By investigating this issue with a positive, solution focussed approach, the goal is to bring hope to those still suffering from the nightmares and debilitating effects of »»]]>

By investigating this issue with a positive, solution focussed approach, the goal is to bring hope to those still suffering from the nightmares and debilitating effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Have you watched the news lately??? There are more and more people in disaster zones, undergoing horrific scenarios.  These people not only suffer the physical effects and emotional results of guilt from having survived when so many others have died, but also the ongoing psychological effects which can affect people decades after the trauma.

Just this year in Perth, Western Australia, apparently the most isolated city in the world, we have been affected in the first part of 2011 (at least indirectly) by

For some unlucky residents – they have been waiting a year for repairs from the hail storm on 22 March 20110, which was reportedly the worst/most expensive natural disaster to ever hit the city.  This summer December 2010 – to May 2011 (yes, it didn’t stop as scheduled on 31 March 2011), was the hottest, driest on record causing or fuelling many fires.

Indirectly, we have all been affected by the horror stories coming out Christchurch, New Zealand with the seemingly never-ending earthquake and aftershocks, the earthquake, tsunamis and nuclear disasters from Japan, to name a few.

So it is no wonder, that although 2011 seems to be the busiest for everyone on record (or where we are so distracted and have lost the ability to focus) that I have chosen to push forward with this series on ptsd.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD is defined as:

“Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that’s triggered by a terrifying event. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event.” The Mayo Clinic Staff 

Or “Posttraumatic stress disorder (also known as post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD) is a severe anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to any event that results in psychological trauma.^[1][2][3] This event may involve the threat of death to oneself or to someone else, or to one’s own or someone else’s physical, sexual, or psychological integrity,^[1] overwhelming the individual’s ability to cope. As an effect of psychological trauma, PTSD is less frequent and more enduring than the more commonly seen acute stress response.”  from Wikipedia

According to New Scientist magazine,

“Many patients suffering from severe depression “test positive” for post-traumatic stress disorder, regardless of whether or not they have actually experienced trauma, a new study reveals.”

As a survivor of ptsd, I would propose that ptsd manifests similarly as a result of acute shock or trauma as a result of a natural disaster, such as a tsunami , earthquake, or manmade horror such as a state of war or chronic stress, for example  as a result of abuse.

The good news is – you CAN overcome ptsd.  I have and I have met many others who have either overcome it or are well on the way to minimising the effect it has on their lives.  As with anything in life, it you want something bad enough, it is possible.

This series will share my own story along with the story of a variety of others who are survivors.

Your thoughts?

Following Cathy’s own experiences of having survived 2 States of Emergency in 2 different countries »»]]>

Following Cathy’s own experiences of having survived 2 States of Emergency in 2 different countries within 3 months of each other, she shares her tips to overcome PTSD.

“I felt like I was living in history.  Really making a difference.  Teaching English to government workers and UN Agency staff.  Classroom discussions could result in ‘on the ground’ changes in the some areas, especially for Sustainable Development…. However you need to be alive to make a difference.  I knew after 48 hours of being in hiding that it was time to get out.  Unfortunately it took a further three days before I was able to leave to the safest place in the world -no, not Australia….

Bali, not long after the Oct 12 bombings – there were no tourists left!”

pg 2 Suara Timor Lorosae newspaper 6 Dec 2002

Steps to Overcoming PTSD

(Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)

1             Ownership – Acknowledge there is a problem

2             Ask for help (This first step may be privately asking God to help you before reaching out to others)

3             Feel and express the emotions (in a supportive environment).  This could be:

a.    writing a journal or

b.    retelling the event/s to a counsellor or objective confidante

c.    Joining a support group

4             Take responsibility and Decide to learn from the experience and bless it for allowing you to grow

[This may involve you removing yourself from the dangerous situation.]

5             Commit to changing your life on a daily basis

6             Develop a plan to walk out these changes. Including:

a.    Learn coping strategies for stress

b.    Increase your EQ Emotional Intelligence

7             Action  – live expansively – make each day count

8             Use your experience to bless others.  Suggestions:

a.    Mentor others

b.    Become a counselor or teacher

c.    Create a blog

For further tips on how to overcome PTSD, check out Fran’s tips after surviving the Boxing Day Tsunami or James’ after surviving a roadside bomb in Iraq.

Your thoughts?

We arrived in the afternoon on »»]]>

On Christmas Day 2004, my husband and I together with our four children set off to Phuket, Thailand for a family holiday.

We arrived in the afternoon on Christmas Day. We checked into our hotel, the Patong Beach Hotel,  unpacked and made one quick phonecall, prior to setting off to enjoy the busy streets of Phuket.

My husband and I had been to Phuket many times and had become close friends with a Thai family on our previous visits. Now we had brought our four children with us to meet this family.  We had talked about doing this for a number of years. The phonecall had been to this Thai man.  We had made arrangements to meet him the following day, being Boxing Day, in the afternoon.

