Download or read book Nightmares And Thoughts Of A Vietnam Vet written by Melquiades "Mike" Ortiz and published by Author House. This book was released on 2006-11-29 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: I write this book in hopes of reaching other service personnel or citizens that are experiencing the same feelings of, guilt, anger, or fears that I have suffered... because of a traumatic experience. I have learned that not only war, but also any kind of traumatic event can cause the symptoms of anger, anxiety, loneliness, frustration, isolation, flashbacks, nightmares, and intrusive thoughts. My nightmares started before I left Vietnam, and they intensified with time. I did not know why I slowly changed, but these changes of uncontrollable outbursts of anger, frustration, isolation, anxiety, loneliness, and the horrible nightmares and flashbacks of Vietnam, caused a lot of suffering not only for me, but for my family, friends, and loved ones. It took me years to control my temper, and I learned to work only at night to keep the nightmares in check. This helped, but I still did not know the actual problem, only that there was something wrong, this kept me with stomach problems, chest pains, headaches, and edgy for many years. I would like to thank the Veterans’ Administration and the Loma Linda Veterans’ Hospital for the help I have received through them, and for giving my nightmares a name, “PTSD.” Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, that is what they diagnosed, and even though I refused to accept this at first, now I am learning how to deal with my problem. The professional and qualified personnel at the Veteran’s Hospital have given me strength, tools, training, and the support to fight my demons, and to write this book. I would also like to thank my wife, Elizabeth, my sons Michael, Paul, Paulo, Mark, and my daughters, Rosie and Majalia, for their support, encouragement, and understanding, to help me get out of the dark, and fight my demons.
Download or read book Vietnam Stories written by Ted Pannell and published by Tate Publishing. This book was released on 2010 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: To say, 'War is hell,' is an understatement...war is horrifying. Some of these stories may sound unbelievable, but they are based on real events. Then a sound that rattled me down to my toes; explosions, yelling, whistles, and bugles. Out of the mist came hundreds of screaming ghost-like figures. Sounds were deafening causing me to become disorientated, terrified beyond words at the sight, my heart felt ready to burst. It was hard to comprehend what had just occurred, what I had just done. It happened so fast. I hadn't given much thought of taking a life, yet in a matter of seconds, I'd taken several. It was mind numbing. War was nothing like I'd ever imagined, it was loud, gruesome and ugly and I was aghast with fear.Dreams to Nightmares is the sometimes awe inspiring, sometimes harrowing stories of a Vietnam veteran. Encompassing the optimism of boot camp to the horrors of the battlefield; it captures a living hell where a miracle will happen one instant then the ghastly work of the devil the next. To the aftermath of a silent, unwelcome homecoming, the struggle and pain of PTSD, and the search for peace and happiness.
Download or read book Trauma and Dreams written by Deirdre Barrett and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2001-10-30 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Finally, this volume concludes with a look at the potential "traumas of normal life," such as divorce, bereavement, and life-threatening illness, and the role of dreams in working through normal grief and loss
Download or read book VIETNAM VETERANS WAKING AND NONWAKING COGNITIVE RESPONSES TO LIFE THREATENING STRESSORS NIGHTMARES POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS written by CYNTHIA ANN LOVELAND COOK and published by . This book was released on 1986 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: life-threatening stressors to nightmares. Exposure to violence in adolescence exerted an important effect on the frequency of intrusive thoughts. The findings suggest that exposure to violence may be related to a pattern of social and personal disorganization that has existed over the lifespan.
Download or read book The Demons of War are Persistent written by Military Experience and Arts [Helping Veterans Succeed] and published by AW Schade. This book was released on 2014-01-01 with total page 16 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “The Demons of War are Persistent” A Personal Story of Prolonged PTSD —A.W. Schade, USMC 1965/69 Forty years have passed since my deployment as a combat Marine in Vietnam. However, only several years since I acknowledged my inability to continue suppressing the demons alone. Like many veterans, the “Demons” have haunted me through nightmares, altered personas, and hidden fears. Even as many veterans manage the demons’ onslaught successfully, millions survive in destitution, needless solitude and social disconnection. Scores consider themselves cowards, should they concede to the demons’ hold. Countless live in denial and loneliness, protecting their warrior’s pride. The most vulnerable— tormented by guilt and feeling forever alone — too often choose to “end” their lives.
Download or read book Vietnam PTSD USMC Black Americans and Me written by John H. Jordan and published by Dorrance Publishing. This book was released on 2016-10-04 with total page 66 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Vietnam, PTSD, USMC, Black-Americans and Me By John H. Jordan War is hell and, for many of the U.S. veterans who served in the Vietnam conflict, the psychological nightmares rages on even forty years after the last Marine left Saigon. Psychological surveys suggest that some 271,000 veterans of the war may still have full Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. For many vets, the PTSD symptoms are only getting worse with time. Roughly 11% of Vietnam veterans, over a forty year period, continue to suffer from clinically important PTSD symptoms, either having the full diagnosis or very strong features of the diagnosis that interfere with function. According to new research, for some people it is a condition unlikely to ever go away.
