Paranoia. Flashbacks. Nightmares.
Symptoms like these only scratch the surface of the daily struggle that people afflicted with posttraumatic stress (PTS) experience.
Just getting through an average day can be agonizing – and people suffering sometimes turn to harmful methods of self-treatment that can compound their torment.
But according to US Congressman Tim Ryan, there’s hope . . . and one effective option for relief is mindfulness meditation.
Tim is a vocal supporter of mindfulness, and he’s seen how it can impact people coping with the anguish of PTS . . . and why it may even be a way we can stop PTS in its tracks.
Check out this short (2:36) video for more.
Understanding how mindfulness can ease even the most distressing conditions can inspire the ways we integrate it into our work.
Find out more about how mindfulness can help in many situations by clicking here.
Have you ever introduced mindfulness to a patient coping with PTS? If so, please share your experience in the comments.
A Mindful Nation – great book and interview and talk-back. Thanks!
I really find Marty’s posts the real deal! Keep posting Marty…
P.S.. I was able to incorporate some mindfulness strategies as an educator of children with emotional trauma, but the school systems are often wary of anything that in their way of thinking is outside the box.
relaxation deep from learning strategies corp paul sheely helps but i still can’t cope daily
I appreciate Tim Ryan’s active support of mindfulness practices and the positive impact it can have on treating trauma and PTSD. I work with organizational leaders and people who feel victimized by “bully” leaders and bottom-line focused organizations.
My question for you is this – there has been a lot of change in our economy and organizations since 9/11. I have both experienced and worked with people who suffer from the traumatic effects of resulting layoffs, loss of financial security and the impact this has on their relationships, families and communities. We talk a lot about vets who experience trauma and are diagnosed with PTSD. I also read a lot about bullies in the school yard. Trauma and bully behavior is also rampant in organizations and the impact on people is devastating.
Can you point me in the direction of research being conducted in organizations on the effect of all this change and unwanted behavior on personality (e.g., nice guy turned bully), mental wellness, resilience, successfully navigating change, and trusting again? In other words, how do we help people cope with the trauma of layoff and long periods of unemployment and regain a sense of purpose, self-confidence and trust?
I love your series … I would love to attend a series that begins to address these specific examples.
Warmest wishes for a happy holiday season.
Cynder Niemela, MA, MBA
Former Chief Talent Officer
thank you for doing this. Healing Touch Program is also making strides with the VA. We support all your efforts and look for ways to support you.
blessings and smiles,
Cynthia Hutchison, DNSc, RN, MSN, HTCP/I
Program Director
Healing Touch Program: Worldwide Leaders in Energy Medicine
My Dad is a WWII veteran who flew a fighter plane and came home with trauma symptoms. He was never diagnosed or treated. In fact he thought he had no war related disability until he was 90! This past Memorial Day he was able to remember that he got “jumpier” with each mission he flew and he was “jumpy” watching war movies. He said he didn’t realize he brought his symptoms home. Nor has been able to understand that his symptoms were a problem for his wife and family.
I am told by the local VA representative that traumatized vets are expected to write about their experience in order to get help. He observed that those who could not write about it needed help the most, but were not going to get it because they couldn’t fill out the 11 pages of paperwork. I should say that Dad was asked as part of filling out paperwork for eligibility if he had any war related disability. He said he didn’t because he was not physically assaulted. If a soldier can’t fill out the paperwork there is no starting treatment.
What struck me most about congressman Ryan’s message was this , “one day you can be in a firefight with your unit , perhaps witness death …. and the next day be patroling a village ” . If a soldier has in fact been witness to these horrors I don’t think it’s reasonable to expect them ,even with mindfulness, to let go and move on in the span of one day and this may help explain why so many soldiers bring home the trauma’s – not given an appropriate amount of time and support to grieve and process the loss …..
The left prefrontal cortex lights up with put joyful emotions, sorry.
In my opinion, mindfulness should be introduced in middle school, as away of releasing stress and activating the parasympathetic nervous system. What could be more valuable as a life lesson than sharing the way to experience calm, relief stress and develop focus.
