Steven Swagler

Assignment 2.4
Introduction:
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD for short is a physiological and neurological imbalance
as result of witnessing a traumatic event. These events could be as small as a car accident and as
large as fighting in a war or a terrorist attack. The brain is designed to respond to moments or
events based on knowledge and experience. Some believe that it is just a state of mind, and you
can convince yourself it isnt true but, for those who suffer from the disorder it is like living in
someone elses life. Luckily for these people it can be cured.
PTSD can form in response to many different events, but war and abuse are the primary causes.
The main portion of PTSD patients are war veterans who have completed tours overseas. These
men and woman of the armed forces have seen and experienced things that most of us cannot
even comprehend. They leave the states as a normal person and when they return, they have an
extremely hard time adjusting back to normal. After going through what they have, how could
they go back to normal? This is a very tough question because without experiencing a situation
like theirs, we cannot truly understand or relate to them. This disorder, although unknown to
most, can also occur in children and civilian adults
For most civilian cases, PTSD is related to some form of abuse: sexually, physically, or
mentally. Some symptoms of the disorder are sleepless nights, anxiety, depression, and
skittishness. The result of abuse can be associated to a skittish puppy after being abused by its
handler. A simple shut of a door will now scare the dog. It is not healthy to live life dealing with
skittishness. PTSD, like depression, can be cured or suppressed with multiple types of
medicine. Buddhas meditation is the first type, which is meditation is designed to change the
automatic thinking of the brain away from negative thought1. When the patient can control what
they are thinking, then success is achieved. This takes a lot of patience that most patients do not
have. The next two types of medicine are good substitutes to meditation. Cognitive therapy,
created by Aaron Beck in the 1960s is one of the substitutes. Beck created the process of
catching the bad thoughts or what was causing the anxiety and then challenging them or proving
that they cannot affect you anymore. The other form is a more modern pill group known as SSRI
or Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors. Prozac is a pill in the SSRI pill group that is
commonly used to treat depression, PTSD, and anxiety. It takes five weeks for Prozac to go into
effect but once it does all life is restored for the patient. The fourth way to cure PTSD is to find
something that will shift the patients focus as Melissa Walker states in her ted talk, Art can heal
PTSD's invisible wounds2. Some found the cure in art and dancing, while others have found the
cure in supporting other humans or taking up childhood hobbies.
Neurological and psychological disorders are becoming more common in todays world
population. One of these is PTSD and those who suffer from it have a hard time finding
emotional and mental support. Without support, the sufferer will only get worse. Odds are that

1
Haidt, Jonathan. The happiness hypothesis: finding modern truth in ancient wisdom. New York:
Basic Books, 2006.
2
Walker, Melissa. "Art can heal PTSD's invisible wounds." Lecture, Ted Talk , January 22,
2017. November 2015. Accessed January 22, 2017.
Steven Swagler
Assignment 2.4
they will turn to substance abuse to try and forget everything in their life, and when that does not
work, some resort to suicide. When that is not the option they take, substance abuse increases the
probability that they end up in jail. Every year, increasing progress is made to help those with
PTSD, but if they do not get support, then they will not make that transition back to their old life.
In the past (preceding the Vietnam conflict) the people who had the disorder never received
treatment, mainly because they didnt know that it was a real thing or no one ever noticed them
having it. In any case, it needs to be recognized first then it can be treated. PTSD can be cured
with treatment and with patience. Commented [SS1]: Background information

For most people, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is just another disorder that seems to only be
associated with military personnel and war veterans but it is more than just that. PTSD is a
change in life style; its something that impedes lifes progress. The most common and
recognized patient of PTSD is that of the person in combat. When a soldier goes into combat
they see and experience things that most people only see in video games or superhero movies.
This is a reality for those soldiers currently at war, and adjusting back to their normal life can be
a huge challenge. Some can transition but others continue to mix normal life and war life in a
big bowl of terror. This is also the case for children and civilians when they are abused sexually,
physically, and or mentally. With this, I am interested in investigating the implications of PTSD Commented [SS2]: Proposal Section of Assignment 1
and its treatment. This will be explored with detailed research in the literature review and any
questions that arise may be answered in the entering the conversation section. In my ETC or
entering the conversation I designed a study that would further research how the traumatic event,
type of person, social environment during treatment, and form of treatment relate to each other.
As you precede you might find bias in the presentation of my research because I did grow up in a
military community and lifestyle. I have seen the effects of PTSD and I advise you to take it
upon yourself to reference my sources for a more detailed and accurate depiction of the facts I
present.
Literature Review:
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is defined as an illness from witnessing traumatic events.3 PTSD
commonly occurs in military service members after a tour in combat, but most dont know that it
also occurs in civilians: men, women, and children.4 In civilians, PTSD can manifest in people
who witnessed terrorist attacks or have experienced any form of abuse whether it be sexual,

