During the fighting in Vietnam, Jack's platoon was repeatedly under fire. In one ambush, his closest friend was killed while Jack was standing a few feet away. Jack himself killed one of his enemies in a brutal assault. Years later, images of these events intrude on him as flashbacks and nightmares.
He still jumps at the sound of a cap gun or the backfire of a car. When annoyed by his family or friends, he lashes out in ways he seldom did before Vietnam. To calm his continuing anxiety, he drinks more than he should.
Such has been the experience of many combat veterans, accident and disaster survivors, and sexual assault victims (Brewin and others , 1999; Farley and others; 1998; Taylor and others; 1998). Stretch a metal spring and it will snap back - unless stretched too far. Traumatic stress - experiencing or witnessing severely threatening, uncontrollable events with a sense of fear, helplessness, or horror - can cause post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a symptoms of which include haunting memories and nightmares, a numb social withdrawal, jumpy anxiety and insomnia (Goodman and others, 1993; Kesler, 2000; Wilson and others, 1988). The more frequent and severe the assault experiences, the more adverse the outcomes (Golding, 1999).
Some psychologist, though, believed that PTSD is overrated, that it is infrequent and no good purpose is served by pathologizing normal stress reactions. Most combat-stressed veterans live productive lives.
The story of the survivors is one of courage and strength, of people who are living proof of the indomitable will of human beings to survive and of their tremendous capacity of hope. It is not a story of remarkable people . It is a story of just how remarkable people can be.
"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger , but it is often true and in addition , what doesn't kill you may reveal to you just how strong you really are." - Peter Suedfeld, Psychologist
*David Myers, Exploring Psychology
Thank you for your support.