Summary Of Post Trauma Stress

The book Post-Trauma Stress by Frank Parkinson sheds light on an issue that I believe is widely disregarded by our society. PTSD is a pernicious beast that unfortunately millions suffer from day to day. In his book, Parkinson explains that post trauma stress can occur following any number of emotionally straining experiences - not just the time spent on a battlefield, as many seem to believe. Post-Trauma Stress is a wonderful resource for anyone dealing with long-term emotional trauma. By dissecting what PTSD looks like and how it can occur, Parkinson also goes into great detail about the importance of validating your emotions and undergoing a debriefing session following any potentially scarring situations. Parkinson does a great job of illustrating

Parkinson argues that other emotionally damaging situations, such as divorce, abuse, bereavement, or accidents can all lead to serious emotional deficits. PTSD can affect anyone, anytime - and may not even show up until years after the traumatic event took place. As Parkinson points out, it is important to recognize that everyone reacts to trauma differently - and that these experiences are not uniform. What’s traumatic for one person may not be the case for another. The author reiterates multiple times that reacting to these situations is normal and should be taken seriously. I think a lot of people are stuck in the mindset that “real men don’t cry” or that they should just “get over it.” This mentality is not just ineffective, it’s damaging. Bottling up such strong emotions only compounds the issue. In order to truly make steps towards recovery from post-trauma stress, as Parkinson observes, individuals should be encouraged to display their emotions and be given the tools to develop the sense of purpose necessary to continue on with their

Just because it may not always be visible to others, it should be approached with the same attitude as an injury or illness. Survivors shouldn’t be expected to simply “brush off” what’s happened, or even that they’ll be done grieving in six months. It’s true that things will eventually get better, but only by coming to terms with the reality of the situation and allowing yourself to feel the emotions that come with experiencing a traumatic event. Having a reaction is normal. In fact, I was surprised to learn that having no reaction is a reaction (Parkinson 44). I think knowing some of the common signs of post-trauma stress is very valuable, regardless of your past experiences - even just being familiar with the grief cycle can be very beneficial when helping others overcome emotional damage. Parkinson claims that “We can place the symptoms of post-trauma stress… under three main headings: re-experiencing, avoidance, and arousal” (Parkinson 52). This could take the form of angry outbursts, hallucinations, anxiety, paranoia, denial, or even elation. All in all, post-trauma stress affects each individual differently - but unless it’s recognized and dealt with, the damage it causes can be