Download or read book From a Vietnam Vet written by Melquiades "Mike" Ortiz and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2016-10-07 with total page 189 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nightmares, anger, fear, flashbacks, guilt, feelings of betrayal, short memory span, forgetful. These are all just a sample of the symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) that plague the author and have challenged him since the end of his Vietnam War tour of duty in 1966. The author hopes that, by putting his words on paper and baring his deepest, darkest memories of his PTSD experiences, he can show how his writing has helped him to adjust, cope, and actually control these symptoms. The author and members of the writing group he facilitates at the Loma Linda Veterans Hospital have had some poetry readings at some local California colleges, libraries, and at the Loma Linda Healthcare System in Loma Linda, California. The reaction and acceptance from other veterans in the audiences has given the author a feeling of pride and happiness to see how the veterans are moved by the power of the written word. Each member of the writing group writes, shares, and has control of their own work. Their recovery journey from their writing really shows in the demeanor and actions of each member, and some have also published their own books. Others are still putting together their own books to be published in the future. The author fights through his fear of speaking in front of others and is willing to bare those feelings he writes about just to get other veterans to understand that they are not alone in their pain, and that they are not alone in life. The author feels that he is on his recovery journey, and through this book, he hopes to reach other victims and give them courage to look for professional help in their own journey.
Download or read book Prodependence written by Robert Weiss and published by Health Communications, Inc.. This book was released on 2018-09-18 with total page 170 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Prodependence," a new psychological term created by Robert Weiss to describe healthy interdependence in the modern world, turns this around. Rather that preaching detachment and distance over continued bonding and assistance, as so many therapists, self-help books, and 12-step groups currently do, prodependence celebrates the human need for and pursuit of intimate connection, viewing this as a positive force for change. Simply stated, prodependence occurs when attachment relationships are mutually beneficial--with one person's strengths filling in the weak points of the other, and vice versa. And this can occur even when an addiction is present
Download or read book The Enemy Within written by Gregory A. Helle and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2004 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why would you want to read this book? There are several reasons. First of all, it is my hope that victims of all types of traumas, whether war-related or not, can find some comfort in these pages. If you are a victim of PTSD, you need to know that there is hope for a better quality of life. That is one of the core messages in this book. There is no cure for PTSD, but through medications and counseling, it is possible to exercise more control over the illness. But you must take the first step and be your own best advocate. You will hear me say this more than once. If you do not advocate for your own needs, it is unlikely that you will achieve your goals. I hope that some of the information in these pages will guide PTSD victims to seek the help they need. I feel this book also has much to offer those who don't suffer from PTSD. It is the story of how a normal eighteen-year-old farm boy from a small town in Iowa went to war and, over thirty years later - at the age of fifty-two - became totally disabled with PTSD. It is my hope that this will help the public understand not only Vietnam vets, but also vets from all wars, as well as victims of other traumas such as I mentioned above. There are so many fears that hold PTSD victims back from seeking help or even admitting to themselves that they need help. Even though all those around them can see the changes in the victim, it is hard for the victim to admit a problem. They see themselves as having some kind of mental illness. Victims are often paranoid and worry about what others are thinking or saying about them, even those people who have no inkling that there is a problem. Sometimes, it can seem to the victim that everyone knows there is something wrong, and that everyone is talking about him or her. The public must become aware of the disease and offer compassion rather than rebuke. Vietnam vets in particular have been a source of fear in the general public. The media has exacerbated this situation by its frequent portrayal of the vet as an imbalanced, rage-filled time bomb, just waiting for the circumstances that will set him off. Perhaps this has made for some "entertaining" movies, but it has also kept many veterans from seeking the help they needed, lest they find themselves branded with this ugliest of clichés. Even if the victim knows there is a problem, it is so difficult to ask for help, especially from a government that loaths to acknowledge the existence - much less, the debilitating nature - of this disorder. It should come as no surprise, then, that many victims do not want anyone to know about their "weakness." Very simply, it is time to end the silence and the shame. I realize that parts of this book will be difficult for the public to read. Reading a true account is not at all the same as watching violence on TV or at the movies. In these situations, the dead are not really dead and the cast is not really experiencing the events being portrayed. It is much more difficult when the dead stay dead, bodies are permanently mutilated, and the effects of the war will stay forever with those who experienced them. . The violence presented in modern entertainment should be taken as it is intended (though sometimes the level of violence in our "entertainment" is disturbing). True violence should be taken very seriously because it can happen to any one of us - at war or at home. Where a particularly violent movie can leave one unsettled for a day or so, actually living through a violent situation can produce a nightmare that lasts a lifetime. I do not intend for this book to be political, nor do I want it to be an attack on the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA). However, I do believe that the policies enacted by the government have played a significant part in weaving the intricate web of my life. Nor do I intend this to be a self-help book.
