The speaker is David Bowman, a Vietnam veteran and a veteran of the San Francisco police force who suffered PTSD and talks about it. He is the author of the book "The Vietnam Experience." He is one of the 180 people interviewed in 1989 representing many different points of view. That was my goal with each interview, to encourage the speaker to tell me/the audience, how he/she experienced the 1960s. David did just that. His Vietnam experience was challenging to say the least. So was his experience as a San Francisco cop assigned to Berkeley and Oakland and other key locations in the bay area, right at the time when street demonstrations, both peaceful and violent, were a daily activity. He saw hippies shortly after the San Francisco Summer of Love brought so many of them to the city and he saw political activists who became violent.

David Bowman is not alone. The National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study estimated that about 30% of male Vietnam veterans and 27% of female Vietnam veterans had experienced PTSD at some point in their lives.

When it comes to police officers & PTSD, officers in urban areas have developed PTSD ranging from 12% to 32%.

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a condition that can develop after a person has experienced or witnessed a traumatic event. Vietnam War veterans experienced a particularly high incidence of PTSD due to the nature of the conflict and the conditions under which they served. Several factors contributed to the high rates of PTSD among Vietnam veterans:
Intense combat experiences: The Vietnam War was characterized by intense combat, with many soldiers exposed to enemy fire, witnessing death or serious injury, and participating in violent engagements. Such experiences can have a lasting psychological impact.

Guerilla warfare: The Vietnam War involved fighting against an enemy that employed guerilla tactics, making it difficult to distinguish between combatants and civilians. This led to feelings of constant danger, heightened anxiety, and mistrust, even among the local population.

Lengthy deployments: Many Vietnam War soldiers were deployed for extended periods, with some serving multiple tours. The prolonged exposure to the stress of combat and separation from loved ones increased the likelihood of developing PTSD.

Lack of support: Upon returning home, many Vietnam veterans faced a society that did not fully understand or appreciate their experiences. They often encountered hostility, rather than support, which made it difficult for them to adjust to civilian life and cope with their traumatic experiences.

Professionals employ various evidence-based techniques and therapies to help those with PTSD. Best approaches include:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps veterans identify and change negative thought patterns related to their traumatic experiences. CBT can include techniques such as cognitive restructuring and exposure therapy.

Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE) involves gradually and repeatedly exposing the individual to the traumatic memory or situations that trigger their PTSD symptoms. This helps reduce the intensity of the symptoms over time and helps the individual gain control over their fears.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing involves processing traumatic memories while the individual focuses on an external stimulus, such as eye movements or hand tapping. This helps the brain reprocess the traumatic memory and reduce its emotional impact.

Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT): CPT that focuses on helping veterans understand how their traumatic experiences have affected their thoughts and beliefs. It teaches them to challenge and modify these thoughts to reduce PTSD symptoms.

Medication: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) are commonly prescribed to help manage PTSD symptoms.

Group therapy provides a supportive environment where veterans share their experiences and learn from others who have faced similar challenges. This can help reduce feelings of isolation.

Trauma-focused therapies such as narrative exposure therapy or trauma-focused CBT, specifically address the trauma-related symptoms and help the individual process their traumatic experiences.

Many advertisers have supported this clip with their ads. I want to thank them. Search any words that may interest you. Trauma residential treatment. Self-help PTSD. Military lawyer Camp Lejeune. MCMJ lawyer near me. MCMJ civilian lawyer. ROTC disenrollment lawyers. Military law. Army lawyer contact number. VA disability appeal attorney. Military DUI lawyer. Horse therapy. Equine PTSD. Best PTSD treatment center. Inpatient trauma treatment center. Lawyer for veterans PTSD.

I’d also like to thank David Bowman for giving me his perspective on it all.David Hoffman filmmaker

свернуть