PTSD in Iraq War Veterans
Help For Gulf War Syndrome Sufferers By Retraining The Amygdala At Home
Gulf War Syndrome, the illness that has affected many soldiers who were on active duty during the conflict, is said to be a form of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It affects members of the Armed Forces involved in all conflicts - Vietnam, Kosova, and now Afghanistan and Iraq.
Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome is a surprisingly pervasive disorder suffered by hundreds of thousands of people. It can now be helped by a home self-help course.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD can be defined as the psychological and physical consequences of being exposed to extremely stressful and traumatic experiences. It is the condition that can develop as a result of being confronted with the threat of, or actual death of, themselves or others, for example witnessing or being involved in a car crash or a war. The main symptoms of PTSD are panic disorders and recurrent flash-backs or nightmares.
In the field of combat, symptoms of PTSD have been recognized since conflicts have been documented, in the first and second world wars the condition was known as ‘Shell Shock’. Post-traumatic stress syndrome is largely hidden from the general public’s view, but make no mistake — it is real, and it is affecting not only combat veterans, but also their families, not to mention health care providers, particularly med-evac pilots, medics, and battlefield nurses, doctors, and medical support staff.
PTSD is not an anxiety disorder symptom but a separate anxiety condition.
If you feel that PTSD may form a part of your own illness you can now do something about it. As with all anxiety disorders, it can be easily, quickly and permanently addressed and eliminated by ‘reprogramming’ the Amygdala Gland.
The amygdala gland belongs to the limbic system and plays an important part in the development of emotions and anxiety levels, amongst other functions. It was only recently (1989, New York Medical University) that scientists discovered the role of the amygdala gland in storing and releasing emotional trauma. A simple way to locate the amygdala gland is by placing your thumbs in your ears, and then place your middle fingers near the inside corners of your eyes. The amygdala gland is found about 1" into the forehead where your index fingers fall.
This is the one mechanism in each and every one of us that causes, creates, stores and activates the response which causes anxiety, panic attacks and phobias.
The Amygdala is like a switch. Under normal circumstances, it remains in the ‘off’ position, only becoming activated when appropriate anxiety is required, in times of appropriate danger or threat for example. A certain amount of stress or anxiety is necessary in order for us to actually deal with a difficult situation.
However, repeated activation of this ’switch’, during times of stress, sadness, grief or anger for example, can cause it to become ’stuck’ in the ‘on’ position. This allows acute anxiety disorders, panic attacks and phobias to develop.
This happens when the Amygdala learns new behaviour. Because it has been taught a new level of anxiety through your anxious behaviour, it incorrectly resets itself to the new ‘benchmark’ or ‘normal’ anxiety level for your body.
Even though you consciously know that it feels wrong, you are unable to consciously alter it once it has become set.
This process of learning is called Operant Conditioning. Scientists have known for many years that this is responsible for the production of all anxiety disorders, including panic attacks and phobias.
Under normal conditions, Operant Conditioning is used by the brain to acquire new knowledge, like learning to read, drive or play a musical instrument. Practicing (repeating) an action or group of actions causes us to improve the skill.
This same process happens in every single anxiety disorder sufferer. It is what causes anxiety, panic attacks and phobias. It is this and nothing else, which needs to be addressed and reversed in order to quickly and permanently eliminate anxiety, panic attacks, OCD, PTSD and agoraphobia.
All of these conditions, regardless of how severe they are or how long you have had them, are a result of the very same mechanism and therefore require the very same treatment.
Traditional methods, such as Psychology and Psychiatry, use ‘talking therapy’ to identify the cause of your anxiety or panic attacks, then analyze it over and over again, giving you exercises to follow or even diaries to fill in. The cause of anxiety disorders and panic attacks is not the ‘life event’ that created the stressful environment (abuse, bereavement, work stress etc.) The actual cause is the way the Amygdala responded to that event and continues to produce anxiety and panic attacks, long after the event (when the Amygdala ’switch’ gets stuck ‘on’.)
So by revisiting the perceived ’causes’ during therapy and analyzing your actions, you are actually reinforcing the anxiety, practicing it and making it habitual, because it is remains at the very forefront of your mind!
Medication is often prescribed by doctors who, through lack of alternative options (or even desperation in some cases), believe that anxiety disorders, agoraphobia, PTSD and OCD are simply chemical conditions which require a ‘magic pill’ to reverse the chemical imbalance.
Doctors currently believe that anxious patients fit very snugly into the ‘Mental Illness’ category. Unfortunately, this is only convenient for them and not very productive for you - the suffering patient.
However, you cannot eliminate anxiety, panic attacks or phobias with medication alone. These problems aren’t caused by chemical imbalances. Any Psycho physiologist (brain function specialist) will tell you that anxiety disorders and panic attacks are caused purely by behaviour reactions to circumstances and not chemical imbalances! Charles Linden was an anxiety sufferer for many years until he worked out a way to ‘retrain’ the Amygdala so that it switches on and off correctly again, thus allowing the person to go back to leading a normal life.
By: Brian Gold
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The Amygdala gland can be easily re-programmed by the Linden Method (see www.worry.cjb.net) which very effectively cures all manner of anxiety, stress and panic attack problems. This also helps overweight people to diet easily and gain self-confidence. Find more details and benefits at www.worry.cjb.net.
I am a Army veteran of the Gulf War, I was a driver of a Bradley Fighting Vehicle. My unit fought the Iraqi Republican Guard in three campaigns and my vehicle was point for the brigade.
No Heart for PTSD Sufferers
After the first Gulf war, many suffer from “Gulf War Syndrome.” Where do you draw the line? Moreover, PTSD is a treatable disease.
From CNN Gulf War illness is real, new federal report says. Perhaps we should learn to listen to our Veterans when they tell us they are sick; when PTSD is tearing their lives apart.
California’s Landmark Combat PTSD Case
The visit comes two months after a different research advisory committee finally determined that Gulf War illness is real, not an imaginary condition.
Many of you may not remember how much fuss there was about a strange affliction that veterans of the first Gulf War reported soon after they returned from the Middle East.
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