Download or read book Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Nightmares in Combat and Non combat Vietnam era Veterans written by Brad S. Witte and published by . This book was released on 1989 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book I Am a Veteran written by Andrea Brett and published by . This book was released on 2017-09-05 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 9 x 13 Hard cover book of poem with full color illustrations
Download or read book Denial written by Jessica Stern and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2011-06-07 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hailed by critics and readers alike, Jessica Stern's riveting memoir examines the horrors of trauma and denial as she investigates her own unsolved adolescent sexual assault at the hands of a serial rapist. Alone in an unlocked house, in a safe suburban Massachusetts town, two good, obedient girls, Jessica Stern, fifteen, and her sister, fourteen, were raped on the night of October 1, 1973. The rapist was never caught. For over thirty years, Stern denied the pain and the trauma of the assault. Following the example of her family, Stern—who lost her mother at the age of three, and whose father was a Holocaust survivor—focused on her work instead of her terror. She became a world-class expert on terrorism and post-traumatic stress disorder who interviewed extremists around the globe. But while her career took off, her success hinged on her symptoms. After her ordeal, she no longer felt fear in normally frightening situations. Stern believed she'd disassociated from the trauma altogether, until a dedicated police lieutenant reopened the case. With the help of the lieutenant, Stern began her own investigation to uncover the truth about the town of Concord, her own family, and her own mind. The result is Denial, a candid, courageous, and ultimately hopeful look at a trauma and its aftermath.
Download or read book The Traumatic Neuroses of War written by Abram Kardiner and published by Martino Fine Books. This book was released on 2012-07-01 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 2012 Reprint of 1941 Edition. Exact facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. Most PTSD authors agree that Abram Kardiner's "Traumatic Neuroses of War" is the seminal psychological work on PTSD. In this work Kardiner distilled much psychiatric thought on the traumatic syndrome resulting from World War II, with what he had termed "neurosis of war." The symptoms of this syndrome included features such as fixation on the trauma, constriction of personality functioning and atypical dream life. Kardiner provided powerful new insights in these classic texts on the phenomenology, nosology, and treatment of war-related stress, thereby anticipating virtually every aspect of contemporary research on PTSD. Although Kardiner had observed war neuroses since 1925, when he was attending specialist at the U.S. Veterans Hospital, he was only able to theorize them to his satisfaction after he had written "The Individual and His Society," which dealt with the problems of adaptation. He came to see that in the traumatic neurosis of the war the defensive maneuver to ward off the trauma sometimes destroyed the individual's adaptive capacity. Thus, the traumatic neurosis of war was the result of an adaptive failure, not a conflictual illness. So concluding, Kardiner re-introduced the concept of traumatic neurosis into psychoanalytic theory.
Download or read book Dream Therapy for PTSD written by Bruce M. Dow MD and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2015-03-30 with total page 158 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this series of clinical vignettes, a board-certified psychiatrist and life fellow of the American Psychiatric Association illustrates the effectiveness of dream therapy in treating posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be disabling and difficult to treat, often leading to depression, suicide, and homicide in extreme cases. In this clinical-based reference, acclaimed psychiatrist and neuroscience researcher, Bruce Dow, provides a step-by-step approach for implementing dream revision therapy—a treatment proven to eliminate nightmares, flashbacks, anxiety, and other debilitating effects of PTSD. Drawing from work with patients in both military and civilian settings, Dow shows how to utilize imagery rehearsal exercises to help mitigate the effects of the illness. The vast majority of the book's 11 chapters focus on clinical case studies of patients who have suffered under the effects of the disease—for example, a hotel employee who witnesses a gory suicide; a female police officer whose career-ending crash in her patrol car brings back traumatic memories from childhood; and Vietnam combat veterans with recurrent posttraumatic nightmares. Each vignette offers details of the dream revision method along with clinical tips for ensuring its success. The final chapter features descriptions of brain mechanisms of PTSD and dream revision.
