https://www.facebook.com/#!/MilitarywithPTSD Quote from Garnett Vaughn…
“I hate having PTSD! It’s not an excuse for the way I acted last night with my kids and wife. I went in the back of our house and fell a sleep after I acted like an ass for no reason. I have this thing from going to war and no way to deal with it. The VA keeps me on meds but something isn’t right. I’ve been on edge for about a week and a half now. Maybe all the problems in my relationship is my fault. I think I push my wife away by the way I act sometimes. I acted like a fool last night and today is worse because I see the look on her face when she looks at me and its disappointment. It kills me to have her look at me that way because I love her so much!”
The above website resource, MilitarywithPTSD, is one of the best sites for engaging with real PTSD family issues I can recommend. The quote and experience described has probably repeated itself 1000’s of times over many years in life after all wars of our time. In my own case, observing my WWII combat veteran father acting out so many times while growing up was scary. The consequence of this kind of behavior is that it eventually affects family members who then experience the same behaviors in life unless there is first, AWARENESS of the symptoms of PTSD, and second, ACTION in terms of seeking help. Communicating feelings of these symptoms with family members is critical. Attempting to hide or deny that there is anything wrong promotes more bad behavior and damage to families living with PTSD. Once families become educated, aware of symptoms, and begin to communicate effectively, the journey of healing kicks in. My family was ignorant for the most part over 70 years before we started the healing process. No family should have to suffer the on-going pain of PTSD, including the risk of destroying the family unit. Being transparent and open to learning and seeking treatment is the best answer, but still hard work. Communicating effectively with your peer group, including resources like MilitarywithPTSD and others, is by far the best path to success in your long journey of healing from moral injury.
Steve Sparks
Author
Reconciliation: A Son’s Story
