Caregivers Need to Learn the Signs of Burnout and Secondary PTSD

You are not alone; welcome home to our veteran’s means something more profound then setting foot back on our homeland. For the combat veteran returning from war does not mean it’s a done deal; coming home. I tell a veteran welcome home to honor their continued sacrifice; the visions of war will never leave us and sometimes they swim in a deluge that reigns.

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The panic attacks you are receiving are an attunement to the survival instinctual part of us; you have been programmed to react rather than rationalize in the moment. The deluge is the snapping in and out of reality; flashbacks, hallucinations, delusional thinking, the extreme dissociative features of Combat PTSD. The symptomology for chronic combat PTSD or Complex PTSD (CPTSD) has many similarities to Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID).

Switching of personalities to suit the situation, thus the veteran will exhibit extreme characteristics not otherwise in line with "person we knew before war" (Dissociation of the Personality in Complex Trauma-Related Disorders and EMDR: Theoretical Considerations, p. 81-82). In combat we must compartmentalize our spirit or soul, our happiness, compassion, empathy and our humanity. We must demonize our enemy so that we may kill them. Later, coming to terms with taking lives, we trip over our Combat Values Structure; which does not fit in the civilian world. So, we make our home the war zone. Because, believe it or not. We know how to survive in here, outside those doors is a foreign world trying to invade. That's the world you live in now; I see you. You do not have to be ruled by it anymore. You can learn to take care of your veteran AFTER you take care of yourself first!

Go to a retreat for family members, such as When War Comes Home Retreat. There is a way out from under the oppressive emotions that chain us to our past; we survived not because we are weak. God put you on this path. What are you going to do with it?

Go to FamilyofaVet.com to learn more about the symptoms and signs of Secondary PTSD. Family of a Vet and Combat PTSD Blogger are partnering to bring together local resources that may not be available in your area; we aim to become that resource. If you would like to help click the link below and join us.

http://www.familyofavet.com/grassroots_team.html

I Would Like to Introduce 'Family of a Vet'

I read a comment on my article “A Prisoner of My Beliefs” over at A Soldier's Perspective, and went to check out the web site that was referenced. I was dually impressed with the informative articles on how to deal with a combat veteran and the life that entails. An honest and engaging snapshot of what the veteran and family faces, I think the relevance of this site extends to educating the families of soldiers, veterans and to the general public.

A much needed straight forward educational experience for struggling families, that were not informed of what they probably will face to some kind of degree from full blown PTSD and its effects or the adjustments and changes in our solders and veterans. I wept and laughed as I read the shared antidotes delivered with as much humor and obvious emotion splashed throughout with advice and stories.

The central message seems to ring true with mine as well, to inform our veterans and families that they do not have to share this burden alone. We have been through it and want to help others see their way through to the strength that can emerge and wish others to share in our triumphs and tribulations so that we all can rise above and prevail, and along the way hopefully someone who does not understand or comprehend the combat veterans plight that they too will begin to grasp what PTSD can do to a person, family and their community.

I invite all to check out Family of a Vet, a wonderful web site with true to life information for families that share their lives with a combat veteran.