The next morning I was woken by a strange movement of our bed shaking, I had a very eerie feeling. My husband was also woken by this movement. We decided to ring our Thai friend and ask if he would like to meet us in the morning instead of the afternoon. He agreed.  We woke all the children and told them to quickly get dressed, as the plans had changed. We went down for breakfast, without our money or personnel belongings, and within 30 minutes, our Thai friend arrived albeit a little early. We thought we would just be saying hello, and then meet up again for our evening meal with him and his family, but he insisted we get in his car and take us for a drive. The children hesitated as they had no money with them or even any shoes on.  I quickly replied “Don’t worry, we will only be gone for a little while, so let’s go.”

Our friend was a taxi driver and owned a tut tut which is like an enclosed small ute.  He took us out of the busy Patong strip, to a quieter location at another beach.

We stopped at a small village restaurant where we all got out and sat down. We ordered a drink each and started to catch up with our good friend.

Before long there was noise, then screaming. It was getting louder. We looked up to see people running. We had no idea what was happening, we stood up to have a look, and to ask people what was all the commotion.  Someone yelled “Run, big water.” As we looked towards the road to the left of us, to our horror it was a wall of dirty water, filled with cars debris and bodies coming our way. We ran to the car which was parked on a slight hill, which gave us enough time to run so the water would slow down. As we sat in the back of the tut tut, safe we watched behind us as the wave took many lives.

It was the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami.

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Stay tuned for the next post where Fran shares the impact of PTSD on her own life and how she has overcome it.

Have you or anyone you know suffered from PTSD?  [Share your thoughts by commenting here.]

for Part 2 – go here

James’ vehicle after being hit by road side bomb

In 2007 I was »»]]>

Guest Post by James Greenshields, Personal Development Consultant. For more about James, scroll down…

James’ vehicle after being hit by road side bomb

In 2007 I was serving in Iraq when my armoured vehicle was hit by a road side bomb. I received shrapnel wounds to my head and arm, and they found my helmet 80m from the vehicle. When I returned to Australia at the end of my tour I was hypersensitive, couldn’t hold a conversation and had increased levels of anger. I was bathing my then 2 year old daughter a couple of months after returning and found myself getting increasingly angry at her two year old shenanigans. One night I had enough and looked at myself in the mirror: “James! You can take bullets and bombs, but you can’t bath your own daughter”. That night I vowed to fix whatever was wrong inside me – and I have.

I didn’t know it at the time, but I was suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD; an anxiety disorder that an estimated 700,000 Australians suffer. PTSD is a result of the protective measures within the brain engaging during an incident, or period of experience, where an individual feels their life, or sense of being, is threatened. These protective measures don’t reset by themselves and so leave that individual with PTSD.

Symptoms of PTSD are:

• Re-experiencing intrusive memories or flashbacks of the event
• Avoidance of things that remind a person of the event, and emotional numbing
• Hyperarousal coming across in things like difficulty sleeping, hyperviligance and irritability

Anyone with PTSD will know the emotional roller coaster that you can go on. At times you may feel that you are not in control. The start of my recovery process was to understand the consequences for me remaining like that – a lonely life that taxed those people I loved. It took me to make a commitment to my loved ones to change and regain a choice of how I feel and act. Now this commitment has become to myself.

The next step was to understand emotions and how they work within us. We are not our emotions, just as we aren’t our thoughts, or this body that we see in the mirror. There is something deep inside of each one of us that is the real person. Think about someone you really love, do you love them for their body, or how smart they are, or how they feel at any moment in time? My guess is that there is something deeper. Understanding this means you can now observe yourself when you get angry, sad or fearful, and realize that it is not who you are, but an emotion you are feeling at that moment.

Emotions need expressing. Anger is a big one. Find a way to express anger and get it out of your system. A couple of things about expressing it:

• No one is allowed to get hurt – otherwise your inner justice mechanism will kick in and load you with guilt.
• Get a punching bag and start to hit it.
• You need to go until you are exhausted.
• Vocalise what is going on for you – and don’t judge!
• Once won’t cut it, you need to do this until you feel you are back in control of when you get angry and to what degree.

The big thing is to understand that admitting you have PTSD is not a sign of weakness. Actually you will have more courage by putting your hand up and asking for help. And watch the dramatic effect of your courageous action on those you love the most.

If you would like any more information or want to get in touch with me, email: info@livebeyondsuccess.com.au

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My website is www.livebeyondsuccess.com.au , have a look and subscribe to our free monthly newsletter.

James Greenshields is a former Australian Army officer who has seen active service in both East Timor and Iraq. He is now a personal development consultant, specializing in leadership and PTSD recovery. He also presents at one of Australia’s largest personal development workshops, the Mental Toolbox. For more information visit: www.thementaltoolbox.com

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