Post-Traumatic Disorder Syndrome(s)

Everybody has a cursory knowledge about mental disorders. Some use the terminology mental illnesses. We readily label somebody who has troubles maintaining a facade of normal behavior as sick or crazy. Then we read about people get all screwed up inside their head after being exposed to certain trauma. We call it Post-Traumatic Disorder Syndromes characterized by sleep difficulties, suicidal thoughts, inability to let go of certain memories associated with the traumatic events, excessive anger or irritability over small annoyances or problems. I just watched a report about the PTDS suffered by many soldiers of an American platoon sent to fight in Iraq. Many thoughts (one echoed from an assessment of an army psychiatrist) came to my mind when I was done watching the report:

1. War, or any intense, traumatic event, is an abnormal experience. Our feelings to the abnormal event, no matter how excessive or irrational or self-destructive those feelings which then may or may not manifest in actions, are normal. Only starting with this premise, do we embark on a road of understanding our reactions and thus recovery. We will no longer be the same prior to the trauma, but we could be indeed wiser and better, instead of worse, if we know how to confront the ghosts, i.e., the memories. Memories exist because they are useful for survival. We must recognize the function of memories and turn them into our allies, and not into our tormentors.

2. So, with this insight, I begin to understand and empathize with those Viet refugees from the long civil war and then from the oppressive Vietcong, and who now opt to have nothing to do with Vietnam. They simply want to be left alone so they can focus on their own personal lives. Dealing with higher impulses like patriotism and fighting against China's encroachment on Viet territory would be too much for them to handle. After all, to try to hold down a job and to preserve the harmony with their loved ones are tough enough challenges already.

3. War and post-war sufferings because of the VC are not the only traumas in life. We have had intense fights and quarrels with friends and strangers and bosses and relatives. Those fights and quarrels can be traumatic, too, and may lead to painful and persistent memories. How to deal with those memories in a rational manner and don't let them become pernicious forces that sap our energy or even destroy our peace of mind is a hallmark of a truly wise pman. Silence has been recommended as a tool to deal with the memories. But others argue that memories, by their nature, are not silent. They speak to us on a daily basis, sometimes very loudly. They insist on being heard and dealt with. So some of us become aggressive. Others wisely select the path of forgiveness. They forgive themselves and they forgive those who did them wrong. And healing starts. And PTDS begins to fade away. And the individuals become more at peace with themselves.

Further thoughts:

A certain traumatic event happened to us, leaving us unavoidably altered. We have two choices. Either we let it diminish us or we rise to the occasion and learn from it and become more understanding and wiser and thus better. After all, a man's life is nothing but the sum of his reactions to life's experiences. 

Viet Cong, like many other individuals who have infuriated us for their greed, lies,
cowardice, and viciousness, left a permanent imprint on us. Either we let that imprint become a festering sore or we turn that imprint into a reminder not to
behave like them. The choice is up to us. Naturally, our inspirations should come from the examples of Lincoln and Mandela. So, we oppose the Viet Cong but we don't hate them with a passion. We don't dehumanize them as they have dehumanized us. We simply look at them as wayward Vietnamese who are not fit to lead Vietnam and must be replaced with those Viet who have love, compassion, self-respect, and patriotism. Once we succeed in removing them from power, we don't persecute them and we don't scream for their blood in the name of justice. They are still Vietnamese. They are still our brothers and sisters. We must not cut off our nose to spite our face. We will not behave like the Khmer Rouge.

Love and understanding are our cure. Only they can bring us peace. Anger, while a catalyst for actions, often leads to excesses. We must guard ourselves against anger, against self-righteousness, against feelings of victimhood as we don't wish to be blind as those who have done us wrong. We, ultimately, are not victims of anything or of anybody. We may suffer temporary setbacks, but we will always rise to the challenges and overcome them because we are stronger than the circumstances and those that have done us harm.