Neuroscience knows what part of the mind lights up with our joyful emotions, our right prefrontal cortex.
PTSD and C-PTSD can be neutralized quickest with mindfulness. Our relationship with thoughts and emotions is the key. Turn off the switch to the fight or flight mechanism and trauma will lose its power.
Tauma loses power when we stop running and stay present to see trauma thoughts are a delusion with noreal power. trauma is over. When I integrated and healed my trauma thoughts were still present but my amygdala was empty and no cortisol was dumped anymore..
trauma thoughts have stolen the switch for our fear response or the fight or flight response temporarily.
I just wrote a post about giving thanks our challenge is PTSD because it is curable. it is not a life sentence and daily action , mental and physical can heal.
Mindfulness and aeroobic exercise deplete cortisol. exposé your clients to these practices and request, demand, suggest clients do both everyday. Mindfulness is so simple but so so SO so powerful if applied correctly.
In my opinion from my healing journey and subsequent mindfulness practice, provides us humans with the most powerful tool we have, the ability to direct our attention. Life shifts drastically when we can let things, situations and people exist on their own without us judging them.
The ability to focus while fear and danger are present heals our doubt, worry, and shame. Accepting unhappy without having to get away from it, lets us experience the emotion without the egos bias. We get to know our emotions directly and this brings familiarity and a knowing that these are just body mechanisms. No reason to be afraid or try to escape.
Handle fear and unhappy or sad without running or buying into the storyline and life shifts and healing happens.
PTSD can be healed much quicker with a concrete, simple approach. A lay persons opinion who has been there and found a way out.
You said it Sister !!!
I love how succinctly you put it ..
Metta
Marty…always appreciate your comments/insights as I too am recovering/healing from complex pts. Not a life sentence sums it up!
You might be interested to know about the Paxis Institute (Dr. Dennis Embry) in Tucson and Peacebuilders which began introducing “mindfulness” practices into elementary and middle schools many years ago. The intial question was about whether the children would experience enhanced health outcomes over the years. The results have been as expected…amazing and good for everyone’s health!
Definitely looking forward to hearing Rep Ryan this week. Thanks again, Ruth and NICABM!
Thanks for the support and the information. Just think of those children at risk and what a mindfulness practice can do for them. To establish a safe secure place to let thoughts and scary emotions fade. A place to get perspective and some space from their daily abuse.
I agree that using mindfulness depletes cortisol and stabilizes the nervous system. All of our lives would be impacted by being able to focus and stay present.
Our responsibility is to exert all out effort and leave results for someone higher up the food chain. We can only experience true joy and happiness in this moment. happiness is not found, true happiness in possessions , power, money or others.
we will die the same day whether we worry and are miserable or let all that crap fade and live life fully. The clock is ticking and what holds us back is transparent and not real.
life is being ok with unhappy and not asking why. it is about not thinking something is wrong and we need to escape. it is about observing unhappy fully without the storyline, then life shifts.
We have to be ok with sad, fear, unhappy and get to know our own body mechanisms and the delusion of life clears.
loss is not possible when we have this breaths and value that reality. You have this moment and life is about these small mundane moments
All is perfect with our true selves and we are exactly where we should be.
meditation is not about overcoming or accomplishing anything.
t is about letting go and surrendering to our fears without resistance then real freedom is ours to access.
the cognitive side of the mind is a grain of sand on the beach of our creative side. Cognitive limits our real happiness and growth. It is so small not who we are. Not even close.
We make the ego up out of past memories so why follow what we create. Let random thoughts flow on through and life will change drastically. You do not need awakening to change drastically.
Just daily practice and application
Thanks for this forum Ruth..
Thank you Marty. Your feedback so beautifully captures essential truths about meditation, transformational process, our true self, in simple and powerful words directly from your own experience – profoundly valuable!
Have you ever considered blogging about your discoveries in life? Would be a marvelous aid for others who struggle, wondering if it’s possible to heal and be whole.
Blessings, G.
Start it from birth, but at least by kindergarten! You are absolutely correct.