3
. Xenakis, Stephen N., and Matthew J. Friedman. "UNDERSTANDING PTSD." The Wilson
Quarterly (1976-) 36, no. 1 (2012): 8-9.
http://www.jstor.org.librarylink.uncc.edu/stable/41484417.; Smith, Tyler C., Deborah L.
Wingard, Margaret A.K. Ryan, Donna Kritz-Silverstein, Donald J. Slymen, and James F. Sallis.
"PTSD Prevalence, Associated Exposures, and Functional Health Outcomes in a Large,
Population-Based Military Cohort." Public Health Reports (1974-) 124, no. 1 (2009): 90-102.

4
. Yorbik, Ozgr, Derya Iren Akbiyik, Pinar Kirmizigul, and Teoman Shmen. "Post-
traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms in Children After the 1999 Marmara Earthquake in
Turkey." International Journal of Mental Health 33, no. 1 (2004): 46-58.
Steven Swagler
Assignment 2.4
physical, or mental.5 Those who can experience traumatic events and not experience PTSD have
an ability to avoid becoming personally attached to the events. Brian Swagler, a retired army
pilot, states that this will allow that person to deal with the event a lot better than others will.6
For those who cannot detach themselves from the event, a few scenarios can play out. 1. They
seek help and make progress fighting the disorder. 2. Victims keep it to themselves for the rest of
their lives and never get back to who they were before. 3. They will let it destroy their lives;
sometimes becoming unemployed or homeless. Some of them will turn to substance abuse to
forget the memories. When that doesnt work, some will act out violently which leads them to
jail and others will result to suicide. Sadly, this fact is on the rise among American war veterans.7
Having a prior knowledge about a disease or disorder is nice, but it is useless because without
application of knowledge, progress cannot be made. How do you recognize if you or someone
you know has PTSD? This is best described by Scott Fink, a war veteran, and his wife. Scott
suffers from the disorder and has struggled with it for many years now. During the time after his
safe return home, he reports being very tense, untrusting, protective, and very attentive. At one
point, he even found himself scanning for road bombs as he drove down perfectly safe streets.
PTSD has changed this man in a very negative way. He used to be very happy and open but now
his wife reports that he hardly speaks to her about how he is feeling and always seems to be
focused on something within. A few weeks after they noticed his changed behavior they began to
seek treatment. He resisted at first but with her support he surmounted PTSD.8
With support and treatment most psychological disorders can be overpowered. PTSD is however
very convenient in regards to its treatment because most to all the general symptoms overlap
with depression and anxiety. This means that the methods of treatment between the three are also
similar. In an interview, it is stated that counseling may be able to help the patient overcome the
disorder.9 This is true, but no ordinary consoling will work. Johnathan Haidt and Allison Tonks
both suggest that cognitive therapy is the best treatment for those who suffer of mental

5
Smith, Tyler C., Deborah L. Wingard, Margaret A.K. Ryan, Donna Kritz-Silverstein,
Donald J. Slymen, and James F. Sallis. "PTSD Prevalence, Associated Exposures, and
Functional Health Outcomes in a Large, Population-Based Military Cohort." Public Health
Reports (1974-) 124, no. 1 (2009): 90-102.

6
. Swagler, Brian, and Brittney Morgan. "PTSD ." E-mail interview by author. February 1,
2017.
7
. Xenakis, Stephen N., and Matthew J. Friedman. "UNDERSTANDING PTSD." The Wilson
Quarterly (1976-) 36, no. 1 (2012): 8-9.
http://www.jstor.org.librarylink.uncc.edu/stable/41484417.
8
"PTSD Takes Toll on Iraq Veteran and Family." NPR (audio blog), August 25, 2017.
Accessed January 22, 2017.

