Image by Hilary Clark from Pixabay As the world confronts the coronavirus pandemic, similar to PTSD, we need to be mindful of the lasting impact of an invisible ailment.By David Cummings Residents in American cities are struggling with ... | Read More
Civilian Life
Six Degrees of Separation
The impact of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder has no boundaries. Millions of Americans are suffering from it and know it. Millions more are dealing with it and don’t know they have it. By David Chmiel More than 8 million Americans struggle to ... | Read More
Family Tree
Trauma can transfer through generations.By Helen T. Verongos Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can stem from experiences far less dramatic than the nearby blast of an I.E.D. or a land mine. Trauma-inducing events can be the simple separation of ... | Read More
Surviving & Thriving
A witness to a mass murder uses her own pain to heal others.By David Cummings Lisa Hamp's email signature says a lot about her current state of being. There's her full name, Lisa Hamp, then her story: School Shooting Survivor, Trauma Recovery ... | Read More
Project: Harmony
Music education empowers low-income students to transform their lives.By Andre Carter After Los Angeles gang members became riveted while watching her five-year-old son playing Brahms on the violin, Dr. Margaret Martin was inspired to use music to ... | Read More
Recovery Ranch
At this ranch treatment facility, the staff has found that nature may be the best medicine around. By Tim Smith Recovery Ranch is a working horse and cattle ranch set on 20,000 wooded acres outside Nashville, Tennessee. There are no big city ... | Read More
Secondhand Trauma
Similar to cancer and cigarettes, you don’t have to have PTSD to be affected by it. By Brandon Lilly Parents who have PTSD may not be the only ones in the family in need. Research by Jennifer Price of Georgetown College in Kentucky shows ... | Read More
A Mental Shift Saved My Marriage
Choosing the right phrases when speaking is the key.By Trish Russell Have you ever wondered, “Why did we get married?” I would like to say this question only arose after children were born and we were drudging through the exhaustion of raising ... | Read More
3 Ways to Deal with Rejection
Helpful strategies for avoiding despair.By Trish Russell No matter what form it comes in, rejection carries side effects that can throw off our daily routine and derail any progress we have made in our healing journey. Rejection can take away ... | Read More
Turning Trauma into Support
Mike and Jackie Moore are co-founders of the center. Jackie is a TBI survivor and Mike has been her caregiver since June 2011. A car accident left Jackie Moore traumatized and unable to function. Now she’s helping others overcome their fears.By ... | Read More
7 Quick Tips to Support PTSD
By Dan Pitzer PTSD is a syndrome, a collection of symptoms that can vary from person to person, yet have many characteristics in common. Folks with PTSD experience to varying degrees, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, insomnia, hypervigilance, ... | Read More
Nature Is A Simple Elixir For Mental Fitness
Getting outside to exercise is good for the body and soul.By Dr. Marisa M. Tomasic Outdoor enthusiasts are aware of the power of nature in promoting relaxation, calm and inner peace. Opportunities to connect with nature can often seem like the ... | Read More
Poster Child
A Sexual Assault Victim Turns the Nightmare Into a Purpose By Herb Allen People I have met. Those are the words Ron Blake speaks when he is asked why he goes around metropolitan Phoenix with white poster boards sharing his story on how ... | Read More
The Socially Acceptable Addiction I Fight
Photo by Arun Thomas from Pexels Being a good parent with a mental disorder is not impossibleBy Trish Russell Parenting is the hardest job on the planet. When you add PTSD, it can feel like an impossible responsibility. How am I supposed to ... | Read More
Healing a Memory
From right to left: Wind, her boyfriend, Christopher, and friend, Deanna, during one of their many happy times. A teenager survives a tragic car crash, then uses her life to help others avoid "distracted" driving.By Christine Simoes Bailey ... | Read More
Trauma in Urban Neighborhoods
Image by Diego Fabian Parra Pabon from Pixabay Mindfulness training can deter what the author calls Urban Traumatic Stress DisorderBy Dr. Dale G. Caldwell The Detroit police officer cautiously approached the driver’s side door of the car he ... | Read More
Don’t Just Survive Winter—3 Ways to Thrive
Photo by Tim Gouw from Pexels. By Trish Russell We know how to survive winter: put our heads down and get through the long dark months because spring is on the other side. After months of cabin fever we know the season will change and the ... | Read More
The Write Time
A young author overcame his trauma through a love of writing.By Khali Raymond As a child, I would not start talking until I was four years old. But I was staring at newspapers and books like I was reading them when I was two. Growing up, I was ... | Read More
