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Current News For veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Stress Disorder (TBI)symptoms. Discusses PTSD in women who were sexually assaulted. Focuses on news about Veterans Administration treatment of veterans and healing solutions.
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Female Vets Face Second Front Line at V.A. Doors
From the NY Times: Nearly a third of female veterans say they were sexually assaulted or raped while in the military, and 71 percent to 90 percent say they were sexually harassed by the men with whom they served.
So when they return seeking care at V.A. facilities, what will they encounter? Will they receive the equivalent quality of care as male veterans? Very likely- no.
The V.A. has acknowledged it "may have gaps" which means they they aren't actually acknowledging it. They may or they may not is the interpretation. Recently, the VA told Congresswomen Murray that "they just didn't have the money to implement a lot of the initiatives included in her proposed legislation to research the needs of female veterans."
Although, the V.A. was "absolutely committed to making (female veterans) feel welcome." The other analysis of this is, "as long as they don't ask us to be trained in military sexual trauma or don't ask us to not be a male oriented medical system."
There is a tremendous need for actual training on MST. A female vet goes into an exam room with a doctor who barks"take your clothes off." That is intimidating to a women with MST. Getting any genital exam is stressful for women with MST. Female vets are warned to not need a Urologist because they are usually men. The clinic will be filled with posters of male genitalia explaining the male reproductive system (Atlanta V.A.) Female veterans are challenged by clerks as to if they are "really" veterans" and forced to show their ID cards while men are not. (N.J. V.A.)
In another case, a female veteran goes into a room with no window coverings and is told, "take your shirt off for the exam." That is intimidating to a female with MST. Waiting in a clinic waiting room full of men is also difficult for women with MST. So, is there a need to educate medical providers and staff to be sensitive to severely traumatized female vets? You decide.
ANJYL
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Iraq Death Toll Mounts While Congress Adds Gas to Fire
NY Times June 28, 2008
The Department of Defense has identified 4,096 American service members who have died since the start of the Iraq war.
Yet, the Senate yesterday, on a In a 92 to 6 vote, approved unrestricted funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that allows continuation of the current military course of action through the end of President Bush's term and beyond.
When do we as Americans demand our Congress listen to we, who elected them? The 4,096 who are now confirmed dead are only the tip of the iceberg. Easily, five times that number are returning with permanent disabilities. These young men and women are our country's greatest national resource yet we are allowing Congress to had fuel to the flames- destroying our legacy- our children.
Think about it. Then take action by letting your congressman know what you feel about the war in the Mideast. There is a difference between supporting the brave individuals who fight for our country and allowing wholesale destruction of our country's greatest legacy- our children.
ANJYL
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Military Sexual Trauma- Low Priority With V.A.
Capitol Hill Watch Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Approves Bill That Would Improve Female Veterans' Health Care
[Jun 27, 2008] The Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee on Thursday approved by voice vote legislation that would improve health care for female veterans, the Tacoma News Tribune reports. The bill (S 2799) would require new studies about the problems women face when seeking treatment at the Department of Veterans Affairs and expand staff and training for VA personnel attending to female patients. VA, along with the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences, would be commissioned to study health consequences for women returning from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a VA pilot program would be created to provide child care services for female veterans requiring intensive outpatient care. The measure also would authorize new programs to improve care for victims of military sexual trauma.
VA officials told lawmakers that they already have begun efforts to improve care for women and that they opposed many provisions of Murray's bill. The measure was combined with others into omnibus legislation for the voice vote. According to the News Tribune, "Prospects of the bill reaching the Senate floor were uncertain, with the chamber's legislative calendar already jammed and lawmakers hoping to go home in the early fall to campaign" (Tacoma News Tribune, 6/27). http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=53008
The bottom line is the Senate is in a hurry to take their session break and this proposed care for MST will end up never coming to pass. The V.A. doesn't consider MST a priority- that is clear.
ANJYL
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Military Sexual Trauma
The number of female veterans seeking medical services from the federal Department of Veterans Affairs is expected to double within the next five years. There are currently about 1.7 million female veterans, or 7 percent of the nation's nearly 25 million veterans. More than 250,000 women have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Female veterans have complained that the VA has a male-dominated atmosphere that can make them uncomfortable and that the VA has been to slow to provide such things as mammograms and pap smears.
