Can Jesus Cure PTSD? (t r u t h o u t)

[RainDog]

http://www.truth-out.org/can-jesus-cure-shell-shock61984

Pastor with no medical training says:

"Combat vets need to know that most of these do fade in time, like scars," writes Holdridge, a professor at the Baptist Bible College, as the Army Reserves banner hangs from the top of the Webpage. "They will always be there to some degree, but their intensity will fade. What will help them fade is the application of the principles of Scripture."

You know - one of THE defining features of PTSD is that the memories DON'T fade in time - THAT'S WHY it is considered a disorder - and it appears there may be physiological changes in the hippocampus that provide a neurochemical explanation for why these memories don't fade.

Here's what a doctor says who does research on cures for PTSD and has read study after study on the illness notes. From J. Douglas Bremmer, MD, Yale University School of Medicine:

http://www.lawandpsychiatry.com/html/hippocampus.htm

(just some non-voodoo inserted into the mix. - but lots of info there about PTSD as it relates to child abuse and rape, as well.)

The tone of Holdridge's essay only gets more unapologetically evangelical as the chaplain's initial wading in a Christian sea slides into more brackish waters, evangelizing soldiers with PTSD that their service was part of a larger theological plan and dangerously merges church and state. "Military and law enforcement personnel bear the additional burden of contending with evil by acting as an arm of the state to punish those who have no respect for human life (Rom.13:4)," he writes. "It is messy business, but necessary in a fallen world. If the military member knows Christ as savior, they can be assured that Jesus is with them until the end of the age (Mt.28:20)." (If this doesn't seem offensive or incendiary for a military Website to publish this, replace "Christ as savior" with "the Prophet Mohammed" and "Jesus" with "Allah.")

The pastor goes on to recommend resources for soldiers. 4 of the 10 resources are all proselytizing evangelical groups.

The question, of course, is whether Command Chaplain Holdridge is acting as an evangelical fisherman, luring soldiers with the bait of normalcy after the psychological fractures of combat. Mikey Weinstein, the founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, the civil rights organization that discovered the essay, argues Holdridge's "Spiritual Resiliency" is a pernicious example of fundamentalist Christianity using the machinery of the state to promote its sectarian worldview.

"This is a carefully calculated base, evil, vile, filthy and despicable perversion of the United States Constitution," Weinstein said, "which, at once, heinously divides and demoralizes military unit cohesion while concomitantly lubricating and accelerating soldier suicides."

...not to mention that it's medically unsound to claim that symptoms of PTSD are magically cured if only someone believes hard enough. Sort of like Peter Pan.

It is coercion to present religious beliefs as a cure for what ails people who do not hold to those beliefs when someone is acting in a governmental capacity. Not to say that religious beliefs cannot help some people with PTSD - however, a government employee may not use or EXPLOIT someone's illness to proselytize for that employee's particular god (again, imagine if the god in question were allah, or krishna or the 12th sign of the zodiac.)

[yella_dawg]

1. Fades with time?

Just how fucking much time does it take? Or doesn't theological training provide the skills for such an assessment.

[RainDog]

2. It's horrific that this pastor is doing this

and there is a long, long history of evangelicals debasing medical treatment in favor of their "come to jesus" hard sell.

[happyslug]

3. According to the DSM-IV, three months in Half the people, longer in the other half.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder can occur at any age, including childhood. Symptoms usually begin within the first 3 months after the trauma, although there may be a delay of months, or even years, before symptoms appear. Frequently, the disturbance initially meets criteria for Acute Stress Disorder (see p. 429) in the immediate aftermath of the trauma. The symptoms of the disorder and the relative predominance of reexperiencing, avoidance, and hyperarousal symptoms may vary over time. Duration of the symptoms varies, with complete recovery occurring within 3 months in approximately half of cases, with many others having persisting symptoms for longer than 12 months after the trauma.

http://www.mental-health-today.com/ptsd/dsm.htm

A major Factor is one's social network, which includes friends, fellow workers (including fellow soldiers) and social groups (Which includes one's church). The more support you have from your support group the less likely you will have PTSD and the quicker you will recover from it.

7 predictors: a) prior trauma, (b) prior psychological adjustment, (c) family history of psychopathology, (d) perceived life threat during the trauma, (e) posttrauma social support, (f) peritraumatic emotional responses, and (g) peritraumatic dissociation.

http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/bul/129/1/52/

factors operating during or after the trauma, such as trauma severity, lack of social support, and additional life stress, had somewhat stronger effects than pretrauma factors.

http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/ccp/68/5/748/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posttraumatic_stress_disorder

[RainDog]

4. So 50% of all (not just combat veterans) with PTSD have a chronic medical problem

while 50% have an acute medical problem (i.e. the claim of complete recovery within 3 months after the onset of symptoms.)

One's church, however, is not located in one's government. A church may not proselytize for its version of religion in the treatment of an illness - surely you can understand that a Jewish person might find LESS support from a military that allows evangelicals to claim their belief is the way that someone with PTSD finds relief - when that evangelical belief is antithetical to that Jewish person's family and community support system.

As I noted, obviously, for some people a religious support group can provide comfort.

however, to be allowed to proselytize as part of the American military is foul. It is arrogant and ignorant about the beliefs of others.

[happyslug]

6. After reading the Chaplain's statement, it uses the bible to show HOW to handle PTSD

Yes, David is cited extensively, but because the verses in the bible dealing with David have the most relevance to a person with PTSD (David suffered from it). The Chaplain is NOT advocating someone turn to the bible, but is advising other Chaplains on how to handle people with PTSD. He uses the bible as a reference book, for contains some very good example of PTSD, NOT as a book to convert someone.

Now the Chaplain does go and says the following:

The goal then, is to establish a new stable state (a new equilibrium) on the other side of the crisis. The following principles from David’s psalms form the "TEN Rs" that helped this godly warrior move from disorientation to reorientation, reintegration and restoration: . The Chaplain then uses his ten points about David to show how one should work with someone with PTSD NOT to convert (See below for actual 10 points). The article has several bibical points, but all a driven for the purpose of addressing the problems someone has with PTSD NOT to convert them. The article is more written for other Chaplains to better understand HOW to handle someone with PTSD then any other purpose, but given his background (Christian theology) he falls back on it for examples. That is his background and as such I can accept it.

In addition to David he quite Smedley Butler he mentions Audie Murphy:
Audie Murphy slept with the lights on and had a loaded .45 under his bed twenty-two years after returning home as the most decorated war hero of WWII.

