Pragmatism And Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome

You hear people talking about PTSD all the time, what is it exactly? Post-Traumatic stress Syndrome or PTSD is a condition of persistent mental and emotional stress occurring as a result of injury or severe psychological shock, typically involving disturbance of sleep and constant vivid recall of the experience, with dulled responses to others and to the outside world. A veteran with PTSD experiences Fatigue, Anxiousness, Brain fog, sleep issues, depressed mood and hypervigilance. Hypervigilance is an enhanced state of sensory sensitivity accompanied by an exaggerated intensity of behaviors whose purpose is to detect threats. Veterans also have an increased anxiety which can cause extreme exhaustion which in turn causes loss of motivation.

“My mind is on fire as I fear that any second, another enemy round will rip into my body and finish me off” (Johnson 2). Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) effects the lives of many soldiers after returning home from war. PTSD is a psychiatric condition described in the DSM-IV as, a condition that requires a specific event to have occurred as a criterion for the diagnosis. The criteria for this disorder, according to the book Combat Trauma, can include flashbacks, times where you feel as if you are reliving the traumatic event, shame or guilt, upsetting dreams about the traumatic event, trying to avoid thinking or talking about the traumatic event, feeling emotionally numb or not feeling at all, anger or irritability, poor or destructive relationships, self-destructive behavior, trouble sleeping, memory problems, hallucinations, not enjoying activities you one enjoyed and feeling as if you no longer know who is living your day-to-day life.

I knew I needed physical improvement just as much, if not more than, technical improvement. I also figured that hard physical training would make me tougher, harder, and less likely to get injured. With that mindset I practically killed myself over the offseason. I weight lifted every day, and went to club practice four days a week.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD is a mental health condition that is generally classified as an anxiety disorder. It is often caused by a traumatic events or emotional trauma in one’s life that leads to terrifying flashbacks, nightmares and extreme anxiety. The main cause of this disorder is the conscious and subconscious fear-memories that have developed. In essence the ‘fight or flight” response that we all have is severely damaged, even when not in a stressful or dangerous situation those suffering from PTSD may feel stressed and in danger.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric sequel to a stressful event or situation of an exceptionally threatening or catastrophic nature. It develops after a person is involved in a horrifying ordeal that involved physical maltreatment or the threat of physical harm. These events can include combat or military experience, abuse during childhood or adulthood (physical or sexual), terrorist attacks, serious accidents or natural disasters. This person may have been the one that was harmed, witnessed a harmful event or had a loved one who was harmed. It is normal for the body’s fight or flight mechanism to engage in times of danger. With a person who has PTSD, that mechanism is damaged and the person feels this even when they are not in danger. Symptoms can be categorized into four different areas – re-experiencing symptoms (flashbacks, bad dreams, frightening thoughts) , avoiding situations that remind the person of the event, negative changes in beliefs and feelings (may be fear, guilt, shame or losing interest in those activities that once were enjoyable) and hypervigilence (always feeling keyed up, trouble concentrating or sleeping). There are also feelings of hopelessness, despair, depression or anxiety, alcohol or substance abuse, physical symptoms or chronic pain and problems with employment and relationships.

Working in the field of Emergency Response I have seen and felt first hand the effects of posttraumatic stress disorder. It is not possible to respond to emergency after emergency and not be subject to some of PTSD’s effects. When I saw this topic in the list I felt compelled to use this opportunity to learn more. My hope is by increasing my knowledge, of a disorder so prevalent in my career field; I can recognize the symptoms in others and myself before there effect becomes devastating.