The Senate Armed Forces Committee is discussing a bill to look into the unique aspects of Military Sexual Trauma. There is a long overdue mandate to train specialist in the care of female and male veterans victimized by sexual assault.
God Bless-
ANJYL
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Iraq V.A. Health Care
www.veteransptsdclassaction.org
This is a site for additional info on the Veterans lawsuit in S.F., CA.
Remember veterans are entitled to five years of care through the V.A. after discharge. For service connected disabilities, they could be eligible longer.
God Bless-
ANJYL
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Federal Lawsuit in San Francisco
http://www.injuryboard.com/national-news/mental-health-benefits-for-veterans-lawsuit-dismissed.aspx?googleid=242562
A lawsuit that accused the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs of failing to take care of the mental health needs of returning troops, has been dropped by a federal judge in San Francisco.
The groups had been seeking a court order to improve the mental health care of troops from all around the country and to streamline the processing and delivery of benefits. The ruling follows a two-week trial last month.
The groups want to better address the high rate of suicide among veterans who commit between three and more than seven times more than the national average.
There are reportedly 18 suicides a day among all veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and 1,000 attempts a month among those who are receiving benefits under the VA.
A study earlier this year said that at least nine percent of returning U.S. troops have experienced PTSD.
PTSD is characterized by sudden outbursts of anger, an inability to sleep and concentrate, hopelessness and reliving the event.
Another study conducted by The Institutes of Medicine, had indicated that about 12.6 percent of Iraq servicemen and women and 6.2 percent of those in Afghanistan have experienced PTSD.
Headlines across America talk about returning veterans who go ballistic.
One took an AK-47 assault rifle into a late night 7-11 wearing his combat uniform. The 20-year-old needed alcohol to sleep. Matthew Sepi allegedly killed who he perceived to be an enemy. He is facing murder charges.
The New York Times found 121 cases of veterans committing or being charged with killings after returning from the war. Alcohol abuse, family disruption, and mental instability all become part of the picture. Some turned on family members, some turned on other soldiers. Most of the veterans were still in the military.
The groups say that mental health treatment is virtually unavailable, and that
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San Francisco Case Against V.A.
Court Rules in PTSD Class Action Suit: Vets Should Seek Remedy in ...Congress.
Somehow, I expected nothing less. The V.A. has tremendous political clout.
Veterans for Truth were told to seek redress from Congress and through the V.A.
Nothing new there. Our elected legislators will promise anything until they become elected/ Each veteran must get out and vote for Representatives who will support us.
This election is more important than most. Veterans, make it happen!
God Bless-
ANJYL
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What Value Does Our Gov't Place on Life?
Leadership starts at the top and trickles down. Our veterans are being refused medical and psychological care. One has to wonder how many politicians will still care about veterans health care after the election in November.
Will the individuals heading the V.A. continue to make excuses for the "mispoken" words
of their executive staff?
We, as individuals within a society have a spiritual mandate to step forward, to protect and preserve our country's greatest resources- our men ands women serving in the military.
I am particularly concerned about the army sending soldiers to the war theatre who are incapable of functioning in our "normal" society-never mind within the context of war and terror.
Recruiters are stooping to new levels of immorality when admitting soldiers who are psychologically unprepared for war.
Perhaps, part of war training should be spent in a virtual reality environment to simulate the mindset necessary to survive in Afghanistan or Iraq? Just a thought.
God Bless-
ANJYL
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Women Vets Second Class Citizens
In 2007, the VA treated 255,000 women, some 5 percent of them veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. That percentage is expected to double soon. Some 180,000 women have served in those two wars. A Congressionally mandated investigation by the V.A., found that at about one-third of its facilities, the quality of outpatient care given to women wasn't as good as what was offered to men. My personal experience confirms that.
Sen. Patty Murray requested the V.A. perform a study on the needs of female veterans but the V.A. said such a study was not necessary. The VA also opposed sections that would require mental health workers to get special training on how to care for female victims of military sexual trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder, to require additional staff to deal with female veterans and to provide child care for veterans seeking VA care.
Gerald Cross, the VA?s principal deputy undersecretary for health. ... Cross said such a study would overlap with existing studies under way and would cost millions of dollars that could better be spent on health care services.
Were there any other services for female veterans they wanted to forget about?
ANJYL
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V.A. Secretary Peake
VA Secretary Peake, on Saturday, Peake suggested that PTSD was being "overdiagnosed."
