As a therapist, specializing in PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), among other disorders, I felt as though I had been punched in the chest when I heard that the Ft. Hood massacre was caused by a psychiatrist.
This post isn’t to excuse what Major Hasan did…there is no excuse. It is, rather, to possibly understand the domino effect of PTSD when it pertains to war.
There is a reason why, when combatants return from battle, they do not want to discuss their experiences with the “civilians” in their lives. What they have seen, experienced, and remember, is so horrendous to them that they don’t think that anyone would understand. And they wouldn’t.
It takes a lot of trust for these individuals to share their feelings with a therapist. Sometimes, the therapist has been in country themselves and has some understanding of what life is like there. Sometimes, like myself, the therapist has spent time as a civilian with the Department of Defense, close enough to the war zone to have a tangential experience and some minor level of understanding.
What about the therapists who sit, day after day, listening to these horrible experiences? Is there anyone with whom they consult? With whom they debrief?
A support group?
I don’t know much about Major Hasan…just what I’ve heard on cable. I don’t know if, having listened to his patients over and over, his fear of going into a war zone took over his mind. I don’t know whether he felt unprepared. I don’t know if this was part of a plan long in the making.
What I do know, is that today has been a terrible day in the history of our country. Perhaps, however, what will come out of this, is a greater sensitivity toward all who are touched by war…even those who have never been.
This post was written shortly after it was announced that the rampage had been committed by a psychiatrist. I have no doubt, that as information emerges, we will have a better understanding of Major Hasan’s state of mind today and in the past few weeks.
