
PTSD: The Wound That Never Heals - dnetesn
http://nautil.us/issue/23/dominoes/ptsd-the-wound-that-never-heals
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w8rbt
I knew a guy who had moderate PTSD. He could work and keep a steady job. His
number one issue was loud, unexpected noise and sudden surprises. Slamming an
office door, for example, would cause him to jump under a desk, run outside,
etc.

Once we all learned of the issue, making his work-area a quiet place and
letting him know to expect loud noise before it occurred, helped a lot. When
walking up behind him, we let him know we were coming, start humming a song,
but start it at a distance in a calm manner while approaching. These little
things made all the difference.

So don't throw a 'surprise' party for someone with PTSD where everyone in the
office jumps out from hiding yelling surprise! Everyone else may get THE
surprise at the reaction.

And if you have PTSD, it's a good idea to let your co-workers and friends know
now, otherwise, they'll continue doing things that cause problems for you.
You'll find that most people are very helpful, some even understand it just
like you do, but have never said anything about it.

~~~
chimeracoder
> And if you have PTSD, it's a good idea to let your co-workers and friends
> know now, otherwise, they'll continue doing things that cause problems for
> you. You'll find that most people are very helpful, some even understand it
> just like you do, but have never said anything about it.

I don't have PTSD (thankfully), but I went to a school with a large milvet
population, and a number of my friends & classmates had varying levels of
PTSD. Two of my close friends have PTSD from (separate) traumatic events that
occurred during the time I knew them[0], and I've seen the struggles that they
have to this day as a result.

Unfortunately, not only is there a huge stigma around mental illness in
general, but PTSD is very often misunderstood. And many people with PTSD
_have_ been in the position where they have trusted friends or coworkers with
that information, for the exact reasons you describe, and it has come around
to bite them[1]. Since PTSD is oftentimes triggered by environmental factors,
this only reinforces the learning cycle, and actually _worsens_ the PTSD.

It creates a terrible cycle, where they have legitimate reasons not to want to
seek support from their environment (they have real reason to distrust it),
but where they can't function without the support of their environment as
well.

[0] ie, after we were already friends; I wasn't present at the traumatic
events themselves.

[1] e.g., a friend lets this information slip to someone that the original
person didn't trust, or a coworker uses that information to trigger them
intentionally as a "joke" (yes, this happens).

~~~
mrsteveman1
> It creates a terrible cycle, where they have legitimate reasons not to want
> to seek support from their environment (they have real reason to distrust
> it), but where they can't function without the support of their environment
> as well.

It took years before I started to realize this was the case for me,
particularly the 2nd part. So many things I never could find even a
correlation for slowly started to "click" for me. The way you put it helps a
lot, I haven't been able to describe it to anyone. Thanks :)

------
rpearl
There is fantastic research being done by MAPS on using MDMA to assist in
psychotherapy for PTSD.

The trust and openness brought about by the effects of MDMA appear to be
extremely effective at helping patients come to terms with their
trauma--"night-and-day" changes after mere hours of talking; the effects of
years of therapy in a single dose.

If you are the sort of person who can see the healing potential of psychedelic
experiences, please donate to [http://www.maps.org/](http://www.maps.org/)

~~~
hosh
Yep, we're getting there. Use of psychedelics in therapy isn't a magic pill --
the patient still has to be aware, but yeah, it's great.

It isn't just applicable for those with PTSD. There is a Brazilian group that
is trying therapy for those who have committed heinous crimes. There's healing
in that as well.

Lastly: I think the rising of VR/AR tech into the mainstream, such as the
Oculus Rift, Magic Leap, and the Hololens will do a lot for reducing the
stigma of psychedelic therapy. Those technologies don't even scratch the
surface of the kinds of experiences of psychedelics, yet even though they are
relatively primitive in comparison, they are capable of inducing existential
crises. I think that, more than anything else, along with accessibility to the
mainstream, will change a lot of things for us.

Now, if there are visionary artists willing to work on VR experiences ... :-D

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DenisM
Here's another way to relate to the hell that is PTSD, and a possible cure for
some:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3nzeykzpy8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3nzeykzpy8)

~~~
anotherevan
Here is a similar story about service dogs trained specifically for people
with PTSD. They will do things like ensure no one crowds up too close behind
their human, as well as offering the emotional interaction.

[http://goodmenproject.com/good-feed-blog/service-dog-
helps-i...](http://goodmenproject.com/good-feed-blog/service-dog-helps-iraq-
combat-vet-with-ptsd/)

Frikkin' awesome.

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mberning
Where does PTSD begin and end? Was this person predisposed to other mental
illnesses before their trauma? Their illustrations seem to indicate a level of
depression and/or compulsive behavior that may not necessarily been caused by
their trauma. I am curious whether the popular portrayal of PTSD as an all
consuming life ruining problem is counterproductive in terms of how society
views and treats victims. Wouldn't it be much more positive to say "PTSD is
real, but it doesn't have to define you, here are some resources that can
help".

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Disruptive_Dave
There's a great Netflix doc called Free The Mind[1] that follows several PTSD
patients in an experimental program focused on meditation / breathing
exercises.

[1]
[http://danishdocumentary.com/site/freethemind/](http://danishdocumentary.com/site/freethemind/)

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phkahler
I'll just throw in my recommendation for EMDR therapy. There is no universal
thing that fits everyone, but I've seen this do wonders for someone firsthand.
Find someone properly trained in it and give it a go. Like anything, it takes
time.

------
qnaal
rip tim leary

~~~
rpearl
Dr. Leary's extreme approaches set psychedelic research back many years and we
are just now beginning to make forward progress again.

~~~
qnaal
> extreme science is bad

> it's leary's fault psychedelic research became stunted

could you elaborate?

~~~
rpearl
Sure. Here's a pretty good summary:
[http://www.wired.com/2013/04/psychedlic/](http://www.wired.com/2013/04/psychedlic/)

Basically, Leary grew to prominence but his scientific methods were often
faulty and he turned to mysticism. He became a cultural advocate, not a
scientific one. But his ties to psychedelic research it a bad name and made it
much more difficult for people to get their hands on these drugs for the
purposes of actual research. Eventually, mostly due to backlash against Leary,
these substances were prohibited from research use for several decades. It was
only in the late 90s that we began to pick up the pieces.

~~~
qnaal
I don't like the idea of blaming the unconventional methods of a successful
and moral scientist for government backlash against the area of his study.

