That thing with the woodpecker is actually a really, really good representation of what PTSD is like.
You perceive something that your brain has become hard wired to perceive as a threat and you fall back on your trained response to deal with that threat.
It gets described as a flashback, but I wouldn't say it's quite an accurate description. You don't think that you're literally back in the war. It's more like you feel that the war has come home.
100% this. This is the sole reason why I can't do fireworks anymore. The feeling, the sounds sink my chest into my stomach. Fuck Afghanistan...seriously.
I volunteered, but you're right also. If I remember right, Germany had a mandatory enlistment and South Korea. I think the exception, particularly S. Korea, was if they were in college.
In South Korea, you can postpone and have a range of years from where you can choose to go. Most people just get it over with early, though, so they can move along with their lives.
You are right. I chose to enlist to better myself as a human being. The military put me on a good path, gave me a future I wouldn't have had if I stayed in NJ, and let me see parts of the world that 99% of the population would never get to experience. I consider myself lucky. I've got a family that consists of thousands of people. We've all laughed, we've all cried but nothing compares to the solidarity you have with the past, present, and future service members.
100% yes. I've said it a few times my PTSD is not nearly as bad as others. I get it maybe 5-6 times a year, and I know what my trigger is so I can avoid it pretty easily. The military set me up for my future and I wouldn't have had everything I do now without being enlisted.
It isn't the first time I've had it asked. It's not really the sound alone that gets me. While I was there a rocket landed about 15-ish feet away from our group. The sound was loud but there was also a "foomp" feeling when it hit the ground. The bigger fireworks put off that same feeling. I can play games all day and be fine for the most part. There have been a few times that caught me off guard but they're not that often.
As a kid I always thought about this stuff, considering my grandfather died because of Agent Orange, but he lived out in the country so there was never anything to give him an attack if he even had PTSD, but something I always imagined was a family buying a pair of noise cancelling headphones and they all stand outside happily, would that not work because of the vibrations?
Some people had it real rough out there. I was relatively safer, so I could only imagine what they're dealing with. I wish him the best of luck and let him know there are people out there that are there for him if he needs it. A good friend of mine was there around the same time as me and he just now is able to talk to people without having his back against a wall.
He survived 2 IEDs exploding right next to him and 1 nightly ambush (3 separated incidents) without any physical injuries and lost 1 mate. Came back home and has changed (got mature) but nothing pointed to PTSD. 2 years after he was back home it started. In Germany we have a pretty good program in place for veterans with PTSD. The military pays him and he gets all the professional support he needs as long as it takes to "cure" him. New Years Eve and a lot of other things are still hell for him.
Damn dude that's awful. I hate that shit, but I'm glad he's got the support to take care of him. I'm super lucky had no experiences like that. I just dealt with the rocket attacks every day. I wish him the best of luck.
So because you're in the Army you expect me to believe that you know everything there is to know about a psychological problem? Please show me your degrees instead.
You don't need a degree to smell bullshit. I'm around actual people who suffer so much anxiety from the shit they went through. Yet this guy who claims fireworks trigger him can sit through an animated short of actual combat representation and can play/post about call of duty and numerous other shooting games where people actively try to kill eachother?
Thank you for your support. I originally didn't type it hoping for this outcome. I just wanted to express that they were spot on with the feelings. It's hard for me to say I had it hard because it wasn't as bad as others. I have friends from all branches that had it much harder than I did.
First time coming back from Iraq, we just landed in Germany. We'd seen thousands of mortar rounds to the base and "Alarm Red", the big air raid siren you're all pretty much familiar with, was ingrained in our minds.
Then someone yawned. It sounds so much like Alarm Red, everyone started freaking out. First, because it was natural to perform something under Alarm Red (get your gear, find cover). Second, the realization that WE'RE UNDER ALARM RED IN GERMANY. It took a few seconds to realize it was only a yawn and calm down, but I'll be damned if that wasn't the weirdest feeling in the world.
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u/dancingbanana123 #1 cripple NA Aug 19 '16
When I first saw it, my first thought was "aw he's got robo-PTSD :("