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trauma in the military
Post-traumatic stress conducted during, or as a result of, military operations is the same in one respect as normal trauma, in that the traumatic memories are stored partly in the amygdala, a part of the brain that looks after the fight-or-flight reflex. When the amygdala sees something that matches the original trauma, it sets off the alarm bells just as it did when the event was really happening. For service personnel the problem is particularly urgent, as the pattern-matches are sometimes so strong that the whole brain and body is commandeered into re-enacting the original trauma.
Treatment begins in the same way, with the technique originally designed by Milton Erickson in the 1960's, which allows the whole brain and body to re-experience the trauma in a partially dissociated way while staying very calm, so that the amygdala can learn that this memory is not really life-threatening. We use the most refined version of this technique, developed by Joe Griffin and Ivan Tyrrell, known as the human givens rewind. It is safe and extremely effective, and it is a very humane way of treating trauma. It does not involve talking over the traumatic events - in fact the patient does not have to describe them at all, just give them a name and watch them on an imagined television screen while in a highly relaxed state. This high state of relaxation is surprisingly easy to induce in even the most tense and hyper-vigilant subjects, given the right approach, and makes this a safe way to treat military personnel who might otherwise be prone to acting-out their trauma.
In most cases the nightmares, panic attacks and flashbacks of PTSD resolve straight away. In some cases the main traumatic pattern is relieved but other memories then surface which are not related to the pattern that has beeen detraumatised. These memories are treated in the same way as the original trauma.
However, military personnel have often had training which makes their response to life post-PTSD rather different from the general population. In many ways the traumatised state is like a continuation of active service, so in order to enable the transition to a calmer state where proper convalescence can be achieved, additional treatment to reduce residual arousal and re-connect the patient with 'normal' life is often indicated. The focus then moves to helping the patient meet his or her emotional needs in a complete and authentic way, at which point the depression that often accompanies PTSD will resolve.
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