His quote on Smedley Butler:
Boys with a normal viewpoint were taken from the fields and offices and factories and classrooms and put into the ranks. There they were remolded; they were made over; they were made to 'about face'....They were put shoulder to shoulder, and through mass psychology they were entirely changed. We used them for a couple of years and trained them to think nothing at all of killing or of being killed. Then suddenly, we discharged them and told them to make another 'about face.' This time they had to do their own readjusting without mass psychology, without officers' aid and advice, without nation-wide propaganda. We didn't need them any more. So we scattered them about without any speeches or parades. Many, too many, of these fine young boys are eventually destroyed mentally, because they could not make that final 'about face' alone." - Smedley D. Butler, Major General, USMC -1936; Two-time winner, Congressional Medal of Honor. Cited in Bridget C. Cantrell & Chuck Dean's Once a Warrior: Wired for Life, Seattle: Wordsmith Books, 2007, p.ix.


Since this is a US Government site, it is NOT copy-writable i.e. we can use it without any restriction. So here is what the Chaplain actually wrote:

Spiritual Resiliency: Helping Troops Recover from Combat

by CH (Col.) Donald W. Holdridge
Command Chaplain, 200th Military Police Command

A little known fact is that while 400,000 soldiers died in World War II, over 500,000 soldiers became behavioral health casualties. In fact, the combat stress casualties in WWI, WWII and Korea were greater than the number of those who died in actual combat. Of course these statistics were not widely published and most tried to sweep these figures under the proverbial rug. Yet, we cannot ignore the fact that war takes its toll on more than just the physical bodies of our sons and daughters who have been engaged in it. There are emotional and spiritual wounds to contend with as well. Senator Bob Dole wrote that "coming back from war is a longer journey than any plane flight home. It would be great if everything just snapped back together the way it had always been -- but the truth is, returning from war is much more complicated than that."

Military personnel who are affected by wartime trauma do not come exclusively from the ranks of those who served on the front lines. Combat Stress can develop from almost anywhere in the combat zone. The problem with asynchronous warfare is that you never know where the front lines really are in places like Afghanistan or Iraq! The FOB (Forward Operating Base) where I was assigned had a four kilometer wall surrounding it. It wasn't the most shelled base in Iraq (Camp Anaconda holds that distinction), but it was the heaviest shelled base per square foot. Mortars and rockets came in at any hour of the day or night without any predictability. Spending a year in such conditions can be very unsettling. This condition does not only affect the junior enlisted. One of only twelve of the Army’s current four-star generals arrived on the scene of a suicide bomber who had killed twenty-two people in a dining facility in Mosul when he was a three-star. His wife said, “I didn’t get the whole guy I’d sent away.

War certainly is not a normal human activity for most Americans. Therefore, it is quite normal to experience abnormal reactions from such an abnormal environment. After living in such conditions, it's hard to just flip a switch and return instantly to one's old life. There are a set of learned behaviors that have been drilled into our nation’s military members to prepare them for war. "Although these survival reactions served a great purpose in the war, they became so routine that now, even though these veterans are home and in non-threatening environments, they simply can't turn off their alert systems. What was once a survival tool is now an anxious habit." Therefore, some retraining may need to be done when they return from combat.

The January 1st, 2005 edition of the Army Times noted that the first signs of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) may not appear until three to four months or longer after the soldier returns home. Once the euphoria of the homecoming begins to fade and real life kicks back in, adjustment issues flair up. It must be emphasized that PTSD is not mental illness. Unfortunately many label it as such, which shames military members into avoiding help. Now the service members who have PTSD are not going crazy. They are trying to work through some of the terrible things that they have heard, seen and smelled in the combat zone. They are attempting to rebalance or reset themselves. This is not always easy, especially if they do not understand what they are going through. Combat vets need to know that most of these abnormal reactions do fade in time, like scars. They will always be there to some degree, but their intensity will fade. What will help them fade is the application of the principles of Scripture. As spiritual caregivers, our church bodies must understand the reactions of combat stress, correct the theological reasoning behind combat stress, prescribe the proper remedies for combat stress, and implement the right resources to assist soldiers in reintegrating back into society.

REACTIONS

1. Boredom – Soldiers get so used to living in a hyper-vigilant mode during combat, that their normal home life is pretty dull by comparison. Some continually seek that adrenaline rush to feel alive. That is why some volunteer to deploy over and over again (Tour Babies). Others participate in dangerous activities back in the states like competing in extreme sports or driving recklessly. They desire to get back to that excitement level that they had regularly experienced in theatre when they were reacting to fire during a convoy.

2. Anger – Soldiers sometimes return home very angry. " causes your physical arousal to go up, so it can help you feel more powerful at the moment". This is good in combat, because it gives you the drive to fight and helps keep you alive, but it is not appropriate on the home front. Soldiers have come home being angry with the government, with the military, with civilians who argue over trivial things, with anyone in authority; and yes, even with God. One of my soldiers returned to New York and was livid with anyone who looked like an Arab, because they reminded him of the enemy. There is distrust and frustration that can develop in the veteran because they are no longer in control. They then become angry with those who are. This can lead to Road Rage, or frequent arguments with those closest to the soldier. One of my co-workers described how her family was afraid of her older cousin who was a Vietnam Vet. He would fly off the handle in fits of rage because of the mental pictures that kept haunting him from time to time. This ex-soldier once ripped the toilet up from the floor and hurled it out the window. Sadly he committed suicide shortly after the war. A chaplain in the Southwest counseling soldiers with PTSD said that some come into his office yelling at God. Even the righteous Job became mad at God because of the massive trauma he had experienced, losing all of his children, along with his wealth and his health (Job 1-2). In chapter three he asks five "Why?" questions of God (vv.11, 12, 16, 20, 23). In the midst of his pain, anger and frustration, Job accused God of being unjust (Job 27:2). This is a natural reaction that occurs when imperfect people suffer. It is natural, but not right. When God finally responded to Job, He never answered his questions directly, but asked Job a series of questions that reframed his thinking. Job's only response was to repent, because he had come to realize that the Almighty’s ways were beyond his, and that he had no right to discredit the Creator's justice in order to justify himself (Job 40:8).

