...on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
In order to fully understand the nature of what ails Man, we must first come to an understanding of the Basic Nature of Man, Himself. That is to say, the more we understand about what Man IS, then the more we can effectively locate and uproot that which makes Man act other than Himself.
The Human Being has a very specific Nature and Purpose, as evidenced by his basic Form and Physiology. According to the Scriptures and Ancient Eastern Philosophy (which can easily be verified by simple observation), the basic Nature of Man is "goodness" or "moral uprightness", or, the doing of that which will facilitate the highest possible level of Survival for himself and for those upon whom he depends for his survival.
This basic Nature -- inclination toward "goodness" -- and its attending Purpose are founded upon the Universal Principles of Truth, Freedom, Justice and Equality. Thus, these principles are inherent in the Nature of Man and are inseparable from Man's Free Will. To deprive man of any or all of these principles is to interfere with his basic human rights, and is to ill-affect his state of mind.
When a Human Being feels "prevented" from doing or experiencing that which he/she deems helpful to his/her well-being (survival), or feels "forced" to do or experience that which he/she deems harmful to his/her well-being, this is a violation of his/her basic Nature and Purpose. If this violation is severe or "traumatic" enough, and/or persistent enough, then aberration or "disorder" is bound to result, because the person is being conditioned to accept as "normal" that which is against his nature as a Divine Being.
Some of the "forces" that can operate against a person's Natural Well-being are:
1) Ignorance/Illiteracy
2) Peer Pressure
3) Culture/Environment
4) Authority figures
a) Threats of Punishment
b) Oppression, Suppression, Imprisonment
6) "Acts of God", or "Natural Disasters"
Among the possible "responses" to these perceived threats to one's well-being (survival) are:
1) Attack
2) Oppose
3) Resist
4) Ignore
5) Avoid
6) Flee
7) Succumb
A person who is "forced" to do or experience a thing against his/her will, is being conditioned to "accept" that his/her own right to be self-determined is invalid. As a result, he/she could very well begin to...
...resent the experience of being "forced" or "prevented".
...resent the PERSON who is "forcing" or "preventing" them.
...resent the THING he/she is being "forced" into, or being "prevented" from.
In other words, a person who has been conditioned by his experience to "accept" that his rights are invalid may begin to respond irrationally to those elements in his environment that suggest (or remind him of) invalidation or suppression of his free will. Such a person, in such a condition, cannot be satisfied with his or her existence, because he is constantly reminded of being forced to do or experience those things that he was not willing to do or experience.
It is also worthy of mention that a person who is suffering from "trauma induced" psychological disorders can sometimes "pass on" similar disorders to others since he/she could, in his/her aberrated state, traumatize others and so aberrate them as well. ("Hurt people hurt people.")
This is not to say that every person suffering from PTSD will necessarily harm others...but it does happen. The possibility exists, and given the historical record of shootings and other violent attacks across the United States over the past few years, by numerous war veterans who came home from the battlefield and have attacked their spouses and others, the probability is high enough to warrant consideration.
If a person suffering from PTSD is to be healed, or restored to optimum rationality, he (or "she") must be allowed and helped to confront those INCIDENTS wherein he was either "prevented" from doing or experiencing something he desired to, or "forced" to do or experience something he did not desire to.
This process, of course, requires courage, honesty and patience...but it can be done. Man can be restored to a state of relative peace and contentment with his existence.
Related Information:
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