He further commented "Just because someone might need a little counseling when they get back, doesn't mean they need the PTSD label their whole lives."
Obviously Secretary Peake doesn't know very much about the chronic nature of PTSD.
No wonder Norma Perez's e-mail told her team to consider not diagnosing veterans with PTSD.
Readers, you be the judge.
ANJYL
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Guine Pigs and Veterans
In one more V.A. public relations nightmare, a Pfizer drug named Chantrix was used on veterans without their understanding the side-effects. Veterans with PTSD, who already struggle with suicidal impulses, were given this drug to help them stop smoking.
Chantrix works by blocking the brain receptors responsible for the pleasurable, reinforcing aspects of smoking. The veterans, living on low incomes, happily accepted the $30 for participation in the study.
What they didn't know were the range and severity of side-effects. Three months previously, the FDA was informed of the unexpected problems with Chantrix but the V.A. waited three months before informing its veteran study participants.
Meanwhile, , agitation, depressed mood, and suicidal thoughts were plaguing veterans. Some committed suicide. One became involved in a police confrontation during a psychotic break.
Any institution involved in experimental studies on humans is required to have an "Institution Review Board." Their role is to protect the interests of patients. In 1999 the GAO recommended
improvements to patient protections. Three years later, the recommendations were still not in place.
Veterans, it appears, were not fully informed of the potential side-effects of Chantrix, in a prompt manner. Many didn't die from smoking but instead died by suicide secondary to Chantrix side-effects.
Any intelligent person has to ask, Why?
God Bless-
ANJYL
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Medical Care of Female Veterans
Overall, women make up about 14 percent of the U.S. Armed Forces. Of the 1.7 million troops who have deployed in support of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, more than 190,000 ? or about 11 percent ? are women.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., who is on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, said in a statement that V.A. findings confirm what she has been hearing from women veterans for years.
The quality of care received by female veterans lags behind that of male veterans.
In my experience, across multiple V.A.'s, care for female veterans is consistently of lower quality except for in the areas of gyn and preventive health measures. Given the fact that the V.A. has a consistent pattern of "cherry picking" numbers to make them appear they are doing better than they are in reality- I believe the only validity in their quality of care report is the preventive health measures.
Bye for now-
ANJYL
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Veterans Disabilities Claims Process
If you know your discharge date, you can begin the process before leaving active duty. Records become lost, frequently between leaving active duty and attempting to enter the V.A. medical system.
According to the V.A., it takes at least 100 days after leaving active duty to collect the information required to be assessed to process the disability claim.
One a veteran files a claim, they should keep copies of every document including obtaining copies of your "C" file (claims file.) There may be missing or illegible information in your file. I recommend going to the V.A. and asking to see your claims file. You'll probably have to make an appointment with your veterans rep to do that.
I highly recommend obtaining an effective veteran's rep. The process is too overwhelming to attempt by yourself.
The actual C&P exam for PTSD is supposed to take at least 3 hours but in reality take an average of 20 to 30 minutes. How thorough can such an exam be?
For many veterans, the disabilities claim process can take many years. If you move to another geographic area, that act increases the time to process your claim.
During the PTSD claim process, you're required to prove you went through the event which caused your disability. In the case of PTSD- it is best to have a support person go with you to the interview, if possible. In the case of TBI, it may be difficult to remember specifics so the same rule applies.
It is helpful to have someone help you write a description of the event in a journal of some sort because when you're under stress, as during these C&P exams, it is very difficult to remember pertinent info.
Times for processing a claim vary tremendously but anywhere from one year to five years can be expected. Many veterans groups are trying to help the V.A. make the process more efficient but to date, the results of their efforts have not yet bore fruit. There is tremendous political resistance by the V.A., in regard to changing the process.
Bye for now-God Bless-
ANJYL
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TBI- The Nature of the Beast
Many veterans with TBI will not even realize they have a problem. People you live with are more likely to notice, at first. Lost impulse control secondary to TBI may lead a formerly quiet, reserved person to appear hostile. Perhaps, suddenly, paying the bills is avoided because the brain has trouble with concentration. Numbers appearing to "move."
That may lead to anger, depression and depending on false crutches such as alcohol or drugs to blunt the sense of hopelessness.
Anxiety over not being able to deal with life as before the TBI can come to permeate every facet of the veteran's life.
Even small quantities of alcohol can have a much more potent effect on the brain of a TBI vet. One drink may be too much. Alcohol leads to loss of impulse control which worsens the already weakened impulse control from TBI.