3. Isolation – Some veterans choose to withdraw from society instead of dealing with it. One of my chaplain assistants met a vet in the VA who became a hermit after his combat tour. He bought 360 acres of woods in West Virginia upon returning from Vietnam and disappeared into that forest for twenty-eight years, having no contact with the outside world! Some vets isolate themselves from family members because they want to protect them from the painful memories that they carry around each day. Perhaps they are embarrassed to share what they did, or don't feel worthy of anyone's help because of what they did, so they suffer in silence and obscurity.

4. Sleep Disorders – Many soldiers are patrolling on the night shifts during their tours, so their normal body clocks are off. One Vietnam vet told me that he survived on one to two hours of sleep each night, because the VC were always trying to breach his perimeter on an isolated mountaintop communications site. Needless to say, quite a few of our combat vets develop sleeping problems when they first get home. They experience nightmares where an unpleasant tape keeps replaying in their heads. Some never feel safe after dark, so they stay up all night and sleep during the day. Audie Murphy slept with the lights on and had a loaded .45 under his bed twenty-two years after returning home as the most decorated war hero of WWII. A Marine from Desert storm that I met had great difficulties sleeping for the first year he got back. He witnessed his platoon leader and platoon sergeant going into a booby-trapped tunnel in the sand and being blown up. He also told me that he and his siblings never went into the bedroom to wake his father up when they were kids, because this Vietnam vet always slept with a loaded gun under his pillow and they didn’t want to startle him. When soldiers let their guards down at bed-time and start to relax, those unpleasant thoughts can reinvade their minds. One vet I served with told me that after the Gulf War, he was startled from sleep by a nephew. This Marine instinctively jumped out of bed, grabbed his nephew by the throat and shoved him up against the wall. Since he felt threatened, his training automatically kicked in even though he was not fully awake. The wife of a Vietnam Vet shared with me that he occasionally thrashed around violently in bed, as if he were locked in mortal combat. Thankfully the pillows were the only casualties. Another vet pulled his wife off the bed with him in the middle of the night because he thought they were under a mortar attack.

5. Guilt – Sometimes the vet will feel guilty for what he did or did not do. Perhaps he believes that if he had acted differently, one of his buddies would be alive today. I knew a chaplain who served previously as a line officer in Vietnam. He was going to catch a helicopter to deliver some papers to higher headquarters on a distant fire base. At the last minute, another captain who was a close friend of his came up and said he would drop the paperwork off for him. That was the last time he saw his friend, for the bird he was on was shot down en route. Imagine what thoughts went through his mind. It should have been me. Why am I still alive and he is not? I am responsible for his death. In another case, a retired NCO I know thinks every day about one of his soldiers he did not bring home alive from Iraq. He still feels responsible for this in some way. Now this guilt that our troops carry around may be real or just perceived, but survivor’s guilt is a powerful obstacle that needs to be dealt with. It is actually a form of self-punishment. Remember the guilt that the old Private Ryan was feeling in the cemetery in France when he thought back to the men who had given their lives for his!

6. Hyper-Vigilant – To survive in combat, soldiers are trained to always be alert. As we left our FOB in Iraq, there was a spray-painted message on one of the concrete barriers by the ECP (Entry Control Point) with the words, “Complacency Kills.” When living in an environment where a mortal or rocket could land inside your perimeter at any time, or where any stretch of road could suddenly explode from an IED, it is not always easy to turn off the hyper-vigilant switch when you return to “Fort Couch, USA!” Some vets are anxious and nervous all the time. They do not like crowds, and they prefer to sit in a large room with their backs to the wall. They do this so they can scan everybody in the room and so no one can slip behind them. A senior battle-hardened NCO told me that he got antsy holding large formations of soldiers back in the states. His instincts from combat told him to keep his people dispersed, so there was less chance of them being hit by mortars. He had lost several soldiers to mortar attacks near the Syrian and Iraqi border and it took awhile for this feeling to fade. I was talking with a chaplain friend of mine during a field exercise in the South some two years after we had returned from Iraq. Normally he stands about ten inches shorter than me. However, when the metal tail gate of a 5-Ton Army truck slammed open, I swear my friend was eyeball to eyeball with me. He calls it “an Iraqi moment.” It’s quite common for people who had to react to indirect fire in combat to be a little jumpy at loud noises. This is why some vets do not like to go to fireworks displays. One Vietnam Vet was recovering in a hospital at Ft. Sam Houston on July 4th, 1967. The base put on a special fireworks display, but "the sounds of the exploding fireworks outside the hospital brought back the horrible memories of enemy fire....those same sounds gave many of the other men nightmares for the rest of the night, examples of post-traumatic stress disorder."

7. Numbness – Some troops return home and do not express any emotion. Vets, who had lost a close friend in combat, sometimes emotionally shut down. They avoid friendships with other soldiers for fear of experiencing the pain of loss once again. When they bring this numbness back to the states, it is very hard to maintain any relationships, or jobs for that matter. Aphrodite Matsakis noted that “the single most important predictor of who develops long-term PTSD, or other traumatic reactions, is the one with the inability to derive comfort from another human being.” My wife’s uncle, who was very mechanically inclined, became simple-minded after experiencing the horrors of combat during WWII. He mentally checked-out from the challenges of life and was on full disability from the VA for several decades until his passing.

8. Depression – Some vets sleep too much because they have slipped into depression. This is when being awake is too painful for them. Others try to mask their bad memories with drugs or alcohol, but become depressed again once the high wears off. Substance abuse only offers a temporary "way to avoid dealing with uncomfortable situations, memories, or feelings." Now depression ignored can lead to suicide, which happens to be on the rise in the military since 911. The prophet Elijah succumbed to depression after a great victory against 450 of the prophets of Baal. Queen Jezebel threatened to kill him, so he fled to the desert and asked God to take his life. He was exhausted and hungry and an angel brought him food (1 Kgs.19:1-9). Jezebel had become a bigger force than his God, and he had lost his perspective. Elijah needed to "take a knee" and get some time alone with God to rest and reset.

