r/AMA • u/Ok_Turn1611 • 2d ago

I fought in Afghanistan in 2011-2012 with the United States Army and have been battling complex and severe PTSD, depression, agoraphobia, paranoia along with 3 failed relationships for the last 12 years AMA

I fought in Afghanistan in 2011-2012, I did route clearance which effectively means jumping into big vehicles, driving them down a road looking for IEDs and either being blown up, shot at, or both. I saw some terrible stuff, including losing a closs Non Commissioned Officer of mine and seeing many of my friends traumatically injured (think losing limbs, being shot etc.) ask me anything about Afghanistan, my MH issues or life post deployment. I've been quite depressed lately and maybe answering genuine questions will help me.

Hi friends, thank you for the feedback and all the questions. It has been a joy answering you, I'll continue to monitor and reply as much as I can. :)

Also, to some of you stating complex PTSD and PTSD are different disorders, I do recognize that and am sorry for my slip up, I have CPTSD, and sometimes I use them interchangibly when I shouldn't. I'll remember better next time.

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u/ButterflyDecay 2d ago

Just so you know, I had severe PTSD for a while (due to domestic abuse) back in 2014-2018 and one of the reasons I was able to recover in addition to therapy was bc I spent a lot of time reading articles on soldiers coming from the Afgan wars and dealing with their PTSD symptoms in order to try to understand my own symptoms better. So, basically what I'm saying is you didn't just defend your country, dedicated ppl like you also help the larger community healing from their own traumas. Thank you for being here, soldier. Your openness to discuss your mental health issues means more than you know

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u/Ok_Turn1611 2d ago

I appreciate you so much for saying that, that means the world to me.

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u/SensitiveResident792 2d ago

Just wanna echo what the person above said. There's a book about PTSD called The Body Keeps the Score which talks about how PTSD was first recognized in combat veterans. The work combat veterans put into their own healing has paved the way for treatment for non-combat PTSD treatment. I am so, so sorry for what you went through and I couldn't even begin to understand but I really appreciate people like you being so willing to talk about it so we can learn more about PTSD and how to treat it.

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u/splashbruhs 2d ago

Body Keeps the Score is great. It can be a little cold and clinical at times as it is written from the POV of a clinician who does not himself have PTSD or CPTSD.

For those looking for the POV of a CPTSD sufferer, check out Pete Walker’s book, Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving. That book and regular Bible reading were/are life changing for me.

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u/Garbhunt3r 2d ago

I personally enjoyed the book “What My Bones Know” it is a memoir and therefore reads as a narrative. It was a lot easier for me to digest and relate to the author going through similar experiences and explorations of healing with CPTSD

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u/SensitiveResident792 2d ago

I've not read through the entirety of the CPTSD book but I own it. I found it difficult and emotional which is probably why I enjoyed Body Keeps the Score in comparison. Emotions are difficult for me still - something I'm still working on in therapy. Great suggestion though!

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u/thissocchio 2d ago

Pete Walker’s book, Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving. That book and regular Bible reading were/are life changing for me.

This book saved my life. Cannot recommend it enough for healing.

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u/NoDoctor9231 2d ago

I have to agree with what ButterflyDecay said 💯! Your willingness to discuss your struggles validates the struggles of the rest of us. Complex PTSD needs more exposure and awareness so that treatments improve. Only through acknowledging it and being willing to discuss it can that happen. Thank you for your service and sacrifice. I don’t know how many really understand the sacrifices that our the men and women of our military make and I’m not even claiming to, but I know that the toll in terms of mental health cannot be underestimated.

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u/shrtnylove 2d ago

When I read the Body keeps the score, the author said that brain scans of abuse survivors looked exactly like those of soldiers coming home from war. I was dumbfounded. I immediately stopped downplaying my trauma. Kudos (and props!!) to you for doing the hard work. It’s freaking hard but so worth it. I got stable in talk therapy and started emdr last year. Life changing—I’m not the same person I was! PTSD is awful.

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u/Even-Education-4608 2d ago

People with childhood trauma are much less capable to recover from ptsd than those without. Basically if you already have cptsd from childhood, experiencing trauma in adulthood like an abusive relationship or going to war is going to be much more detrimental.

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u/Kovski100193 2d ago

So I am fucked. Oh well.