War is something shared by many. The reactions to it are common amongst the troops that serve in it and there is a certain degree of peace each troop gets knowing that he or she isn’t alone. It’s all about transitions, making the switch from warrior to civilian after it’s all over. Making a good, healthy transition takes a special kind of courage though, a courage much different than what's needed in the war zone. This courage is about admitting the presence of unwanted feelings and personal issues that stem from wartime experiences—and then asking for help. To do so is not a sign of weakness. Just remember, a warrior who has a problem, but can’t admit it, is basically letting the world know that he lives in fear—fear that someone may consider him less than he is.

War makes us different people and it affects our lives like no other phenomena. It generates a sense of anxiety that can destroy our peace of mind and create fears that wake us in the night and intrude on our thoughts during the day. It has the power to interfere with our ability to concentrate while working and playing. Its effects can turn small problems into huge issues. For survivors, the ravages of war have a profound impact on their lives, and can rob them of a personal sense of control. In short, war creates a tremendous amount of stress and if it goes unrecognized and unmanaged it can severely damage our social, mental, physical, and spiritual health.

Throughout history the general costs tallied from war are things like lost territory, number of cities destroyed, and governments toppled. Little interest has been shown in addressing the impacting after-shocks that individual combatants experience. Rarely have their stressful reactions to such violence and destruction been understood, and mil¬lions of individual warriors around the world continue to be in need of emotional and psychological help. This is the neglected “human factor” of war. Unfortunately, in the past wounded warriors have been the last expenditure to be considered when counting the costs of wars.

War stress lives in the warrior’s history of war. It’s a history that until recently has been hidden from view and poorly documented. The individual soldier’s system of reporting the historical facts and how he felt after the impacting circumstances of combat has not been easy to record. Wartime experiences are generally held in quiet confidentiality by most warriors—figuring that those who were not there would never understand so they simply don’t like talk about it afterwards. It has been a puzzling secret kept from those who never “went”. Within that great and special “secret” exists the darkest corner of all…war’s essential feature: COMBAT. Only the individual soldier who has lived through it can really tell with accuracy what it is like to survive the emotionally rigorous circumstances that arise upon the field of combat. This difficulty for warriors to relate to anyone who was not there has made therapy and remedies from the professional community less effective over the years. Unless the therapist is ex-military with relative experiences he or she has found the veteran unwilling to open completely up to significant treatment.

Traditionally society has had no answers for the soldier’s “strange” reactions to life after war. They generally chalked him or her up as “a price paid for freedom” and relegated them to a hopeless category with a degree of pity. However, this has changed over the past few years thanks to many veterans of the Vietnam War, who were the first ever to come home and voice their grievances of how horrible war is. In addition to that, they did something unprecedented…they demanded help for what war did to them emotionally.

From the present war on terror we are seeing some peculiar, yet familiar, after effects coming home with the troops. “Familiar” because it is not so unlike many of the warning signs that manifested with returning troops from Vietnam in the 60’s and 70’s. When people train and then go off to war they do so with a high sense of survival. The adrenaline turns on and becomes a “high”, and while engaged this high may run non-stop for weeks on end. Without it, the chances of surviving combat are lessened. This propels the warrior far beyond the normal activity of human life (typical of post-traumatic stress) and when it runs that long it is difficult to turn off. Then, once the excitement and danger of war is over, the warrior comes home and continues to behave (react) in a ways that keeps the adrenaline running. It is much like using a powerful drug that has sustained them, and then the “come-down” from the high is too much to confront. As a result, they subconsciously try to keep themselves pumped with adrenaline for fear of losing the “edge” that has kept them alive in the past. Being in a combat mode becomes reflexive and is stimulated by many environmental triggers that are encountered back home. Sadly, the means with which triggered situations usually get handled are done so through the psyche of a warrior still on the battlefield.

Veterans can watch the physical wounds heal up, but the scars on the flesh only remind them of former pain and suffering that came during war. With time, the flesh wounds heal but wounds in the mind are invisible and continue to plague a person who has survived something as horrible as war.

Stress is a personal response that our bodies and minds have to meet the demands that different situations present to us. If these situations go beyond the range of normal human experiences (and war trauma is certainly something beyond that range), then we become particularly vulnerable to having severe symptoms of what is known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD is NOT a mental illness; it is a normal reaction to the extreme stress that is encountered during war. The nature of this type of stress can make it very difficult in adjusting to civilian life after returning home. When we suffer with PTSD our lives are interfered with, and our ability to lead a meaningful and productive existence is significantly hindered. Veterans with PTSD may have serious problems identifying with others, and could feel so alienated that they are led repeatedly into destructive and self-destructive behaviors.

Just as stress affects everyone differently each person usually finds a different way to cope with it. Here is a good starting point that I encourage you to consider in managing negative stress in your life:

Talk it out. You’re not alone in this. There are other veterans and soldiers who have experienced similar events in their lives and are feeling some of the same anxieties. Seek them out and listen to them and their personal stories. When you are ready you also need to tell them about your experiences. By sharing experiences you will find a genuine relief from PTSD. And remember, it isn’t necessary for the “listener” to be a trained professional either. A lot of inner relief can happen by just talking to someone—someone who is willing to listen and care. Getting together with other veterans for the purpose of having a support group is very important too. Talking to men and women who have been through a war experience is very healing indeed. It’s the right thing to do, and the best place to start.

Good luck and welcome home!

Chuck Dean

Author of “Nam Vet: Making Peace with Your Past” and “Some Came Home: A Story of Returning” http://www.amazon.com/author/chuckdeanbooks