Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

At Faith Life Church, we have seen multiple individuals restored from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Aaron Ward served in the military for 21 years and had nine deployments. After serving in Afghanistan and Iraq, he developed PTSD. He described his PTSD experience as “desperately wanting to be around people who love you, but you resent anyone who doesn’t know what it’s like on the deployments.” He described himself as feeling dirty after coming home from his military operations. He had developed PTSD, a brain injury, paralysis, and insomnia; and it had a strain on his relationships. Throughout his healing process, Aaron and his wife found encouragement when they read the Bible and saw that Jesus heals all. They reminded themselves that they fit into that category and believed for Aaron’s healing. After weeks of prayer, Aaron slept a 12-hour night, woke up without paralysis, was set free from his PTSD symptoms, and saw his relationships restored. 
“Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this:The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease.
Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.”
 —Lamentations 3:21-23 (NLT)

Background

What is PTSD? Post-traumatic Stress Disorder is classified as a mental health disorder that is triggered by the memory of a traumatic event experienced by an individual. It is defined by the American Psychiatric Association as “a disorder that can occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event such as a natural disaster, a serious accident, a terrorist act, war/combat, rape or other violent personal assault.” PTSD is most commonly associated with war veterans, but it can be found in people of all ages and genders. 

PTSD is triggered by the memory of the traumatic event. It is defined as lasting at least one month, but the symptoms can continue to occur over a lifetime if not treated. If an individual is consistently experiencing symptoms for at least one month following the event, they likely have some degree of PTSD. Each year, 3.5% of adults in the United States suffer from PTSD, and 9% develop PTSD at some point in their lives (APA). PTSD is currently impacting around 8% of the population worldwide and has been consistently increasing (“The Risk for PTSD”). 


“When someone is hurting or brokenhearted, the Eternal moves in close and revives him in his pain.”
—Psalm 34:18 (VOICE)
Do you or someone you know struggle with PTSD? Do you wonder, “Will I ever be normal again?” 
PTSD affects many more people than combat veterans and those who endured 9/11 closeup and personal.

  • 70 percent of adults in the U.S. have experienced some type of traumatic event at least once in their lives. That’s 223.4 million people.
  • Up to 20 percent of these people go on to develop PTSD. As of today, that’s 31.3 million people who did or are struggling with PTSD.
  • An estimated 8 percent of Americans—that’s 24.4 million people—have PTSD at any given time.
  • An estimated 1 out of 10 women develops PTSD; women are about twice as likely as men.
  • Among people who are victims of a severe traumatic experience, 60 to 80 percent will develop PTSD.

(The above statistics are from http://www.psyweb.com/users/healmyptsd/index.jsp.)

Symptoms:

The symptoms of PTSD are categorized into the following four groups: 
  • Flashbacks of the event
  • Avoidance of recalling the trauma
  • Negative opinions and moods regarding oneself, others, and/or the world
  • Altercations in reactivity (hypervigilance)
(Ennis, et al)

PTSD can impact all aspects of your life, including:

  • Work 
  • Children and family 
  • Marriage 
  • Social life 

PTSD holds a stronghold over one’s emotions, causing them to react aggressively when triggered. This can lead the victim to feel trapped or as though they are numb to the positive emotions and joys of life.

Treatments:

Treatments for PTSD range from cognitive behavioral therapy to medications and specialists. Natural remedies are tried as well, such as yoga and journaling. While recovering from PTSD, it is important to have support from friends and family. 

Studies have found that support from friends, family, and supervisors can help to decrease the intensity of PTSD symptoms (Stanley, et al). As a loved one of someone who is suffering from PTSD, it is important to show your support and encouragement throughout the recovery process. It is important to remind yourself that it is not you they are personally upset with; rather, it is the symptoms of their PTSD that lead them to react irrationally at times.
 
Douglas Kirk also dealt with PTSD after serving in the Vietnam war. He was a part of the Marine Corps and served as a combat engineer in Vietnam. After serving six months in combat, he nearly lost his arm and went through 13 surgeries. After coming home from the war, he became an alcoholic, which put a strain on his relationship with his wife. Through Christ, he was set free from his PTSD symptoms, his arm was healed, he is sober, and his relationship with his wife was restored. Watch Douglas’s story here: https://www.faithlifechurch.org/douglas-kirk.

Healing:

Aaron and Douglas were completely healed of their PTSD from serving our country. If this is something you or your loved one suffers from, there is HOPE! Jesus is a healer! It is possible to be set free from PTSD, and there can be restoration for your relationships.

PTSD can be an intense situation to work through. If you or someone you know are experiencing PTSD, know that there is freedom and hope through Jesus Christ. God wants to release you from the bondage of your mind and for you to be able to live freely, but you have to make the decision to let Him work.

Healing is a process, and it does not always occur overnight. If you are dealing with PTSD, diligently seek God, believe for your healing, and you will eventually find freedom from it.

If you are a friend or loved one of someone experiencing PTSD, it is important to stay supportive. It can be challenging and discouraging to watch someone you care for seem so distant and out of touch, but it is important to show your love and support.

Works Cited:

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition, and clinical utility. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, First MB (2013); 201:727‐729.

“The risk for PTSD: New Findings”: new studies explore the high rate of post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in women and an unexpected association between IQ and PTSD risk. Harvard Mental Health Letter (2007); 23:1‐5 

Stanley, I.H., Hom, M.A., Chu, C., Dougherty, S.P., Gallyer, A.J., Spencer-Thomas, S., …Joiner, T.E. (2019). Perceptions of belongingness and social support attenuate PTSD symptom severity among firefighters: A multi-study investigation. Psychological Services, 16(4), 543–555. 

What Is Post-traumatic Stress Disorder? (n.d.). Retrieved January 13, 2020, from https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/ptsd/what-is-ptsd. 

Ennis, C.R., Tock, J.L., Daurio, A.M., Raines, A.M., & Taylor, J. (2020). An initial investigation of the association between DSM–5 post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and nonsuicidal self-injury functions. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy. Advance online publication. 
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