Pastor Roland Recommends Classic PTSD Book - War and the Soul by Edward Tick PhD

New! For the first time in many years, Pastor Roland has just made a beautiful new meditation for stress, anxiety and PTSD. The meditation and reading resources are free.Spread the word. Pastor Roland has just made a beautiful new meditation to help with stress. Based on spiritual principles, it may be of help as a complementary meditation for people with PTSD.




From the book publishers description of War and the Soul

The New England Journal of Medicine reports that 16 percent of returning Iraq veterans suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. Such vets typically can’t hold jobs. They are incapable of intimacy, creative work, and self-realization. Some can’t leave the house because they are afraid they will kill or be killed.

The key to healing, says psychotherapist Ed Tick, is in how we understand PTSD. In war’s overwhelming violence, the soul—the true self—flees and can become lost for life. He redefines PTSD as a true identity disorder, with radical implications for therapy. First, Tick establishes the traditional context of war in mythology and religion. Then he describes in depth PTSD in terms of identity issues. Finally, drawing on world spiritual traditions, he presents ways to nurture a positive identity based in compassion and forgiveness." end of book publisher's dsecription

________________________________

Roland: I found this wonderful book at the public library. Indeed, he is right. PTSD is much more than an anxiety disorder. The author calls it an identity disorder, and indeed it is.

Trauma is the key word. Trauma results in change--a literal adaptation to a traumatic penetrating circumstance. Many of us have been traumatized and wounded in childhood. There is childhood emotional abuse and sexual abuse. There is also confusion, cruelty, and rejection. I will say right now that one of the most devastating forms of trauma results from cruelty, rejection or abuse at the hands of a parent.

It need not be overt. It can be very subtle. I will never forget Dr. Mosher, founder of Soteria House, talked about parents who are hyper critical and confusing and the effect it had.

On the battlefield, or for that matter in a confusing situation of mayhem and violence in a gang infested area, a person who is exposed to mindless violence, betrayal, and inexplicable cruelty is shocked traumatized and numbed. There is a loss of identity. There may also be a transference of identity, which I will not address here.
There is much I could say on the topic, but I have written several books and produced a complementary meditation to assist a victim of a trauma producing situation to recover a connection with his or her ground of being.

Recovery depends on refinding and reaffirming love and truth. The person needs to know without any doubt that love and truth do exist. Secondly, when contact is made with his ground of being, he becomes aware that he is known and that he is forgiven for what errors he may have committed.

Upon being touched by love, he or she is then able to forgive self.

A great man spoke of the mystery of our lost identity. The soldier, the victim of a rape or a gang violence, or the victim of genocide situations like Nazi Germany or Rwanda has experienced a heavier duty version of something the whole human race suffers from. We have lost our true identity. We search for it out in the world but it is not there. We are looking for the Father we have never known, our spiritual Parent and closest relative.

May God bless you to realize that you undoubtedly have never known Him. You expected to find the face of God in your parents, especially your father. When He failed you or rejected you, you thought God had rejected you. You resent others, including your parents who failed you. And your hate separated you from finding God within.

Know now that God does not hate you for whatever errors you may have committed in a trauma producing situation. All He asks is that you acknowledge and stop running from what you know in your heart. All He asks is that you forgive others, now knowing that they too are victims. No one loved them either. What they did that was cruel or confusing was an expression of a wrong identity. They were not themselves either.

Forgive them by letting go of resentment. Just beyond the tears, the sun is shining and the birds are singing.

____________________

"Hi, this is Pastor Roland. Thank you for visiting. I'm sure you have something that you are dealing with, some relationship or emotional issue or a deep question that you would like an answer to. That's why you came to this site. We are real here and I give honest answers.

What I am about is helping people see the reason for their issue and dilemma. Often it involves over-reacting or resentment. So the first thing is to help a person calm down and get out of their emotions. That's why I will often ask ask person to try our free meditation to teach them how to calm down.

As soon as a person calms down and refinds their center of dignity, they are more open to receive the truth and thoughtfully ponder it instead of keep reacting to external circumstances. In essence, they begin responding to inwardly realized truth instead of reacting to external circumstances or negative thoughts.

In fact just calming down and responding to reason is often enough to begin bridging the gap between knowing and doing.

Many of us know what is right, but we don't do it. Part of the reason is that we emotional and looking for symptom relief. This need for relief is stronger than our desire to do what is right. But once we learn to calm down naturally, we are free to both see what is right, and to extend that right into the world.
.
Another reason why we don't do what is right is because we don't know or aren't sure what the right thing to do is. Our emotions cloud our reason and we doubt ourselves and tend to follow emotion instead of reason. We made so many mistakes in the past, we are afraid to act and begin to procrastinate. Then we might just do what someone else said and often end up worse off.

Here's what I recommend. Why don't you start by listening to one of my free 30 minute radio programs? There is nothing like the spoken word. Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. It's easier to listen than to read.

And while you are listening, look in the right sidebar at the great list of blogs-we've got one for relationships, for devotionals, for parenting, for negative emotions. Whatever your issue is, we've got a blog with dozens of Pastor's posts full of insights, strategies, and in depth discussion. All free.


Because I am all about restoring you to self control, sovereignty, and to realizing for yourself what is right. And because I am all about helping you bridge the gap between knowing and doing, what we offer here is a quantum leap ahead of whatever is in second place.

Spread the word. Pastor Roland has just made a beautiful new meditation to help with stress. Based on spiritual principles, it may be of help as a complementary meditation for people with PTSD.

the 5 minutre meditation is completely free.