𝗦𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗲, 𝗜𝘁𝘀 A 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗽𝘆

DIAGNOSING POSTTRAUMATIC STRESSIn those early days at the VA, we labeled our veterans with all sorts ofdiagnoses–alcoholism, substance abuse, depression, mood disorder, evenschizophrenia–and we tried every treatment in our textbooks. But for allour efforts it became clear that we were actually accomplishing very little.The powerful drugs we prescribed often left the men in such a…

Part 2 However, in the early 1950s a group of French scientists had discovered a new compound, chlorproma-zine (sold under the brand name Thorazine), that could “tranquilize” patientsand make them less agitated and delusional. That inspired hope that drugscould be developed to treat serious mental problems such as depression,panic, anxiety, and mania, as well as…

REVOLUTION IN UNDERSTANDING MIND AND BRAIN The greater the doubt, the greater the awakening; the smaller thedoubt, the smaller the awakening. No doubt, no awakening.-C.-C. Chang, The Practice of ZenYou live through that little piece of time that is yours, but that pieceof time is not only your own life, it is the summing-up of…

A NEW UNDERSTANDINGIn the three decades since I met Tom, we have learned an enormous amountnot only about the impact and manifestations of trauma but also about waysto help traumatized people find their way back. Since the early 1990s brain-imaging tools have started to show us what actually happens inside the brainsof traumatized people. This…

DIAGNOSING POSTTRAUMATIC STRESSIn those early days at the VA, we labeled our veterans with all sorts ofdiagnoses–alcoholism, substance abuse, depression, mood disorder, evenschizophrenia–and we tried every treatment in our textbooks. But for allour efforts it became clear that we were actually accomplishing very little.The powerful drugs we prescribed often left the men in such a…

THE REORGANIZATION OF PERCEPTIONAnother study I conducted at the VA started out as research about night-mares but ended up exploring how trauma changes people’s perceptions andimagination. Bill, a former medic who had seen heavy action in Vietnam adecade earlier, was the first person enrolled in my nightmare study. After hisdischarge he had enrolled in a…