9. Emotional Triggers – Vets can be doing well for awhile until some event back home triggers an emotional response from the combat zone. My unit was involved in a medical field exercise during Annual Training in Georgia. There were various scenarios that our medical teams were being evaluated on. Sometimes injured dummies were employed and sometimes soldiers with made-up wounds were used in these training exercises. On one occasion, a soldier had been wheeled into the ER tent and was “coding.” He was just faking a heart attack to play along with a given scenario. A surgical team surrounded the patient to try and “save” him. During this process, one of the Army nurses started to uncontrollably sob and could not keep herself together. They removed her to a quiet place and radioed for the chaplain, stating that this was not a drill. After talking with her for awhile, I learned that she had been involved with a team of medical professionals trying to unsuccessfully save an Afghani child who had stepped on a mine. The role play in that Georgia ER tent took her right back to the ER in Afghanistan. A friend of mine at church told me that he was talking to his father-in-law around the anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge nearly fifty-years later. His wife’s dad broke into great weeping, recalling the night everyone else in his tank died. The last one to die lingered all night screaming and pleading with his buddy to shoot him because the pain was so bad. It took one-half of a century before he shared that painful memory with his family just before he passed on. A different kind of emotional trigger was experienced by a Special Forces captain who had lost both lower legs from a mortar near the Laos-Cambodia-Vietnam border. He described how he would wince each time he saw the medics on the TV program M.A.S.H. rush to the helicopter in a bent over position to offload the wounded, because that is how he saw the medics come for him. This occurred years after the war, but it still triggered those painful memories. It was like ripping off a band-aid and reopening a wound.

10. MTBI – This acronym stands for Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. It is the signature injury of the global war on terrorism due to the number of IEDs and VBIEDs (Vehicle born IEDs) that have gone off near coalition forces. It is caused by the overpressure in the atmosphere of an explosion, which slaps the brain around inside the skull. There may be no external wounds visible, but MTBI is a real wound to the brain that can manifest itself in similar ways as PTSD. I visited a soldier in Walter Reed Army Medical Center who was uncontrollably shaking because of this condition. I also met a captain who is carrying around shrapnel in his neck from an explosion that occurred right beside his hummer. An NCO in the trail vehicle told him later that he did not think anyone would emerge from the captain's vehicle alive after that powerful IED went off just a few feet away from the driver's side door. In addition to his Purple Heart injuries, this captain told me that he had trouble with his short-term memory, which was from the MTBI. He couldn’t recall one of his ROTC student’s names after seeing him a few weeks after class let out.

REASONING

When our men and women go off to war and they come back differently, we must remember that their theological world has been shaken to its core. They have gone way beyond the controlled Sunday school classes and small town USA into a strange culture where the rules of society are quite different. Life seems cheaper and the "good guys" don't always win. Sometimes innocent children die in the cross-fire, and sometimes children become combatants and kill soldiers. I met a thirteen-year old boy in a detention facility. He was eventually found guilty and executed by an Iraqi court for dropping explosives off of a bridge and killing some GIs. Stories like this can rock one’s theological concept of who God is and the way He works (or doesn't) in the world. What many of our troops have seen makes no sense to them; it is not reasonable to them. They have the bitter taste of evil in their mouths, and the Omnipotent One tends to get blamed for allowing such terrible things to happen on His watch. I chatted with a Reserve Military Police Officer who is also a police officer in his local community. He has been to war with insurgents in Iraq and with criminals on the streets of America. He was raised to believe in God, but he said that he has seen too much 'random' violence during his dual careers to seek after the Lord anymore.

"Boys with a normal viewpoint were taken from the fields and offices and factories and classrooms and put into the ranks. There they were remolded; they were made over; they were made to 'about face'....They were put shoulder to shoulder, and through mass psychology they were entirely changed. We used them for a couple of years and trained them to think nothing at all of killing or of being killed. Then suddenly, we discharged them and told them to make another 'about face.' This time they had to do their own readjusting without mass psychology, without officers' aid and advice, without nation-wide propaganda. We didn't need them any more. So we scattered them about without any speeches or parades. Many, too many, of these fine young boys are eventually destroyed mentally, because they could not make that final 'about face' alone." - Smedley D. Butler, Major General, USMC -1936; Two-time winner, Congressional Medal of Honor. Cited in Bridget C. Cantrell & Chuck Dean's Once a Warrior: Wired for Life, Seattle: Wordsmith Books, 2007, p.ix.

In cases like these, people need to be reminded about the theology of free will and evil. When the Lord made the angels and mankind, He gave them the free will to love Him or to reject Him. He did not make a bunch of robots that respond on command. Therefore, in allowing choice, the possibility for evil existed alongside the possibility for good. The first creature to choose evil was Lucifer, who then tempted Adam and Eve to choose evil. Satan is alive and well on planet earth, and he wants to corrupt, cripple and kill those made in God's image (Mk.1:13; 4:15; Lk.13:16; 22:31; Jn.8:44; 13:2; Ac.5:3; 10:28; 2 Cor.11:14; 2 Tim.2:26; 1 Pet.5:8; 1 Jn.5:19; Rev.2:10; 12:9). The devil and fallen mankind are responsible for this world's ills. God will deal with all wickedness eventually, but people are given the freedom (and the responsibility) to make good moral choices in this life.

God is not the author of evil. He does not promote evil, but permits it to bring about a greater good (Rom.8:28). "In the fallen and partially redeemed universe we may distinguish (1) the simple good descending from God, (2) the simple evil produced by rebellious creatures, and (3) the exploitation of that evil by God for His redemptive purpose, which produces (4) the complex good to which accepted suffering and repented sin contribute." The martyrdom of Christians in the Coliseum was a horrible thing, but Christianity eventually triumphed in Rome. It became the religion of the empire and spread west, affecting millions of souls across Europe and in the New World. The short-term evil resulted in a greater long-term good.

The by-product of evil is suffering. Suffering's purpose is not always to punish sin, but to bring about personal growth (Jas.1:2-4) and understanding (Ps.119:71) for the sufferer, and glory to God (Jn.9:2-3). It builds character like nothing else. Paul's thorn in the flesh was not removed by the Lord, because it caused him to rely on the Creator more than on himself (2 Cor.12:7-10). Suffering gets our attention. "God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain; it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world." Allen Clark said, "I realize now that if I had not experienced Vietnam, I would not have become the person I am today. If I had not lost my legs, I might not have reached a low enough point in my life where I found it necessary to look up in order to seek the comfort of my Creator. Everything I have experienced has been a necessary part of God's plan for my life....Without Him, my physical wounds may have healed, but my emotional wounds would not have. Most certainly, my heart would not have healed."

Now God is not a masochist, nor is He disengaged from human suffering. In fact, He has willingly participated in it. Jesus suffered more than any human being on this earth has or ever will through the tortuous flogging, crucifixion and the spiritual agony of bearing the weight of the world's sins. So the Almighty is not distant and unfeeling to human pain. In fact, Jesus continues to suffer emotionally when His people suffer. When "Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples" Jesus appeared to him and said, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"

The Lord wants all of us to contend with evil by making good moral choices (Mic.6:3), and by comforting those who have been affected by bad moral choices (2 Cor.1:3-5). However, we are not alone in this fight. "Because Himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted" (Heb.2:18).