First there is extreme fatigue unrelieved by rest. It leads to irritability, confusion and disorganization. Your short attention span makes it difficult to split attention between two or more tasks (walking and talking at the same time) or follow long conversations.
Print may seem to "move" on the paper you're reading. It becomes very difficult to make choices due to feelings of "overwhelm." It may be difficult to remember spatial patterns such as when driving around your neighborhood- you may get lost.
Techniques used to help individuals with learning disabilities may help resolve the strain of trying to read. Techniques using see through color overlays and paper with a section cut out can help the eyes focus. More on this in a future post.
Sensory overload occur when too many competing sights, sounds, smells, distract you so TBI folks often try to minimize contact with others -especially going places that are very "sensory rich."
TBI vets need to learn to be patient with themselves. Mistakes will happen to anyone.
A good sense of humor is your greatest tool. Learn to use "grounding" techniques and meditation to build ability to focus.
Medications can often have unintended , more severe side-effects secondary to TBI. Use a medication dispensor so you remember to take medication. It will also prevent accidental overdose (forgetting you took the meds.)
Let your physician know about any strange symptoms. Keep a notebook with you all the time. Write everything down. Make it a ritual to look at your notebook at breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Use calenders and make a ritual to make sure you check the calender daily.
Bye for Now- God Bless-
ANJYL
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Female Veterans and Homelessness
The Department of Veterans? Affairs estimates that 39 percent of the women returning from Iraq and Afghanistan will have some sort of mental health disorder, said Katherine Dong, women?s veterans program manager at the North Chicago VA. They will have one or several of the spectrum of depression, Anxiety Disorders, PTSD and Panic Attacks.
Homeless women are significantly more likely than nonhomeless women to be veterans. (Am J Public Health. 2003;93:1132?1136).
Yet, as I know from my own experiences of being homeless, the V.A. is ill equiped to provide resources for homeless female veterans. It is an institution set up to deal primarily with men. Female homeless veterans represent an estimated 4% of homeless persons.
Nation-wide, of 260 programs in the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans' network that give shelter to homeless veterans, only eight have special programs for women.
Fact: One in every seven troops in Iraq is a woman. How is it the V.A. has failed to accommodate
female veterans? I ask you to reflect. I have been homeless two times and both times, the V.A. was unable to provide shelter services because I was a female. I didn't fit into a mold. I wasn't chemically dependent. I was the victim of poor social support and economic instability.
In todays uncertain economy, my state of homelessness is the face of society. Today, I know, that at any moment, I live just a breath away from being homeless, once again.
God Bless-
ANJYL
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Iraq Troops Using Antidepressants
It would be difficult to deal with separation from family and worrying about one's own mortality when living and soldiering in Iraq or Afghanistan. Taking antidepressants or sleeping pills is increasingly common but no exact figures are known as to how many soldiers are taking them.
Antidepressants may be one way to cope but they are not without side-effects. Unintended side-effects may increase insomnia, and adversely effect mental clarity which may put the soldier at risk of death by delayed physical response. Follow-up care should be provided for individuals taking antidepressants but that is not readily available in the war zone.
Another concern is that chronic lack of sleep may increase the chance of PTSD by adversely altering brain chemistry. Stress, burn out and lack of sleep all contribute to the inability of the mind and body to deal with the extreme stress of being assigned to the Mideast.
Medication withdrawal in the midst of being in Iraq could result in increased thinking about suicide or taking unusual risks which put their life at risk. For some, antidepressants amy lead to attempts at suicide.
It is clear that anyone taking antidepressants should be medically monitored- no matter where they are being used.
Bye for now- God Bless-
ANJYL
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Partners of Veterans with PTSD
Research demonstrates that spouses or domestic partners of veterans with PTSD are likely
to experience:
- higher levels of anxiety
- PTSD symptoms secondary to hearing of their partners confidences
- depression
- hopelessness
- extreme fatigue from caregiver burnout.
