Have you seen this about PTSD and The Brain - Strength of a Warrior?

COL Mikel J. Burroughs — Tue, 17 Nov 2015 10:50:30 -0500

Have you seen this about PTSD and The Brain - Strength of a Warrior?

Great article followed by a "self-check!"

Still not sure if PTSD is what may be going on with you? Here is a self check that can help you sort it out some more.

Go to the link and check it out yourself!

http://www.strengthofawarrior.org/ptsd-and-the-brain/

Check out this newsletter on a program for veterans with PTSD, TBI or that are severely disabled as well: https://www.smore.com/x19ep

If you are interested and would like to attend a demonstration, we are conducting them on Thursday nights at 7:00 PM EST. Please go to this link:

http://www.sponsoravet.life/#!webinar-/dxphe

This explains why a veteran who experienced traumatic events in combat may suffer a surge of anxiety years later when a helicopter flies over head. That helicopter was associated with a traumatic experience. So when your brain hears it, it sends warning signals that danger may be near. The amygdala has no clue if you’re in Iraq or home in the United States. It can’t tell the difference in location and act accordingly. The biggest problem is this part of the brain cannot tell the difference between a real threat and an imagined threat. So now you have the brain in a “hijacked” state where everything is an emergency, and it runs in crises mode all the time. Remember flight or fight happens subconsciously, so it’s not something that we can control easily, especially after months of combat or traumatic experiences. And programming like this is not something that can be rewritten overnight. So go easy on yourself.

PTSD AND THE BRAIN - Strength of a Warrior

PTSD AND THE BRAIN The brain is one of the most complex systems to understand. It’s even harder to understand how it works when PTSD is a factor. The easiest way to understand the brain is to think of yourself as having two brains. You have the Thinking Brain, which...

Response by Capt Seid Waddell made Nov 17 at 2015 10:57 AM

Capt Seid Waddell — Tue, 17 Nov 2015 10:57:16 -0500

Thanks for the link!

It has been decades since I hit the deck when lightning struck nearby, so evidently there is some degree of learning possible with the amygdala.

Response by LCDR Rabbah Rona Matlow made Nov 17 at 2015 11:11 AM

LCDR Rabbah Rona Matlow — Tue, 17 Nov 2015 11:11:22 -0500

There are lots of changes in the brain with PTSD. FMRIs show this. This is also why Prazosin, a blood pressure medicine, can help with PTSD related nightmares...

With TBI the brain can be significantly injured without detection. Especially in blast injuries, where there is the contracoups injury from the blast, and in addition, there can be liquefaction of brain tissue due to the heating from the blast energy...

Response by SSgt Alex Robinson made Nov 17 at 2015 11:18 AM

SSgt Alex Robinson — Tue, 17 Nov 2015 11:18:21 -0500

COL Mikel J. Burroughs thanks for the information.

Response by LTC Stephen F. made Nov 17 at 2015 11:26 AM

LTC Stephen F. — Tue, 17 Nov 2015 11:26:15 -0500

No COL Mikel J. Burroughs I had not seen this particular information about PTSD and the Brain - Strength of a Warrior.
I imagine there is significant variance in the number of traumatic events experienced by individual service members and the degree of PTSD (i.e within two or three standard deviations from the median).
I have experienced more than enough situations where the fight or flight response kicks in, time seems to slow down, perception increases dramatically and I act based on training and core values. Afterwards it takes some time to ramp down to "normal." In my own experience I was exhausted later and slept well unless I was banged up or injured significantly :-)

Response by Sherry El Dora Trinity made Nov 17 at 2015 11:36 AM

Sherry El Dora Trinity — Tue, 17 Nov 2015 11:36:45 -0500

Thanks Mikel that cleared a few things up for me. I like to see the criteria for stuff so I know how I can fix my many many issues.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 17 at 2015 11:43 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 17 Nov 2015 11:43:32 -0500

Thanks for the information - the self-check was beneficial, just reinforcing what I (and I suspect others who will take it) already knew.

Response by CPT Pedro Meza made Nov 17 at 2015 6:19 PM

CPT Pedro Meza — Tue, 17 Nov 2015 18:19:43 -0500

I have learn to see my PTSD and TBI as a lower brain function where survival is key and its part of the autonomous system/reflex, and higher brain function where thinking is key which requires stopping and thinking. So my brain is like a cat's jump and run first.

Response by PVT Robert Gresham made Nov 17 at 2015 7:41 PM

PVT Robert Gresham — Tue, 17 Nov 2015 19:41:45 -0500

COL Mikel J. Burroughs, thank you for the information. I guess when you have to answer yes to every question it kind of gives you your own answer. Even after almost 3 years of therapy I still have a hard time just letting go, although, as I always say, " If you think this is bad, you should have seen me when I first started out."

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 17 at 2015 10:22 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 17 Nov 2015 22:22:11 -0500

As a Paramedic I have seen some gruesome STUFF. It don't bother me at all. Everyday we have traumatic things happen to us! It's not an excuse to stop living it just seems to be an excuse to collect another paycheck from a different source. I'm a give voted down several times this statement but death and gruesomeness goes along with being part of a warrior and a soldier if you can't stand the heat get out of kitchen

Response by MAJ Alvin B. made Nov 22 at 2015 1:25 PM

MAJ Alvin B. — Sun, 22 Nov 2015 13:25:17 -0500

Interesting reading. The test questions say a lot about the potential symptoms of PTSD