9
. Swagler, Brian, and Brittney Morgan. "PTSD ." E-mail interview by author. February 1,
2017.
Steven Swagler
Assignment 2.4
disorders.10 A main component of this therapy is to pick up hobbies or weekly activities to
maintain a busy and active schedule. Chris Fahey has found his hobby of salsa dancing, which
has been very successful for him.11 When a soldier goes off to war they are previously train on
what to do when they arrive and what their task will be, but soldiers do not seem to be trained on
how to return to where they started. Hector Garcia agrees that cognitive therapy is effective but
also goes on to say that it is the training that soldiers require to come back home to family and
friends.12
Cognitive therapy may be one of the best methods of treatment but there are three others that
could also help along the journey back to normal. The first one is meditation, which is designed
to help the patient empty their mind and eventually control what they want to think about.13 The
second is a medicine called Prozac that belongs to the pill group of SSRIs. SSRIs or selective
serotonin reuptake inhibitors are the quickest way to cure mental disorders and restore
happiness.10 The only problem with them is that they are only temporary. After five weeks, they
begin to show progress but after five weeks of not taking them the patient is back where they
initially started.10 The final form of treatment is something known as art therapy. It is an off
shoot of cognitive therapy where the patients use drawings and painting to express how they feel,
and using these it can help them understand that they are now safe in this world and that it is
nothing but a picture now. This type of therapy is currently being used at Walter Reid Hospital
which is known to be very successful in curing PTSD.14 With these treatments in mind, all can
be very beneficial but a combination of them along with taking up old or new hobbies is sure to
achieve success. Commented [SS3]: Edited Literature Review without
introduction
Entering the Conversation:
After the vast amounts of research I have conducted on the topic of PTSD, I seem to be left with
unanswered questions and a desire for more information. With this, I plan to develop a study that
will help satisfy this desire and answer some of the questions that the readers of my portfolio

10
. Haidt, Jonathan. The happiness hypothesis: finding modern truth in ancient wisdom. New
York: Basic Books, 2006.; Tonks, Alison. "Commentary: Information For Patients Receiving
Cognitive Therapy." BMJ: British Medical Journal 326, no. 7391 (2003): 702.

11
. "Vet Manages PTSD With Salsa Dancing." NPR (audio blog), November 25, 2015.
Accessed January 22, 2017.

12
. Garcia, Hector. "We train soldiers for war. Let's train them to come home, too." Lecture,
Ted Talk , January 23, 2017. November 2015. Accessed January 23, 2017.

13
. Haidt, Jonathan. The happiness hypothesis: finding modern truth in ancient wisdom. New
York: Basic Books, 2006.