Military and law enforcement personnel bear the additional burden of contending with evil by acting as an arm of the state to punish those who have no respect for human life (Rom.13:4). It is messy business, but necessary in a fallen world. If the military member knows Christ as savior, they can be assured that Jesus is with them until the end of the age (Mt.28:20). He is with them in combat and He is with them CONUS (Continental United States). He is with them when they wake up at night in a panic, and when they feel like no one around them understands. Wounded warriors must follow the pattern of Jesus who "entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly" (1 Pet.2:23), knowing that someday, everyone will have to give an account of what they have done in the body. God's justice will be total and complete in His timetable, not ours!

REMEDIES

In order to overcome the stresses of war, one should study the writings of a combat veteran from the Bible who was able to spiritually and emotionally reorganize/regroup/reset after living through many traumatic events. The warrior king David, who was characterized as a man after God's own heart (1 Kgs.11:4), fought in hand-to-hand combat many times and saw a lot of carnage up close and personal. The following is a list of some of the traumatic events he had experienced:

1. David killed a lion and a bear at very close range while a teenager to protect his sheep (1 Sam.17:34-35).

2. David slew the giant Goliath with a sling and a stone, and cut off his head (1 Sam.17:48-51).

3. David fought in many battles over a period of decades (1 Sam.18:13, 27, 30; 19:8; 23:5; 27:8; 30:17; 2 Sam.5:6-25; 8:1-14; 10:1-19; 20:1-26; 21:15).

4. David was nearly impaled by King Saul's javelin three times while serving him at court (1 Sam.18:10-11; 19:9-10).

5. David was hunted on and off for nearly a decade by the very Army he used to be one of the leaders of (1 Sam.18:5, 13, 30).

6. David carried the burden of the slaughter, by the wicked Doeg, of eighty-five priests, along with their entire town of men, women and children because they had helped him (1 Sam.21:1-9; 22:9-22).

7. David fled his homeland and lived in enemy territory in order to escape from King Saul (1 Sam.21:10-15; 27:1-12).

8. David had to hide his parents in the neighboring country of Moab to protect them from King Saul (1 Sam.22:3-4).

9. David learned that the Israelite city he had fought for and rescued from the Philistines was going to turn him over to King Saul to save their own skins (1 Sam.23:1-12).

10. David had two wives and several children taken away by an enemy force along with all of his soldiers' families while they were away on a deployment (1 Sam.30:3-5; 29:1-11).

11. David's own loyal soldiers almost stoned him because of the capture of their families (1 Sam.30:6).

12. David lost his battle buddy Jonathan (one of his band of brothers) and mourned greatly over him (2 Sam.1:17-27).

13. David fought in a civil war between those loyal to King Saul’s house and those loyal to himself for seven years (2 Sam.2:8-3:1).

14. David lost a cousin (Asahel) in a battle during that civil war (2 Sam.2:18-23; 1 Chr.2:13-16).

15. David had one of his wives (Michael - Saul's daughter) taken from him and given to another man (2 Sam.3:13-16).

16. David was told (in error) that the rest of his sons were murdered by one rebellious son (2 Sam.13:30).

17. David was pursued by his own son (Absalom) who attempted to kill him and take the throne (2 Sam.15:1-18)

18. David was betrayed by a close friend and advisor who had sided with Absalom during this coup (2 Sam.15:12, 31; 16:20-17:4).

19. David had to bury one son who died in infancy and two adult sons who were murdered during his lifetime (2 Sam.12:18; 13:29; 18:15).

20. David was almost killed in battle when he was older and weaker (2 Sam.21:15-17).

One can learn the secrets of David’s success in dealing with the traumatic events listed above by examining the seventy-three psalms that bear his name in their inscriptions (Pss.3-9; 11-32; 32-41; 51-65; 68-70; 86; 101; 103; 108-110; 122; 131; 133; 138-145). Walter Brueggemann (The Psalms and the Life of Faith, p.9) noted that life for the psalmists was oriented, disoriented or reoriented. Consequently, there is much wisdom in the Book of Psalms to help one move from the disoriented/unsettled state to the reoriented/resettled state. The reason that people in the disoriented state do not return to the oriented state is because it is impossible for life to revert back to exactly the way it was before any trauma. The goal then, is to establish a new stable state (a new equilibrium) on the other side of the crisis. The following principles from David’s psalms form the “TEN Rs" that helped this godly warrior move from disorientation to reorientation, reintegration and restoration:

1. Receive the word of God

"The words of the Lord are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times" (12:6). "All his laws are before me; I have not turned away from his decrees....As for God his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless" (18:22, 30). "The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than the honey from the comb. By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward" (19:7-11). "Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long" (25:4-5). "The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is just. The law of his God is in heart; his feet do not slip" (37:30-31). "I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart" (40:8). "In God whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise - in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?" (56:10-11). David read, studied, meditated on, memorized and revered the Scriptures. There are many passages listed in the “TEN Rs” that would be useful weapons if they were memorized so they could be readily available during times of testing!

2. Reach out to God

"Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer" (4:1). "Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my sighing. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray" (5:1-2) "Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am faint; O Lord, heal me, for my bones are in agony. My soul is in anguish. How long, O Lord, how long?" (6:2-3). "How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? (13:2). "Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. The troubles of my heart have multiplied; free me from my anguish" (25:16). "Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and my body with grief. My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak" (31:9-10). "My times are in your hands; deliver me from my enemies and from those who pursue me" (31:15). "Do not withhold your mercy from me, O Lord; may your love and your truth always protect me. For troubles without number surround me; my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see. They are more than the hairs of my head, and my heart fails within me. Be pleased, O Lord, to save me; O Lord, come quickly to help me" (40:11-13). "Save me, O God, by your name; vindicate me by your might. Hear my prayer, O God; listen to the words of my mouth" (54:1-2). "Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I" (61:1-2). "O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water" (63:1). "Rescue me from the mire. Do not let me sink; deliver me from those who hate me, from the deep waters....Answer me, O Lord, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me. Do not hide your face from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in trouble. Come near and rescue me" (69:14-18). "Hear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. Guard my life, for I am devoted to you. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long. Bring joy to your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul" (86:1-4). "Give us aid against the enemy, for the help of man is worthless" (108:12). "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (139:23-24). "I cry aloud to the Lord; I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy. I pour out my complaint before Him; before Him I tell my trouble" (142:1-2). See also 55:1-8, 17-18; 56:1-2, 8; 57:2; 59:1-2; 60:5, 11; 64:1-2; 70:1, 5; 109:21-26; 140:1-11; 143:1-12; 10:14, 17-18. David called, cried, pleaded and prayed to God for help in times of great need.