Download or read book War and the Soul written by Edward Tick and published by Quest Books. This book was released on 2012-12-19 with total page 345 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: War and PTSD are on the public's mind as news stories regularly describe insurgency attacks in Iraq and paint grim portraits of the lives of returning soldiers afflicted with PTSD. These vets have recurrent nightmares and problems with intimacy, can’t sustain jobs or relationships, and won’t leave home, imagining “the enemy” is everywhere. Dr. Edward Tick has spent decades developing healing techniques so effective that clinicians, clergy, spiritual leaders, and veterans’ organizations all over the country are studying them. This book, presented here in an audio version, shows that healing depends on our understanding of PTSD not as a mere stress disorder, but as a disorder of identity itself. In the terror of war, the very soul can flee, sometimes for life. Tick's methods draw on compelling case studies and ancient warrior traditions worldwide to restore the soul so that the veteran can truly come home to community, family, and self.
Download or read book DAK TO Rx written by John Wesley Fisher and published by . This book was released on 2020-08-26 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A VETERAN RETURNS TO THE LAND OF HIS NIGHTMARES IN DAK TO, VIETNAM. Dak To Rx is just what the doctor ordered for healing PTSD and coming home from war to peace. John Wesley Fisher is a man of many places and roles: seeker, chiropractor, surfer, traveler, and Vietnam Veteran. Dak To RX is a journal of his journeys throughout Vietnam (in particular a six week solo trip in 2012) where he finds compassion, acceptance, peace, and healing from the people he meets and the places where he walks upon the land. His nightmare becomes a dream of peace and healing. Fisher notes that it is "a sacred time being on the road," and his journey is a sacred journey of healing. He meets many Veterans (his former enemies of the war) and survivors of the American War in Vietnam along the way. What he learns from one former enemy is, "Now all survivors are the same...we didn't kill each other, so now we can be friends and teach the world about peace together."--David R. Kopacz, MD Psychiatrist, National VA Education Champion, Assistant Professor (Univ. Of Washington), Author: Becoming Medicine and Walking the Medicine Wheel (co- authored with Joseph Rael-Beautiful Painted Arrow) and Re- humanizing Medicine.I have been working with John Wesley Fisher for many years, and I've seen his work to help the Vietnamese people and the Vietnam veterans. For the Americans, PTSD after the Vietnam War is a big problem. This is not so in Vietnam and I think Bac Sy (Dr.) John has an honest understanding of the reasons because of the differences between Vietnam and American culture. There are so many Vietnam veterans who have PTSD and cannot be cured even though they have seen many psychologists, but a lot of them feel much better after the trip back to Vietnam as they can find peace for their mind here. Vietnamese people come from a great culture of community spirit with a big influence from Buddhism and Confucius' philosophies. Vietnamese can easily leave the past behind and live within the present moment. By just moving on, we can be better and we can have a better future. That is the way of the Vietnamese. The past is the past, the future is in front, and we live now. Being a tour guide on the trips with John Wesley Fisher, I have seen so many cases when the Vietnamese can forgive their former enemy, even to the one who may have killed their husband, wife, children, brother...that one only happens here in Vietnam. John understands that well. He has helped so many veterans to feel better after showing them and helping them to understand the real culture of Vietnam. Reading this book, you can understand more about what I talk about.--Vu Duc Anh, Vietnamese Tour Guide, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.Dak To RX provides valuable insights into healing the souls of soldiers whose suffering results from their experiences at war. Only one who has experienced war and returned to the country of his nightmares, as John Wesley Fisher has, can offer this kind of depth for healing. Fisher guides us across Vietnam from the Mekong Delta to the northern frontier with China. We also meet Bol, a former Viet Cong soldier who guides him back through the jungle to a former battle field and profoundly remarks, "The war was a long time ago and we live today, and today there is no war"! This book is uniquely insightful and a valuable tool for healing the trauma of war. We need this wisdom as an effective alternative to modern mental health strategies. For Veterans of the Vietnam War in particular there is no need to travel back to Vietnam to receive this healing, it is right here in this book, Dak To Rx! By the way, if one does intend to visit contemporary Vietnam, Dak To RX is an excellent travel guide, but if you do intend to travel, your best in person guide would be John Wesley Fisher.--Michael Orman, PhD (H) (Medical College of Wisconsin), Vietnam veteran, Author: Souled Out; Conquering the experiences of war.
Download or read book Why is Dad So Mad written by Seth Kastle and published by Tall Tale Press. This book was released on with total page 34 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The children's issues picture book Why Is Dad So Mad? is a story for children in military families whose father battles with combat related Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). After a decade fighting wars on two fronts, tens of thousands of service members are coming home having trouble adjusting to civilian life; this includes struggling as parents. Why Is Dad So Mad? Is a narrative story told from a family's point of view (mother and children) of a service member who struggles with PTSD and its symptoms. Many service members deal with anger, forgetfulness, sleepless nights, and nightmares.This book explains these and how they affect Dad. The moral of the story is that even though Dad gets angry and yells, he still loves his family more than anything.