CPT is based on the social cognitive theory of PTSD. This theory focuses on how the traumatic event is understood and how it is being coped with by the client who is struggling to regain control over his or her life. CPT also refers to the emotional processing theory of PTSD which is an extension of information processing theory by Foa, Steketee, and Rothbaum (Mullen, Holliday, Morris, Raja, and Surís 2014). This theory states PTSD emerges from the development of fear in one’s memory that creates avoidance behavior and provokes one to escape these memories. Mental fear builds stimuli, responses, and meaning elements (Mullen, Holliday, Morris, Raja, and Surís 2014). Therefore anything that is associated with the trauma may provoke fear that leads to the concept of escaping and avoidance behavior. In individuals with PTSD, the fear is known to be easily accessible. When the fear is activated by the reminders of one’s trauma, one builds intrusive symptoms due to the information trying to process and enter one’s consciousness. In order for an individual to avoid these feelings and thoughts, one tries to avoid it which leads to the avoidance symptoms of PTSD which include yet are not limited to depression, alienation (Mullen, Holliday, Morris, Raja, and Surís 2014). Emotional Processing Theory states the repetitive exposure of trauma in a safe environment such as a therapeutic setting, helps reduce PTSD symptoms by calming and addressing one’s fear (Mullen, Holliday, Morris,

Our soldiers not only risked life and limb for our country while serving in the Vietnam War, but they continue to suffer immensely. Americans as well as Vietnamese troops and civilians suffered great losses when it comes to casualties. Witnessing first-hand the pain and death of strangers and allies, isn’t something one is likely to forget. Post-Traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been one of the many repercussions of witnessing these gruesome events (Mental Health America). Veterans, their families, and the government have come together in combat in attempts to address the detrimental effects of PTSD.

The agent for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is trauma. Although most people will encounter a traumatic stressor at least once, and sometimes several times in their lives it is important to note that most people who experience a traumatic event will not develop PTSD (Breslau, 2007). Research shows that there is still controversy over whether or not PTSD symptoms really are caused by exposure to traumatic stressors, because all of but a few of the symptoms for the condition, could happen to an individual even when they have not experienced a traumatic stressor (Ford,

When looking at those that have experienced the traumatic event first however, the most common substance used is alcohol. This can be explained by the endorphin compensation hypothesis. When someone experiences a traumatic event their brain produces endorphins as a way to reduce the pain and cope with the stress. However, when the event is over, the body goes into endorphin withdrawal because the levels of endorphins gradually decrease. This withdrawal can also cause more emotional stress such as anxiety and depression, which contributes to posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. This not only happens during the initial traumatic event but also when re-experiencing the same event because of their flashback symptoms. Alcohol however increases

The disconnection from reality is one of the symptoms in the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD is one of the disorders that co-exist with substance abuse. According to Wormer and Davis (2013), “According to Veterans Administration (VA) studies, 76% of homeless veterans experienced alcohol, drug, or mental disorders during the past month of the survey (CSAT, 2004)” (p. 463).

The knowledge that I gained from that article influenced me to partake in computer programming classes. These classes in addition with weight training fostered my ambitions and interests. Originally I avoided tenuous sports like wrestling, but weight training encouraged me to participate in that sport. It was rough and there were times where I felt like quitting, but I thought back to how powerless I was before and continued to endure. My effort and determination made me undergo a whole new transformation. I am no longer quiet, my ambitions are endless, my interests are focused, and the impossible became

I don’t think everyone who has been through a trauma or a major situation develops PTSD. People who suffer a severe trauma and, weeks or months later they continue to experience fear-imaginations whenever they become reminded of the trauma. I believe its two different types of people in the world. One type is people who go through things in their life and they get over it. The other type is people who go through situations and they dwell on it and can’t seem to move on and let go.

The Possible Effects of Post Traumatic Stress Post traumatic stress disorder is an anxiety disorder associated with serious traumatic events and characterized by such symptoms as survivor guilt, reliving the trauma in dreams, numbness and lack of involvement with reality, or recurrent thoughts and images. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can develop at any age, including in childhood. Symptoms typically begin within 3 months of a traumatic event, although occasionally they do not begin until years later. Once PTSD occurs, the severity and duration of the illness varies. Some people recover within 6 months, while others suffer much longer.

George Santayana described Pragmatism this way, “American pragmatism connects the American experimental and inventive attitude with older philosophical ideas” (Stumpf 397).