25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Finally, someone who TRULY understands and offers REAL HELP, June 30, 2008
Flashbacks are like a time machine. You literally re-live it in every way down to your visceral responses and the same exact thoughts going through your mind. We attempt to scramble back into the present tense ASAP. This was (and sometimes still is) the hardest aspect of PTSD to get under control.
Your book (and years of therapy and ongoing self-directed effort)taught me to acknowledge the unwanted memories as brain blips because of cataloging.....(i.e. a sexual snarl provoking a memories of all that molestation or torture makes a young girl rememember AND feel.....)It's not only my body "replaying" the sensations, it's also the EMOTIONAL/visceral responses......i.e. feeling scared, helpless, unimportant, unloved.....these I now realize that the physical memories (burning, violence, starvation, etc...) are ALWAYS accompanied by what you think and the emotional component.
So, it's not only remembering and re-experiencing what they did to your body, it's ALSO what you concluded about yourself, the world......and what to expect next......I'm not articulate at all.....but it's these emotions that are reexperienced in my body that I ALWAYS have to recognize aren't true any more. I call them the emotional reverbations of random memories......This has helped me to learn what to acknowledge as pertaining to `now' and what got accidentally misfired.......That was and is my lynchpin to feeling capable and able to appreciate my life. The best thing is............I notice that everything is less intense and floats by more easily.............I can't thank you enough...........True, my therapies helped, but......reading your book seemed to present it as "OK and doable"........I think it was because you wrote it like the reader was talking to a friend and it's OK to have challenges like this. THANK YOU!
In summary, I must remember that these are outdated "life templates". I just let them pass as such. I no longer try to PUSH them away. My gentle recogniation has actually made them recur less frequently and with less visceral impact and they "dissolve" more quickly as well. Your "acceptace" advice is, ironically, the most curative! I wish all PTSD's could know this.
I owe you much that I love about life now.....including me! *blush*
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding Resource from One Who Knows, February 26, 2009
This is a comprehensive look at a very serious subject. Written by Mark Goulston, MD, a top psychiatrist and life-skills coach, the book delivers invaluable information and advice for those living with PTSD.
It's also an excellent primer for anyone interested in the subject. Dr. Goulston writes with a conversational tone that is very comforting. His primary message to his reader is "There is a road out of this terrible place."
PTSD victims and their family members have to be reminded of this at every turn, for the depression and isolation that usually comes with PTSD, too often leads to suicide. We are seeing this more and more in combat veterans.
While Dr. Goulston notes that PTSD is a major, life-altering disorder, and an "invisible epidemic" affecting at least 13 million Americans of every age, he also asserts the good news today, is that PTSD is highly treatable.
PTSD is a complex illness, and there are many manifestations of it. The author explains that there are two primary types of PTSD: Simple and Complex. Simple PTSD usually follows a single event, while Complex PTSD can occur after repeated traumas. Gooulston gives insights into the amazing array of available treatments that now offer relief and healing.
He addresses the challenges and stresses facing the loved ones of those
with PTSD, as well as nearly every facet of this "Anxiety Disorder."
He also manages to infuse the book with flashes of humor, a much-needed tool for fighting PTSD.
This book will help anyone interested in PTSD, and that should be all of us, as we're all just one traumatic event away from it. As our war veterans return from Iraq and Afghanistan, this vital resource can provide great hope and understanding.
Don't be mislead by the "Dummies" label. This book is chock-full of scientific facts, and proven remedies. A very important work on PTSD. Highly, enthusiastically recommended!!
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