It's important that partners make sure they take time for themselves - to create personal space. Vets with PTSD are more likely to have trouble with domestic violence, unemployment and potentially homelessness. Partner or spouse social support is literally the life line to preventing the cascade of undesireable after-effects. Till next time- God Bless- ANJYL
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S.F.Judge Accepts Perez e-mail as Evidence
As luck would have it, the V.A. email by Norma Perez has been accepted into evidence as proof supporting Veterans For Truth and CREW allegations that the V.A. is attempting to find reasons to not treat returning veterans with PTSD. This followed an e-mail by V.A. Director of Mental Health, Ira Katz sending an email suggesting the V.A. should hide the known number of veteran suicides. Veteran's who commited suicide while "on the rolls" of V.A. care, numbered 1000 per year.
The V.A. currently has no system in place to track suicide of veterans not under their care or on their electronic waiting list. The Office of Inspector General has suggested the V.A. begin to do that. In response to Congressional criticism, the V.A. set up a suicide hotline- phone 800-273-8255.
Notwithstanding the hotline, if veterans are never evaluated for suicidal intent and means, they are more likely to take matters into their own hands with lethal consequences.
There is more to the problem then meets the eye. Reader, can you guess what that is?
Bye for now and God Bless-
ANJYL
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PTSD and TBI Support Part II
Caregiver stress is caused by secondary effects of providing emotional support or care for someone in activities of living such as bathing, or caring for financial affairs.
Caregivers should be organized, take time out for enjoyable outside activities, practice relaxation skills and have a back-up provider to give theirselves a break. It's common for caregivers to feel guilty for "not giving enough." Or for secretly feeling resentful about not having time for their selves. It's not a matter of not loving your PTSD/TBI partner but rather has more to do with the intensity of emotionally providing support.
Joining a caregiver support group may help alleviate the caregiver's emotional burden and relieve the sense of fatigue associated with the responsibility of caring.
Joining a spiritual community can also provide a sense of life outside of the caregiver role.
God Bless-
ANJYL
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Traumatic Brain Injury Part I
Brain injuries can occur secondary to a variety of "insults. During an IED blast your brain sloshes within the bony skull. That causes the nerve cells, called neurons to break off. There may or may not be swelling. In diffuse (generalized) injury- it may not show up on an MRI or other diagnostic brain scans. The brain is the control center of your body so you may realize something isn't right but may not know quite what it is. It can be very confusing and upsetting.
Typical symptoms affect personality where there is damage to the outer front portion of the brain. You may have problems with concentration, hearing buzzing in your ears, seeing flashes of light that don't exist, insomnia, irritability, impulsively, inability to calculate numbers or understand long directions. You may feel like your brain is "stuffed with cotton." It may take longer to process what you see or what someone tells you. Which symptoms you have all depends on where in the brain, the injury occurred. Seizures may occur. You don't have to become unconscious to experience an injury that has a profound negative impact on all aspects of your life.
Therapy for TBI involves medical doctors, physical and occupational therapists, case managers, social workers, emotional and support in activities of daily living such as balancing a checkbook and more. Healing is a process that will require patience.
To make the situation more complicated, PTSD may have developed from the same injury that caused the brain injury. Early treatment results in the best treatment outcomes (how much your brain can learn to compensate for the injury. The brain doesn't regrow but it has the ability to grew new connections in existing nerve cells (Research from Stanford University) which may help "reroute" some of the damaged "wiring."
In my next report, I'll chat more about family and dealing with brain injury.
Till Then, God Bless-
ANJYL
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The True Price of War
The RAND Corporation researchers have determined that nearly 20 percent of military service members who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan report symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder or major depression, yet only slight more than half have sought treatment. So, in reality, there is likely 40% of Iraq?Afghanistan troops with PTSD.
They also found " about 19 percent of returning service members report that they experienced a possible traumatic brain injury while deployed, with 7 percent reporting both a probable brain injury and current PTSD or major depression."
Rates of PTSD and major depression were highest among Army soldiers and Marines, and among service members who were no longer on active duty (people in the reserves and those who had been discharged or retired from the military)
Women, Hispanics and enlisted personnel all were more likely to report symptoms of PTSD and major depressions, but the single best predictor of PTSD and depression was exposure to combat trauma while deployed.
Just 53 percent of service members with PTSD or depression sought help from a provider over the past year, and of those who sought care, roughly half got minimally adequate treatment.
The RAND study estimates the societal costs of PTSD and major depression for two years after deployment range from about $6,000 to more than $25,000 per case. Depending whether the economic cost of suicide is included, the RAND study estimates the total society costs of the conditions for two years range from $4 billion to $6.2 billion.
The monetary cost pales in contrast to the human cost to families and to society.