14
. Walker, Melissa. "Art can heal PTSD's invisible wounds." Lecture, Ted Talk , January 22,
2017. November 2015. Accessed January 22, 2017.
Steven Swagler
Assignment 2.4
might also have. These questions might include but are not limited to:
1. How does the type of event or severity of event effect curing time and probability of
getting PTSD?
2. How does Gender affect the probability of getting PTSD and the effects of curing
methods on male vs female?
3. Which method of curing is the best for ..? (. insert any random person)
4. Does a persons environment during the duration of treatment effect rates of
improvement?
To answer these questions this study will have two parts with two participating groups of a total
of 10000 people. I chose 10,000 people for the study because only approximately one-thousand
or ten percent will satisfy the requirement of getting PTSD thus providing sufficient concluding
data. The purpose of the first portion of the study would be to find correlations between heart
rate, sleep activity, happiness levels and, answers to a PTSD assessment. The second portion of
the study will find a correlation between cures and time it takes to significantly reduce the
symptoms.
There will be two groups of people. To start I will create a study where a group of 5000
randomly selected soldiers are tracked for ten years following their final tour of service. A
stratified sample of the 5000 soldiers will be made and they will be randomly selected under the
condition that they have served overseas for at least one tour of duty. This means that 1000 will
be randomly selected from each major branch of the US military: Air Force, Army, Coast Guard,
Marine Corps, and Navy. This stratification occurs to see if there is a correlation to the type of
military deployment, the percent that exhibit symptoms of PTSD, and curing methods. Then
5000 civilian participants will also be selected to participate in the study. Of these 5000 civilians,
2400 participants will be randomly chosen from the state records of the reportedly abused under
the condition that the abuse had occurred within the past year. These participants will also be
stratified into sub groups: 800 for mental abuse, 800 for physical abuse, and 800 for sexual
abuse. The remaining 2600 participants will be randomly selected from a region in the world that
has experienced a great natural disaster with a high loss of life. The event must be one that the
population does not commonly experience. Of those 2600, there will be a stratification where
fifty percent will be male and fifty percent female to see if there is a correlation between gender
and PTSD affects and curing methods.
Regarding testing, each participant will be tested based on three categories. The first is sleep
activity; where monitors will be hooked up while they sleep for a months duration to monitor
heart rate and the amount of restless sleeping. This will help show if the patient may have the
disorder or not. The second will be a happiness or satisfaction of life test. This will be compared
to the same test that friends and family took regarding your state before deployment. The third
will be taken by the participant comprehensive PTSD test or assessment that will be conducted
by a trained psychologist and in a controlled environment. This will be in the form of screenings
and survey. The results from the three tests will be collected and analyzed against the
stereotypical PTSD patient. These tests will be repeated one year later. The new results will be
compared to that of the first tests and again to the stereotypical PTSD patient. This will help
Steven Swagler
Assignment 2.4
verify who has developed the disorder. Once data is analyzed, the groups can be charted or
graphed to show what percent of each group and subgroup ended up with PTSD after the
traumatic event.
Those participants who have who have developed PTSD will be treated by a group of specialists
who all practice different types of curing methods. To reduce bias the patients will be stratified
by the initial group that they started in and then within that group prescribed a random cure.
Every year the testing process from above will re-occur for these patients. Each individual
patient will now have a chart showing the results in the form of a line graph, where PTSD
symptom levels is on the left and time is on the bottom. A downward trend will result in good
progress being made. This will go on for ten years and during the time between testing, data will
be collected about how each person lives their life for example; marital status, community
involvement, drinking habits, eating habits, exercise routines, and family involvement.
This collected data can now be quantified, graphed, and overlaid to see how different traumatic
events, cures, and lifestyles affect the speed of PTSD symptom reduction. This information will
help hospitals and psychologist prescribe the correct and most efficient means of curing for
specific patients. The patient's cure can now be individualized to bring them back to their
normal lifestyle.

Life Satisfaction Survey/Test: (http://www.thehappinesscenter.com/survey/survey.php)

1) I know what my purpose in life is.

2) I am excited about learning new things

and developing my skills and talents.

3) My life is in balance physically.

4) My life is in balance emotionally.

5) My life is in balance spiritually.

6) When life feels "out of control," I choose

healthy behaviors to help me re-center and
renew. (i.e. I do not use shopping, eating,
sleeping, television / internet, or other
substances to escape and cope).
Steven Swagler
Assignment 2.4

7) I am aware and enjoy living in the

moment (I don't dwell on future or past
events).

8) I have fulfilling relationships with family

and friends.

9) I have fulfilling intimate relationships in

my life.

10) Humor, laughter, and playfulness are a

big part of my daily life.

11) My partnerships are fairly and equally

balanced (work and personal).

12) I find positive ways to deal with stress.

(i.e. exercise, talking, meditating, etc).

13) I exercise appropriate control over the

things that I can in my life.

14) I live life with an attitude of gratitude.

15) I live my life with passion and joy.

16) I have exciting dreams and aspirations to

look forward to.

17) I am an optimistic person.

18) I enjoy hearing other people's insights

and points of view, even when they are
different from my own.
Steven Swagler
Assignment 2.4

19) I find it easy to forgive others when I

have been hurt.

20) I apologize and make amends quickly

when I have hurt someone else.

21) I am good at keeping events in my life in

perspective.

22) I live my life with integrity and honesty

in all of my dealings.

23) Kindness and compassion are virtues

that I practice daily.

24) I perform acts of service daily.