San Francisco Agency Makes Sure Sufferers Continue to Get Care
The East Bay Agency for Children is addressing the challenge of support systems following patientsBy Evan Bleier Think of trauma as a wound. Like a wound, with proper treatment and time, it can heal. Also, like a wound, without appropriate ... | Read More
The Hiki App Leads The Autistic Population To Friends and Happiness
Jamil Karriem tells us in 13 questions why he wants to eliminate loneliness and create fulfillment for a vulnerable population. 1. What drove you to create this app? Most people think obesity, or cancer, is the leading cause of death in the ... | Read More
Three Ways to Survive and Understand PTSD
Recovering from trauma begins with understanding yourself. Put another way: Self-diagnosis can help a lot.By Boyd Patterson Helpful information about PTSD can be a life preserver. As a survivor of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, you know the ... | Read More
Painting Therapy for Trauma Victims
There are many forms of treatment, but this organization uses the canvas as its main tool.By Connie Aitcheson Sometimes it’s hard to speak about pain. David Leon knows all too well. He found a form of therapy, using art as a way to help ... | Read More
Brown University Study Shows Resources Needed For Civilians With PTSD
More aid needs to be devoted to relieving PTSD’s impact on civilians. By Brandon Lilly Getting proper care and services for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is hard if you are a military veteran. Getting proper care is even more difficult ... | Read More
Individuals of Influence
PTSDJournal names leaders who study and treat the disorder in order to symbolize the increasing work done nationwide to diminish the effects of trauma. This group of individuals recognizes the need for support, outreach, and innovation to defeat the ... | Read More
Healtheo360 Provides Healing Through The Web
The website Healtheo360.com allows individuals to post personal stories about dealing with health conditions, including PTSD.By Courtenay Higgins Healtheo360 is an online community where people with chronic conditions can find encouragement ... | Read More
The Strength Behind Project Semicolon
Amy Bleuel fought through abuse, incarceration, mental illness, and the devastating loss of her father to suicide. At 31, she took her own life too, but her story is worth retelling for Amy reached the lives of millions of people with a simple, yet ... | Read More
Sandy Hook’s Promise Keepers
The massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary school shook a community. A group of residents is making sure the tragedy helps others. By David Cummings The logo used by the Sandy Hook Promise tells the organization’s story. A tiny arm reaches up from ... | Read More
PTSD Women’s Group Wants To Build Awareness
Want to find out about how PTSD impacts women, go to #FacesOfPTSD. By Christine Cissy White Christine Cissy White, Joyelle Brandt and Arlen Faulkner are part of the grassroots movement #FacesOfPTSD Men. Soldiers. Brains. I was ... | Read More
A Mother Finds Herself After Losing Her Children
It took a while and a lovely puppy, but Debbie Streiter is living again.By Courtenay Higgins Photography: Boris Zlotsky, Gruskin Group©2015 It was unusually cold and rainy on April 5, 2003, when 20-year-old Ashley Streiter, back from Kutztown ... | Read More
Please Tell Someone Directly
After living for 30 years with PTSD, the writer explains how he finally broke free.By John Hack I battled with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder for three decades before making peace. My feelings shifted and evolved. I’d get a grip, and a new symptom ... | Read More
Trauma Theater Supports Youth With Mental Issues
A Massachusetts treatment center uses the stage to support children coping with personal struggles. By Christine Graf World-renowned trauma expert Bessel van der Kolk calls child abuse and neglect the most vital public health issue in ... | Read More
Smart Planning For Escaping Domestic Abuse
Victims can help themselves by preparing an exit strategy.By Nora Hood Leaving an abusive relationship is an emotionally jarring ordeal. Women often put off making such a wrenching decision believing their partner will change or out of fear of ... | Read More
Sex And PTSD
A doctor explains how to overcome the intersection of intimacy and PTSD. By Sharna Striar For many of us, an intimate relationship can be challenging. But for those with PTSD, it can often feel impossible. If you have experienced ... | Read More
A Child Abuse Victim Tells Her Story
In her own words, Lora Horn explains her three secrets for dealing with PTSD.By Lora Horn I was abused as a child. My parents weren’t purposely cruel. I suspect they both had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in an age when PTSD wasn’t even the ... | Read More
Did Jackie O’ Suffer From PTSD?