Rand Corporation
As citizens of the United States, we must both honor our citizen warriors while demanding that our political leaders take action to address the societal damage incurred over a war that has questionable roots.
God Bless-
ANJYL
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Children and Death Part II
How to speak to your child about death when your PTSD partner dies from suicide. . . cont.
1. Kids fear loss and separation due to their vulnerability. They need to be reassured that someone will always be there to care for them. If they ask when you'll die, it's o.k. to tell them, "I don't expect to die for a long time."
2. Avoid saying things like "They went away" or they died due to illness" because a young child may develop fears related to any separation or illness. They need to be reassured that people usually only die when they are very, very sick. Again, reassure young children that most people live a very long time.
3. Avoid telling young kids "Daddy is with God now" if religion hasn't been -part of their life. They takes words literally so may think God will suddenly take them away.
4. Encourage kids to express how they feel about the loss. In so doing, they can grow stronger over the cumulative losses in their lifetime.
5. Especially in the case of suicide, children are likely to blame theirselves. They think it's something they either did or didn't due that makes them responsible for their mom/dad killing theirself. They may lash out in anger and blame the other parent.
6. Art and talking to someone are two ways that will help your child express their feelings, in order to process the stages of grief.
Till next time, God Bless-
ANJYL
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PTSD-Children and Death Part I
One of the most difficult aspects of your PTSd spouse committing suicide involves how to explain that death to your children. It's hard to accept as an adult, never mind as a child. We don't talk about it because we don't know how.
If we don't talk about it, the children may end up blaming theirselves for their parent's loss. They think, "Maybe I was bad. or Maybe mom/dad doesn't love me, etc..."
Knowing what to tell children depends on your religious beliefs, their developmental age and prior experiences. Preschool children see death much like they view cartoons- as reversible. From ages 5-9, kids gradually begin to understand death is final. They see plants or animals die.
Somewhere between age 9 and adolescence, they come to think of death as something that can happen to them but still think of theirself as invincible. Hence- they take more risks.
Talking to the younger kids should be brief, simple and concrete. "Mommy still loves us. She won't get hungry or cold." To be continued.
God Bless-
ANJYL
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PTSD and Grief
PTSD does not typically "arrive" all by itself. It may start out as grief which gives birth to complicated grief, which may later give birth to PTSD.
Complicated grief is getting stuck in the stages of mourning (see prior post on grief.) It involves
to denying, and avoiding aspects of the loss.
Signs of complicated grieving include: attempting to hold onto loved one. This may been viewed as refusing to change the bedroom formerly occupied. Refusing to deal with the financial loose ends of the death or refusing to give away their old clothing. It may manifest as seeing visions of your loved one in your home.
There is less time to adjust to the loss if it is sudden or violent. Everything you once thought you knew about the world suddenly may not make sense. Multiple losses close together increases the chance of complicated grief. The losses may be real or symbolic. Loss of reputation is still a major loss.
In my next post, I'll talk about dealing with death- what to tell your children.
God Bless-
ANJYL
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Intimacy in PTSD Part II
Bridging the heart through physical intimacy requires first laying down the foundation of emotional intimacy. In the case of PTSD, especially where sexual assault was involved, intimacy is difficult to establish due to the act of sex triggering the flashbacks and emotions of the traumatic event.
1. Drinking alcohol to blunt the memories during sex is not recommended.
2. Developing emotional intimacy involves allowing your partner to reveal how they see theirselves inside without judgement on your part. That acceptance is the glue that cements intimacy. Emotional intimacy must be present in order to create a "safety zone" where your partner feels safe enough to engage in intercourse.
3. Safe Touch. Touching in a nonsexual way releases a hormone called Oxytocin. This hormone leads to an increased sense of bonding and is the precursor of physical intimacy.
4. Don't skip steps. Emotional safety must be established prior to forging sexual relations. "Safe touching" is touching and focusing on the pleasant nature of the sensation itself without engaging in intercourse. Arousal may occur but it should be agreed ahead of time to not engage in sex prior to the exercise. Agree ahead of time to not discuss your individual reactions to the exercise prior to 24 hours to process your thoughts.
5. Sex without the safety net of emotional intimacy may be more harmful to your PTSD partner.
6. For more detailed information on developing intimacy, it is recommended that you work with a therapist who is familiar with a therapy technique known as "Sensate Focus."
God Bless, Till Next Time-
ANJYL
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