can then lead to physical health issues. Often, the victim does not understand what is happening, which in turn increases the feeling of helplessness and intensifies the suffering.
Avoidance The intrusive traumatic memories are so unpleasant that the person suffering from them instinctively takes steps to avoid them. This can manifest in a wide variety of ways including: • Efforts not to think, feel or talk about the traumatic event. • Avoiding places, activities, and people who might trigger memories of the traumatic event. • Memory suppression of the event,
which leads to difficulty remembering details of the experience even when this is desired. (This can be an issue with victims of a violent crime who need to testify in a courtroom.) I once heard a U.S. Marine who fought in the Battle of Fallujah explain that he felt “quenched” like a steel sword that had been heated up and cooled down in order to be forged into the sharp Marine he was trained to be. He felt that this had turned off his emotions, making their expression next to impossible. This is an interesting description, particularly as this soldier also suffered from PTSD and it is actually the fear of reliving the traumatic experience that causes many people experiencing the disorder to shut
down their emotions. Knowing that the traumatic experience can suddenly resurface but not knowing when this might happen causes extreme stress (hyperarousal). This leads many people to become irritable, impatient, defensive, and prone to angry outbursts. Others begin to avoid all emotions. These people find it difficult to feel warm emotions, even toward those they love, and they begin to find it impossible to enjoy activities that previously brought them joy (a strong emotion). Avoidance may serve the victim well in the short run, creating the illusion of control over the problem, but in the long run avoidance becomes a fixation and significantly damages the quality
Sgt. Shane P. Santelli, therapeutically paints through his PTSD healing process. He donates 70 percent of the proceeds from the sale of his paintings to military friendly organizations. Photo: Lance Cpl. Andrea Cleopatra Dickerson
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