Five decades after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, author Barbara Leaming makes the case that former First Lady Jackie Kennedy may have suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. By David Cummings Barbara Leaming is not a ... | Read More
The Pursuit to Happiness
Dan Harris struggled with the darkness of anxiety. Then he found the light through meditation.By Charles Curtis Dan Harris has watched the video of what he calls the most embarrassing day of his life thousands of times. Dan Harris's on-air ... | Read More
PTSDesign
Houseplants Improve Health and Well-Being By Kenneth A. Gruskin, AIA Research estimates a person spends 85-percent of life indoors. Obtaining meaningful access to visible and physical “natural” and “green” outdoor spaces is a challenge for ... | Read More
10 Questions With…Jamie Heywood
Co-Founder and Chairman, PatientsLikeMe.com Helping his brother deal with ALS sparked Heywood’s desire to find a way to support others in a similar situation. By PTSDJournal Staff What is PatientsLikeMe? JH: We’re a free website ... | Read More
Kaiser’s Study Results in an Ace
The Adverse Childhood Experiences Study connected adolescent experiences with triggering PTSD in adulthood. By PTSDJournal Staff Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a punishing psychological condition that most frequently diagnosed in combat ... | Read More
What’s in Your Stress-Relief Toolkit?
Here are some simple, science-backed solutions to try out.By Marisa M. Tomasic, Ph.D Coming up with a plan to best handle stress requires thought. Depending on the nature of the stressor or one’s previous coping style, the very idea of ... | Read More
Sentenced to Life Podcast
What do you get when a survivor of child sex trafficking connects with a survivor of sexual abuse? Try a hard-truth listen with graphic storytelling that tackles trauma and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder head-on. By David Cummings Kendall ... | Read More
Food for Thought
These snacks are healthy for the brain.By PTSDJournal Staff Blueberries Research suggests that compounds in blueberries known as flavonoids may improve memory, learning, and general cognitive function, including reasoning skills, ... | Read More
Healing a Memory
A Teenager Survives A Tragic Car Crash, Then Uses Her Life To Help Others Avoid “Distracted” Driving. By Christine Simoes Twenty-one-year-old Bailey Wind has spent the last four years learning to live what she calls her “new normal.” She was ... | Read More
The Gift of Homeopathy
By Dr. Kenneth Silvestri There are many medicines and treatments for trauma, but some believe success starts within the patient. Homeopathy is a safe example of healing. Founded by the German physician, Samuel Hahnemann in the 19th century, it ... | Read More
Books and Music Review
BOOKS THE WOUNDS WITHIN: A VETERAN, A PTSD THERAPIST, AND A NATION UNPREPARED by Mark Nickerson & Joshua Goldstein / Skyhorse Publishing / Ebook / 224 pgs / $15 A loved one returns home from Iraq and a family crusades to reform the ... | Read More
Project Semicolon
She was born on Aug. 1, 1985, and she pauses when asked about her hometown because she “never stayed any place long enough to call it home.” Finally, she settles on her birthplace of Wausau, Wisc. Amy Bleuel is 30 years old. She is a victim of a ... | Read More
Web-Healing
By Courtenay Higgins Healtheo360 allows individuals to post their personal stories about dealing with health conditions. Healtheo360 is an online community where people with chronic conditions can find encouragement and relevant health ... | Read More
Waves To Improvement
By Dr. Jeffrey Marksberry The Alpha-Stim device treats physical pain associated with trauma. Cranial electrotherapy stimulation is a noninvasive prescriptive medical treatment for anxiety, insomnia and depression. The catalyst is a smartphone ... | Read More
Project: Harmony
By Andre Carter — After Los Angeles gang members became riveted while watching her five-year old son playing Brahms on a violin, Dr. Margaret Martin was inspired to use music to transform the lives of Los Angeles’s neediest students. In 2001 she ... | Read More
Kaiser’s Study Results in an Ace
By Glen Waggoner — Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a punishing psychological condition that is most frequently diagnosed in combat military personnel and adult victims of criminal attack and automobile accidents. Recently researchers have ... | Read More