25) I have a strong faith which sustains me

throughout my life.

PTSD Assessment:
Re-experiencing Symptoms: Memories and images of the traumatic events may intrude
into the minds of those with PTSD. They occur suddenly without obvious cause. They are
often accompanied by intense emotions, such as grief, guilt, fear, or anger. Sometimes
they can be so vivid a person believes the trauma is actually reoccurring.
Nightmares, Night Terrors
Sleepwalking, Sleep Fighting
Unwanted Daytime Memories, Images, Thoughts, Daydreams
Flashbacks, Feeling Like You're Reliving the Traumatic Event
Somatic Flashbacks (Physical Pain / Medical Condition Linked to the Feeling or
Bodily States Associated with the Traumatic Event)
Fixated on War Experience, Living the Past
Spontaneous Psychotic Episodes (the World Vanishes and you're Suddenly
Somewhere Else, Experiencing Some Sort of Trauma)
Panic Attacks, Undefined Dread or Fear
Phobias
Avoidance Symptoms: Traumatized individuals attempt to avoid situations, people or
events that remind them of their trauma. They feel numb, emotionless, withdrawing into
themselves trying to shut out the painful memories and feelings. Friends and family feel
rejected by them, as they are unable to show appropriate affection and emotion.
Steven Swagler
Assignment 2.4
Avoiding anyone or anything that reminds you of the traumatic event
Physical/emotional reaction to things that remind you of the traumatic event
Self-isolating, dread or social interaction
Anxiety in crowds, traffic
Despair, depression, sadness, emptiness, loneliness
Inability to trust others
Very reluctant to talk about your traumatic event
Lack of interest or motivation regarding employment, recreation, former hobbies,
sex, exercise
Relationships that were once close and even intimate are now strained, cold,
distant, requiring too much energy to maintain
Emotional numbness, flat, can't get happy or sad, 'dead inside'
Substance abuse to 'numb' yourself (drug, alcohol, food)
Suicidal thoughts
Suicide attempts
Physical fatigue
Neglect/abandon personal care, hygiene, nutrition, exercise
Arousal Symptoms: Fearing further trauma, PTSD sufferers are always on the alert, on
guard, jumpy, unable to sleep, angry, irritable. Many also have concentration and memory
problems.
Anger, irritability, short fuse, fits of rage
Hypervigilance (always on guard), always need to be armed with knife or gun;
could also include emotional hypervigilance
Easily startled, react to loud noises, jumpy
Substance abuse to un-numb yourself (drugs, alcohol, food)
Reduced cognitive ability (slow thinking, confusion, poor problem-solving,
concentration)
Poor memory
Trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, insomnia
Night sweats
Accelerated heart rate, rapid breathing, heart palpitations for no good reason
Question/abandon faith, feeling of being betrayed or abandoned by God, mad at
God
Fear of becoming violent
Becoming violent, provoking fights
Homicidal thoughts
Anniversary reaction (become anxious nearing the monthly or yearly anniversary
of the traumatic event)
Adrenalin junkie (taking risks, getting hyped-up)
Self-mutilation, cutting, excessive tattooing

Conclusion:

I started this project with very little knowledge on the subject but through my research I have
Steven Swagler
Assignment 2.4
learned and now understand the topic of PTSD. During this project, I followed the process of
PTSD from the very beginning, from contracting the disorder to curing it. Through this, I found
how it can come about in a persons life, the effects of having the disorder, how to recognize it in
a person, and how it can be cured or reduced. As I finished my research I realized that PTSD is
more than just a disorder. I have concluded that it is a parasite of a disease that without curing
will slowly destroy ones life. My goal for this research project is to help others also realize my
personal conclusion. When they also come to that conclusion, then they will be more likely to
help those with the disorder.

