Posts Tagged ‘PTSD’
Surviving the Trumpocalypse: Thoughts from an Immigrant Therapist
I watched the inauguration of Barak Obama in 2009 from my living room in Cape Town, South Africa. In my memory it is daytime, and the late afternoon sunshine is coming in through the glass sliding doors. There is a seven-hour time difference between Cape Town and Washington – Cape Town is ahead. My ex-patriot…
An Open Letter to Donald Trump from a Trauma Survivor and Trauma Therapist
Dear Mr. Trump: Your comments on Monday morning in response to a veteran’s question about mental health treatment at a Retired American Warriors PAC implied that only veterans who are not “strong” and “can’t handle it” develop post-traumatic stress disorder. Yes, I read the transcript of your entire answer and saw the clip; yes, I…
PTSD: A Primer, Part 2
In the first installment of my Primer on PTSD, I laid out some of the aspects of PTSD from a diagnostic framework, as well as some of the forms it takes—how trauma actually impacts peopleʼs lives. Here Iʼll focus in on a few examples, painting with a broader brush some emotional and mental problems that…
PTSD: A Primer [Part 1]
By now, the letters “PTSD” have attained a well-known place in American culture. Most people know of PTSD from the media or from colleagues or therapists. PTSD stands for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, it’s the working name for a wide set of symptoms, responses, behaviors and conditions that people exhibit, arising from the experience trauma.…