3. Rely on God

"O Lord, how many are my foes! How many are saying of me, 'God will not deliver him.' But you are a shield around me. O Lord; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head" (3:1-3). "I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety" (4:8). "For surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield" (5:12). "The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, O Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you" (9:9-10). "The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies (18:2-3). "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God" (20:7). "For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help" (22:24). "To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; in you I trust, O my God....No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame" (25:1-3). "The Lord is my light and my salvation--whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life-of whom shall I be afraid?" (27:1). "How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you" (31:19). "You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance" (32:7). "Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord's unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him" (32:10). "The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them...Fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing" (34:7, 9). "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit....The Lord redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him" (34:18, 22). "How precious is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings" (36:7). "Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods" (40:4). "When I am afraid I will trust in you" (56:3). "My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken....Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken" (62:1-2, 5-6). "Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast" (139:7-10). "He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them" (145:19). See also 6:7-9; 7:1; 11:1; 13:5; 14:5; 16:1; 17:8-14a; 18:19, 25-50; 23:1-6; 28:7-8; 31:1-5, 14, 15, 17; 57:1-3; 34:4-8, 19-20, 22; 37:39-40; 41:1-3; 54:4; 55:16-19, 22,23c; 59:16; 61:3-4; 62:2, 5-8; 63:8; 116:1ff; 118:5-7. David leaned on the power and protection of the Lord.

4. Relegate the wicked to God

"You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil; with you the wicked cannot dwell. The arrogant cannot stand in your presence; you hate all who do wrong. You destroy those who tell lies; bloodthirsty and deceitful men the Lord abhors" (5:4-6). "The Lord reigns forever; he has established his throne for judgment. He will judge the world in righteousness; he will govern the people with justice....For he who avenges blood remembers; he does not ignore the cry of the afflicted" (9:7-8, 12). "The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord is on his heavenly throne. He observes the sons of men; his eyes examine them. The Lord examines the righteous, but the wicked and those who love violence his soul hates" (11:4-5). "Your hand will lay hold on all your enemies; your right hand will seize your foes. At the time of your appearing you will make them like a fiery furnace. In his wrath the Lord will swallow them up, and his fire will consume them" (21:8-9). "Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; for like grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away" (37:1-2). "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes....For evil men will be cut off" (37:7, 9). "I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a green tree in its native soil, but he soon passed away and was no more; though I looked for him, he could not be found" (37:35-36). "The Lord is at your right hand; he will crush kings on the day of his wrath. He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead and crushing the rulers of the whole earth" (110:5-6). In his anger towards evil-doers, David recognized that God would not let them get away unpunished. It is alright to be angry for a short time at what (and who) makes God angry, but we can't personally rid the world of all wickedness, nor should we hold on to our anger if we want to remain healthy. We have to trust the Lord who alone will judge justly. The parallel in New Testament is to leave room for God's wrath (Romans 12:19), for He will repay in a righteous way.

5. Refrain from wickedness before God

"In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent" (4:4). "I do not sit with deceitful men, nor do I consort with hypocrites. I abhor the assembly of evildoers and refuse to sit with the wicked" (26:4-5). "Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it" (34:14). "Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret - it leads only to evil....Consider the blameless, observe the upright; there is a future for the man of peace" (37:8, 37). "I will be careful to lead a blameless life - when will you come to me? I will walk in my house with a blameless heart. I will set before my eyes no vile thing. The deeds of faithless men I hate; they will not cling to me. Men of perverse heart shall be far from me; I will have nothing to do with evil" (101:2-4). "Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips. Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil, to take part in wicked deeds with men who are evildoers" (141:3-4). David was committed to doing the right things and being around the right people. When human beings are frustrated by the evil actions of others, there is a temptation to throw caution to the wind and do stupid things. We must resist the fleshly temptation to respond in kind to evil.

6. Repent of wickedness to God

"For the sake of your name, O Lord, forgive my iniquity, though it is great" (25:11). "Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sin the Lord does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord' - and you forgave the guilt of my sin" (32:1-5). "I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin" (38:18). "Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin" (51:1-3). "The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in love....he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us" (103:8-12). "Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you" (143:2). David made some big mistakes in his lifetime, but he genuinely humbled himself before his Creator when he did fall, unlike his predecessor. Some vets think that God couldn't possibly forgive them for what they have done. Yet, if God is big enough to forgive wicked King Manasseh of his sins (See 2 Chr.33), then He can forgive anything done in combat when He is approached by a humble spirit.

7. Reflect on the person of God

"O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens" (8:1). "The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord is enthroned as king forever" (29:10). "For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime" (30:5). "Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies, your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep" (36:5-6). "In your name I will hope, for your name is good" (52:9). "One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard; that you, O God, are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving" (62:11-12). "On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings" (63:6-7). "But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness" (86:15). "For who in the skies above can compare with the Lord? Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings? In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared; he is more awesome than all who surround him. O Lord God Almighty, who is like you? You are mighty, O Lord, and your faithfulness surrounds you" (89:6-8). "Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom" (145:3). "The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made" (145:13). David was comforted when he concentrated on the character of his Creator.

8. Review the deeds of God

"When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place" (8:3). "It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze" (18:32-34). "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands" (19:1). "In you our fathers put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed" (22:4-5). "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters" (24:1-2). "Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare" (40:5). "You answer us with awesome deeds of righteousness, O God our Savior...who formed the mountains by your power...who stilled the roaring seas, the roaring of their waves, and the turmoil of the nations. Those living far away fear your wonders....you care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide people with grain, for so you have ordained it. You drench its furrows and level its ridges; you soften it with showers and bless its crops. You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance. The grasslands of the desert overflow with abundance. The grasslands of the desert overflow; the hills are clothed with gladness. The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain" (65:5-13). "Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord; no deeds can compare with yours" (86:8). "He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel" (103:7). "I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done" (143:5). See also 68:7-13; 139:13-18. The more David reviewed God’s actions, the smaller his anxieties became!

