical, American mental health crisis.

  Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a recognizable, yet misunderstood, condition. Thousands of Soldiers return from the War on Terror suffering from PTSD. PTSD demands understanding. How can the public support our Soldiers when so many suffer from an injury of the mind? How can they help? Affected Soldiers are too often portrayed as violent and erratic, but Dr. Brown knows better. Since 2005, he has treated thousands of Soldiers with PTSD. While there are some exceptions, most of these Soldiers suffer quietly, but fear more terrorist attacks here. PTSD and Me, Healing Injured Minds, tells the stories of these injured heroes. The result is an insightful, poignant exploration of individual lives torn apart by brutal memories. “Some chapters were difficult to read, especially the pages about Jack Scott. I remember those days well; they were rough. I am forever grateful to you, our Heavenly Father and Jack's passion for cycling. All three helped heal him, you being the catalyst and cycling being a therapy of its own, God being a constant companion. Our life is good, not without stress, but we have fun.” Soldier’s wife As a retired United States Army Reserves Medical Corps Colonel and a psychiatrist, Dr. Robert S. Brown served his country as a Soldier, doctor, and university professor. He graduated from the University of Virginia Medical School and holds a PhD in education. He has forty years of experience in private psychiatric practice and university professorship. He’s the author of Textbook for Mental Health. He’s won numerous awards, including the Army’s Legion of Merit and the Distinguished Life Fellowship of the American Psychiatric Association. Perhaps Dr. Gagon’s words, (Former Chief, Behavioral Health, Military Treatment Facility) recounts Dr. Brown’s successes best: “You are a wise and caring healer with unbending dedication to the people you serve. I know because each time I hear laughter come from your group room I know someone has let go of their pain and suffering long enough to experience the healing benefits of human connectedness.”

  Developed on actual case histories of depressed people treated by a psychiatrist who advocates fitness, Healing Depression by Degrees of Fitness, the Brain Health Guidebook describes how mild to moderate exercise improves the brain. The chapters written by a physical therapist scholarly in neuroscience provide scientific evidence supporting the importance of fitness to brain health. Depressed people, as well as those who care for and struggle by their side, will find this book informative and genuine reasons for hope. Unlike other treatises, Healing Depression is about specific, practical approaches to understanding and applying the principles of fitness of the body, mind, and spirit, activities that depressed people find helpful.

  True stories, and more, about how treating others with kindness, dignity, and respect improved the lives of people with different views of life, gender, race, ethnicity, education, and religion. Kindness, Dignity, and Respect is my Christian testimony, testifying as if in a court of law. Consider your own testimony, reflect on spiritual self-examination and share your faith and insight with others. A self-actualized person treats others with kindness, dignity, and respect. Jesus commanded us “to love one another” (John 15:12). Apostle Paul wrote a detailed blueprint for building loving relationships with one another (1 Corinthians 13). These two Scriptures compel us to weigh their meaningfulness. They urge us to start now to love one another. This commandment was crucial to Jesus. He knew that loving one another would help us flourish spiritually and survive as humanity. 

 Evidence that God Moves in My Life. The unacknowledged and unappreciated influence of God is wide-spread. Critics will argue that "You will know it when God touches your life!" Yes, that is also the case, but is it the sole or usual or the most common way one is influenced by God? 

  Children of parents with PTSD suffer silently in confusion, fear, and self-blame. They question the stability of their home when awakened in the dark of night by a father screaming in a nightmare. As a psychiatrist on a military post for the past decade, I worked closely with the families of Soldiers and Marines suffering from PTSD. What I saw deeply touched me as a father and a husband. I relied upon actual case histories of some of those I've treated and cobbled them into creative fiction about two families dealing with PTSD. Tommy and Little Bear, sixth-graders, are best friends. We join them fishing on the fourth of July. Why is Tommy's twin sister Chloe obsessed with the famous fairy tale, Goldilocks, and the Three Bears? Why does she find a striking similarity between the characters the story and her family? Does her Three Bears obsession reach further than normal, or does her insight show wisdom beyond her years? Her brother Tommy questions her sanity. Dorothy Ann, a year older, is as lovely as Goldilocks, but unlike the character, she does not need everything just right. She wants help with her summer school paper, the Meaning of July the Fourth. Tommy and Little Bear help her review the facts behind Independence Day. Children in the sixth grade and above will find answers in PTSD's a Bear that are not available elsewhere. It is also written to inform everyone about PTSD. Here you will find the answer to questions children often ask parents who suffer from PTSD: "Did you kill anybody?" "Why is mother crying?" "Why did daddy leave?" "When is daddy coming home?" "Why does dad cry when he is watching cartoons with me?" "What is PTSD?" "What is Power of Attorney?" "Why does dad drive that way?" "What did I do to cause dad to leave?" "What did I do to cause dad to be so angry?" "Why does daddy have to have everything just right?" Little Bear's father, SGT Bear, is ordered back to the war. He comes upon hard times and, unexpectedly, he avoids all contact with his family. His wife gets very depressed. 

Chloe's faith plays a crucial role in mending more than one broken relationship. The end of the story is happy and most surprising.