Tag: PTSD
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PTSD in Children of Alcoholics
By Bobby Shriver In addition to the basics of food and shelter, children also need stability, consistency, and emotional care in order to thrive. Typically, at a young age, children form an emotional attachment with their caregivers, and this has an influence on their development. The most important emotional attachment for a child is usually…
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Generational Trauma & PTSD Within the Black Community
Explore the impact of generational trauma and PTSD within the Black community, including causes, effects, and paths toward healing.
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Combat Mental Health, Trauma, & Suicide
It may be shocking to discover that the deadliest threat to active U.S. military members and veterans is not combat — it’s suicide. The United Service Organizations (USO) and other organizations are taking steps to prevent suicide among our soliders, especially those who are at higher risk due to military trauma, stress, or mental health…
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Celebrating Independence and Those Who Keep Us Free
By Anna McKenzie Every year on July 4th, Independence Day, we celebrate our nation’s freedom and the people who have fought to keep us free — our military service members. But at times, it’s our present and former service members whose welfare is poorly prioritized. Because of what they experience for the sake of our…
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The Connection Between Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and PTSD
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a significant public health problem in individuals deployed to war. PTSD is a mental health condition linked to many other issues, including anger, insomnia, substance abuse, and chronic depression. Particularly, PTSD is linked to people who are deployed to war. Research shows that 19% of Vietnam-era combat veterans have a…
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The Nature of Traumatic Memory: Why Our Memories Terrifying Events are Spotty
As a psychologist who works with trauma, I am very much aware of how difficult it can be to recall details of a traumatic experience. Even the question, “can you tell me about your trauma?” can be befuddling, if not somewhat disturbing, to one who has experienced it…
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Military PTSD: Finding Hope in the Nightmares
Written by a former active-duty military personnel, currently employed at Gentle Path at The Meadows. In a world that is constantly in strife and war, we as a nation call upon the select few that have dedicated their lives in service to our country—the protectors of our freedom. Although the sound of military life may…
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Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for PTSD in Veterans
The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has invested heavily in the dissemination of prolonged exposure therapy and cognitive processing therapy (1), yet 30-50% of veterans participating in these therapies fail to show clinically significant improvements. Evidence suggests that mindfulness-based stress reduction, an intervention that teaches individuals to focus on the present moment in an…
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Compulsive Sexual Behavior Among Military Veterans
Compulsive sexual behavior (CSB) is highly prevalent among men, often co-occurring with psychiatric disorders and traumatic experiences. Psychiatric disorders and trauma are common among military veterans (1). Researchers have noted that some veterans may use sexual behaviors to cope with trauma, and CSB has also been linked to traumatic brain injury, for which combat-exposed military…
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How PTSD Treatment Cured my Back Pain
I was diagnosed with osteoporosis in my early twenties. Why were my young bones already losing tissue? Like me at the time, women who struggle with anorexia nervosa are at a higher risk of developing the disease. I also believe that my eating disorder may have contributed to my sluggish thyroid. Many people don’t realize…
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Dr. Bessel Van der Kolk on Veterans and PTSD
Meadows Senior Fellow Dr. Bessel van der Kolk is world-renowned for his work pertaining to the treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), childhood trauma, and abuse. In a video interview, Dr. van der Kolk explains how the emotional and relational difficulties faced by war veterans shaped the diagnosis of PTSD and how the effects of…
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War “Exists in an Outside Moral Universe”: An Iraq Veteran Explains Moral Injury
At The Meadows, we are honored to provide behavioral health and substance abuse inpatient services, with an emphasis on trauma, PTSD, and addictive disease disorders, to active duty military members, retirees and dependents of the TRICARE West Region. In the interview below, US Army infantryman Alex Horton depicts what readjusting to life after the war…