9. Rejoice in God

"I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High" (7:17). "I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High" (9:1-2). "I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me" (13:6). "I will declare your name to my brothers; in the congregation I will praise you" (22:22). "Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!" (32:11). "I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together" (34:1-3). "My tongue will speak of your righteousness and of your praises all day long" (35:28). "I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your faithfulness and salvation. I do not conceal your love and your truth from the great assembly" (40:10). "I will praise you forever for what you have done; in your name I will hope, for your name is good. I will praise you in the presence of your saints" (52:9). "Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth" (57:5). "But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. O my strength, I sing praise to you; you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God" (59:16-17). "Let the righteous rejoice in the Lord and take refuge in him; let all the upright in heart praise him!" (64:10). "Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth, sing praise to the Lord, to him who rides the ancient skies above, who thunders with mighty voice. Proclaim the power of God, whose majesty is over Israel, whose power is in the skies" (68:32-34). "I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving" (69:30). "I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all of my heart; I will glorify your name forever. For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths of the grave" (86:12-13). "I rejoiced with those who said to me, 'Let us go to the house of the Lord'" (122:1). "I will sing a new song to you, O God; on the ten-stringed lyre I will make music to you" (144:9). See also 5:11; 21:13; 35:18; 63:3-5; 68:26; 103:20-22; 109:30-31; 138:1-5; 140:13; 145:1-21. David rejoiced through speaking, singing and playing instruments; both in private and in public. Don’t be a “lone ranger” worshipper (Hebrews 10:25)!

10. Record personal thoughts to God

We have just reviewed dozens of verses that David had penned at various junctures of his life. The process of writing down his emotions helped this warrior deal with his combat and life stresses. They are written as examples for us as well. Although we will not be recording Scripture, like David, when we put our thoughts down on paper (2 Peter 1:20-21), journaling is a healthy outlet to express our deepest sentiments to God; sentiments that might not ever be shared with another human being. This process can be very cathartic. To record and recite laments after tragedies was a common practice in ancient Israel (See 2 Samuel 1). The Book of Lamentations was written by the prophet Jeremiah after the Babylonian army had conquered Jerusalem and demolished Solomon’s temple in 586 B.C. This book provided a way for Jeremiah and his countrymen to express their pain and grief. It will be helpful for some vets to write out their own lamentations before God, like David and Jeremiah. Putting painful thoughts down on paper can be a constructive way to mourn when we are emotionally numb. Conversely, it is important to balance our written lamentations with a list of blessings that the Lord has given us. Don’t always look at the glass half empty.

Additional Remedies for those Struggling with Combat Stress

1. Limit your intake of traumatic information. Over-exposure to the news or violent movies and games may hinder you from resetting. Limit time on the internet as well. Think on the better things (Phil.4:8), and set your hearts and minds on things above (Col.3:1-2)!

2. Try and set a regular sleep plan. Don't consume caffeinated drinks or food within six hours of bedtime, establish a wind-down period before bed, don't eat heavy food or exercise right before bed, avoid naps during the day, and make your bedroom a place for rest, not for everything else. Sometimes a military or family physician will prescribe a mild dose of sleeping medicine to help get the vet off to slumber-land. Allen Clark had to have this done for awhile until he was able to truly rest and rejuvenate. If you are married and experiencing violent reactions in the middle of the night, it may be advisable to sleep in separate beds for awhile.

3. Eat a balanced diet at regular intervals throughout the day. A balanced diet does not consist of the four food groups of cheeseburgers, fries, pizza and Red Bull, which was what some of my soldiers lived off of in Iraq. "Skipping meals can cause increased irritability as your sugar levels drop."

4. Get regular physical exercise. Engage in healthy recreational activities two to three times a week. Make sure to stretch slowly (never bounce) after exercising to work out the lactic acid. Just stretching by itself is a good way to relax tense muscles.

5. Stay away from alcohol, excessive amounts of caffeine, nicotine and medications not prescribed by a physician. Cut back on those energy drinks that used to pump you up during the wee hours of a guard shift.

6. Play out in the fresh air with a pet.

7. Read uplifting materials about people who made a positive difference in this world that will motivate you to think good thoughts and do good deeds.

8. Listen to soothing music that calms the soul instead of agitating it. Try listening to a CD of inspirational instrumentals or of sounds from a rain forest or the beach.

9. Take up a hobby that you always wanted to do, like model trains, model ships, puzzles, macramé, photography, sketching, painting, a musical instrument, church or community choir or gardening.

10. Fellowship with people of like faith. "The more you socialize, the better you'll become at combating the negative aspects of your war experience."

11. Don’t over-commit to activities, just to keep your mind occupied. Pace yourself. Allen Clark learned the hard way when he did too much after returning from Vietnam and ended up back in the hospital. After recovering, he took on a less stressful job and settled into a well-ordered routine that was balanced between work and family." Reduce the stress and leave some margin in your life to work through your thoughts and take them captive (2 Cor.10:5).

12. Plan and execute family vacations to favorite locations or to places that you always wanted to go but never got the chance to. Do special activities with those closest to you. Spend personal time with each family member. Schedule a get-away with your spouse at a marriage enrichment retreat.

13. Be mature enough to know when you need some professional help and go get it. See the resources section below.

14. Try and find an accountability partner who is an older vet of like faith. One of the best ways for soldiers to get something off their chest is to talk with another veteran who has been there and done that. Veterans often will not open up to civilians because they have no clue as to how they feel or what they have been through. It is much easier to connect with another vet. How much more profitable it would be if there were some older vets in one’s home congregation or in a nearby congregation who could come along side the younger or more recent vets and help them down the road to restoration. This is truly bearing one another's burdens (Gal.6:2). Therefore, it behooves the veterans of past wars in our churches to comfort the returning vets of the present war on terrorism with the comfort that they have received from God (2 Cor.1).