This disorder develops in people who have witnessed or experienced a traumatic event and as I
dug into my sources I also learned that these events dont all involve battle. For some PTSD can
be sparked by a terrorist attack and for others it can be sparked by any form of abuse. From this
and my interviews, I was lead to the conclusion that this disorder develops from events that
emotionally scar a person (the events that can never be forgotten). When I was researching, I
found a NPR clip that supported and showed an example of this perfectly. It was an interview of
a soldier describing his symptoms after being diagnosed with the disorder. It appears that he
could never forget what happened across the seas. As I learned how easy and common it was to
contract it, began to research how someone could rid themselves it. I found that meditation,
SSRIs, cognitive therapy, and even family and friend support could have a huge impact on the
reduction of symptoms. With this I concluded that PTSD could only be cured with the right
sources and methods of treatment, but without these the patient will never overcome the
hardship. PTSD will only continue to ruin the persons life until they wind up dead or in jail. Commented [SS4]: Summary of back ground and
introduction
As I worked on this project, a few questions came up. The first was how could someone let their
life get that bad? I thought it was primarily because they didnt have a desire to continue with life
but after all my research I found that every person handles the disorder differently. With my
previous knowledge on happiness I can conclude that when you are already at a low happiness
level and you have no support after the traumatic event you will find it extremely hard to
rebound. This contrasts with a person who was extremely happy to begin with and had a large
amount of support from family and friends and will rebound faster. Another question that came
to my mind was which curing method would help the most with a relation to the specific event? I
could not formulate an answer for this so I decided to form a study (see Entering the
Conversation) that could find connections between the event, life habits, and curing methods. If
this study were to be conducted it would answer my question but it would not answer all my or
your questions that might arise. With this, there are a few areas of interest that could be further
explored. One topic that could be researched would be the implications of leaving PTSD
untreated in regard to the development of other diseases or disorders. Another topic that could be
further researched is how PTSD, if surmounted could help the patient in the long run. Could a
traumatic event make someone better? I believe it could but one cannot find this without further
research. In conclusion PTSD can be caused and cured by many different things but without
further research or a study some questions cannot be fully answered.
Steven Swagler
Assignment 2.4

Works cited:
B. B. "Aging Vets Take Stress Disorder to Heart." Science News 171, no. 4 (2007): 61.
Brady, Kathleen T., Sudie E. Back, and Scott F. Coffey. "Substance Abuse and Posttraumatic
Stress Disorder." Current Directions in Psychological Science 13, no. 5 (2004): 206-09.
Garcia, Hector. "We train soldiers for war. Let's train them to come home, too." Lecture, Ted
Talk , January 23, 2017. November 2015. Accessed January 23, 2017.
Haidt, Jonathan. The happiness hypothesis: finding modern truth in ancient wisdom. New York:
Basic Books, 2006.
"Life Satisfaction Survey." Life Satisfaction Survey. Accessed April 03, 2017.
http://www.thehappinesscenter.com/survey/survey.php.
PTSD Takes Toll on Iraq Veteran and Family." NPR (audio blog), August 25, 2017. Accessed
January 22, 2017.
Smith, Tyler C., Deborah L. Wingard, Margaret A.K. Ryan, Donna Kritz-Silverstein, Donald J.
Slymen, and James F. Sallis. "PTSD Prevalence, Associated Exposures, and Functional
Health Outcomes in a Large, Population-Based Military Cohort." Public Health Reports
(1974-) 124, no. 1 (2009): 90-102.
Swagler, Brian, and Brittney Morgan. "PTSD ." E-mail interview by author. February 1, 2017.
Tonks, Alison. "Commentary: Information For Patients Receiving Cognitive Therapy." BMJ:
British Medical Journal 326, no. 7391 (2003): 702.
Vet Manages PTSD With Salsa Dancing." NPR (audio blog), November 25, 2015. Accessed
January 22, 2017.
Walker, Melissa. "Art can heal PTSD's invisible wounds." Lecture, Ted Talk , January 22, 2017.
November 2015. Accessed January 22, 2017.
Xenakis, Stephen N., and Matthew J. Friedman. "UNDERSTANDING PTSD." The Wilson
Quarterly (1976-) 36, no. 1 (2012): 8-9.
http://www.jstor.org.librarylink.uncc.edu/stable/41484417.
Yorbik, Ozgr, Derya Iren Akbiyik, Pinar Kirmizigul, and Teoman Shmen. "Post-traumatic
Stress Disorder Symptoms in Children After the 1999 Marmara Earthquake in
Turkey." International Journal of Mental Health 33, no. 1 (2004): 46-58.