15. Help others in need. When you move outside of yourself enough to help other people, you get blessed as well as being a blessing to others. There was an NCO who was raised in a strong Christian home and got a good solid biblical education in college. He went off to Iraq and was exposed to the carnage of war on a daily basis down in the Baghdad Green Zone. He was slow to open up to his family over the next year because of this experience. One of the activities that helped him to move forward was to get involved in helping a new church to get off the ground. Supporting charities helps one to concentrate on the needs of others instead of one's own pain. Some amputees and badly burned vets make regular visits to the trauma wards and Warrior Transition Units on our military bases to visit the newly wounded vets. These seasoned vets motivate the younger ones to work through the emotions that they had to struggle with in the past, and they encourage them to set new goals for themselves. "Through a war, double leg amputation, PTSD, death of both parents, financial hardship, divorce, and political losses, God has truly loved me, protected me, supplied all my needs, and preserved me for a greater purpose. After all, that is why He preserves Christians and leaves them here on earth rather than taking them home to be with Him - so we can minister to others in need and bring His truth to a hurting world.

There is much discussion today about PTSD. Yet there needs to be a greater dialogue about PTSG (Post-Traumatic Stress Growth!). When seen through a biblical lens, nothing God allows into His children’s lives is an accident. It is not all good to be sure, but difficulties can be used to bring about some greater (complex) good in the person being developed (Like Joseph in Genesis 37-50; esp. 50:20), and in the persons witnessing that development. Roses grow in rose gardens, but human beings grow through hardship, trials and adversity. Even Jesus grew this way. The Father made the Son (in His humanity) perfect, complete and mature through suffering (Heb.2:10).

Vets need to be asking the right questions. What positive thing can I take away from my wartime service? What good advice can I pass on to others? How can I use my experiences to make this world a better place? How can I help other vets? Vets also need to recognize the positive effects that wartime service has produced. "Serving your country in a war effort can leave you with a sense of honor... that's hard to come by in most civilian occupations. Working closely with others during life-threatening war situations helps create a bond that is nearly impossible to forge in other environments. Some veterans may even have surprised themselves with the things they were able to accomplish under difficult circumstances in Iraq or Afghanistan. For others, recalling how they performed their duties while under fire gives them courage to face difficult situations and challenges at home.

In order to turn PTSD or PTS into PTSG, the service member needs to follow the ten "Rs" of David and keep a long-range perspective. One day, none of this chaos will exist. "There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away" (Rev.21:4). The Apostle Paul could say that all the things he had suffered (See 2 Cor.11:23-29) were "light and momentary" because they were producing an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison (2 Cor.4:17). LTC Birdwell, who was burned on over 60% of his body from the jet fuel that gushed from the plane that hit the Pentagon on 911, underwent dozens of surgeries and months of painful recovery. He modeled the long-range perspective when he said that "this may be two or three years of suffering, but in Christ's view it's just a nanosecond of eternity. So I can get through this."

RESOURCES

1. Veterans of Foreign Wars (www.vfw.org) & American Legion (www.legion.org).

2. VA Hospitals (www.seamlesstransition.va.gov).

3. Veterans Centers (www.va.gov/rcs/index.htm). These are often staffed with older combat vets who can provide a connection with more recent vets. Their counseling is confidential. They do not share records within the VA system or with the military. My soldiers are quite concerned about such records affecting their careers, so confidentiality must be guaranteed for them to come in for help.

4. Military One Source (www.militaryonesource.com; 1-800-342-9647). This resource is available 24/7 to military members and their families. It is a one-stop shop for a variety of needs, including free counseling sessions, DVDs, CDs, pamphlets and articles.

5. Cadence International (www.cadence.org). This ministry spun out of the Independent Fundamental Churches of America (IFCA).

6. Officer’s Christian Fellowship (www.ocfusa.org). This organization can provide Christian contacts for officers no matter where they end up in the military.

7. The Navigators (www.navmilitary.org). This group conducts Bible Studies and disciples military members.

8. Strong Bonds Retreats (www.strongsbonds.org). The Army has been running, single-soldier, marriage and family retreats through this program to help strengthen current and future military families.

9. Campus Crusade’s Military Ministry (www.militaryministry.org; 1-800-444-6006). This organization has a variety of printed and electronic materials to assist churches in ministering to their military members who are affected by Combat Stress. One of these helpful materials is "The Combat Trauma Healing Manual."

10. Combat Faith Ministry (www.woundedsoldierhealingwarrior.com). This ministry was founded by Allen Clark, a West Point graduate who lost both lower legs during a mortar attack in Vietnam.

Mel Birdwell's advice to her husband, who was recuperating from the life-threatening burns he had received on 911, applies well to all who have been emotionally and spiritually burned by combat stress. She said to him, "You don't want to spend the rest of your life being a victim. You have to get past the victim and into the survivor mode." By faith, believers can move from victim mode to victor mode. Remember the Pilgrims who escaped persecution in England to worship God freely in the New World. They set out from Europe with 102 souls in the fall of 1620. By the spring of 1621, their numbers were cut in half. Most died during the first two to three months after landing in New England. What did they do the next fall? They inaugurated this continent’s first Feast of Thanksgiving to God. They had an eternal, long range perspective on suffering that enabled them to move beyond the hardships they had to endure in this life as they pressed forward to the next life. May God use His word and His people to help our wounded warriors do the same!

http://www.usar.army.mil/arweb/organization/commandstructure/USARC/OPS/200MP/UMT/PTSD/Pages/SpiritualResiliency.aspx

[RainDog]

7. bullshit

from you: the verses in the bible dealing with David have the most relevance to a person with PTSD (David suffered from it). The Chaplain is NOT advocating someone turn to the bible, but is advising other Chaplains on how to handle people with PTSD. He uses the bible as a reference book, for contains some very good example of PTSD, NOT as a book to convert someone.

This is on the Army Reserves site as a resource for those with PTSD. The site is not for other Chaplains.

The problem comes down to the literalist reading of the bible - this person expresses a literalist view of "god created adam and eve," for example. Personally, if I were seeking help for a medical condition, if my care provider lacked the most basic acceptance of the foundations of biology, I would not be inclined to view that care provider's advice as worthy.

The claim that David suffered from PTSD is also... specious. Caregivers may speculate or extrapolate about some figure from the past (Lincoln and marfan's disease), for instance, but without direct evidence to support such a claim - well, that's another example of religious bullshit. I understand the reason for the bullshit - in the context of religion, but not in the context of medical service.

The POINT of the original article was to note that the resources the chaplain lists on this Army site includes groups who proselytize for their religious beliefs - these groups also happen to have a worldview that is anachronistic, to say the least.

Personally, I think the religious right does a disservice to those who serve in the military by offering them lies instead of truth.

But that's beyond noting that your claim - that this piece was written for chaplains - is a lie as well.

[Hugabear]

5. he can cure teh gay, so why not PTSD

:sarcasm: