guide to take back our life

June 26, 2021

The new site for PTSD Patrol is up and running. New blog posts will begin there on June 27, 2021. This site will remain up.

trauma in the night

PTSD Patrol
Kathie Costos
June 25, 2021

Right now, most people are talking about the missing in Surfside Florida. The ten year old boy rescued has just discovered his mother is one of the people who died. First Surfside condo collapse victim identified as Stacie Fang, mother of rescued boy reported by the Miami Herald.

SURVIVORS RECOUNT HARROWING ESCAPE FROM COLLAPSED CONDO
1 p.m.: Alfredo and Marian Lopez were sound asleep around 1:30 a.m. Thursday when they heard the first boom, like a crash of thunder from a Florida squall. Only louder.

“I woke up and thought we’re just having a bad thunderstorm,” Alfredo, 61, later told the Miami Herald. The noise jolted him from sleep in his sixth-floor apartment at the northwest corner of Champlain Towers South in Surfside.

So did Bruno Treptow, 62, who was sleeping in his unit exactly two floors above, in the same corner of the 40-year-old, 12-story condo tower. (read more on above link)

If you survived, or still searching for one of the 159 still missing, now is the time to get help.

If you think you need to stay strong for everyone else, you are partially correct. The only way to do that is to open up and ask for help now, so that you can be a strong example of what to do. If you are thinking that you need to hold in your emotions, then they will begin to take over until they have so much power over you, that PTSD will most likely take hold too.

Right now you can break the chain from trauma to suffering a life altering change. Surviving a traumatic event like this was hard enough. Don't make it harder than it should be.

Chaplains and crisis intervention teams have already been deployed. Turn to them. Turn to each other and lean on one another. Give and receive strength together.

Not Alone

RED

Slowly fading away

You're lost and so afraid

Where is the hope in a world so cold?

Looking for a distant light

Someone who can save a life

Living in fear that no one will hear your cry

(Can you save me now?)

I am with you

I will carry you through it all

I won't leave you, I will catch you

When you feel like letting go

'Cause you're not, you're not alone

Your heart is full of broken dreams

Just a fading memory

And everything's gone but the pain carries on

Lost in the rain again

When will it ever end?

The arms of relief seem so out of reach

But I, I am here

I am with you

I will carry you through it all

I won't leave you, I will catch you

When you feel like letting go

'Cause you're not, you're not alone

And I will be your hope when you feel like it's over

And I will pick you up when your whole world shatters

And when you're finally in my arms

You'll look up and see, love has a face

I am with you

I will carry you through it all

I won't leave you, I will catch you

When you feel like letting go

'Cause you're not, you're not alone

And I will be your hope (you're not alone)

And I will pick you up

And I will be your hope

And I will be your hope

Slowly fading away

You're lost and so afraid

Where is the hope in a world so cold?

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Jasen Rauch / Mark L Holman / Robert Douglas Iii Graves

Not Alone lyrics © Emi Blackwood Music Inc., Logansong Music

Wednesday night the people living in the Champlain Towers, Surfside Florida, went to sleep with plans for the next day. Early Thursday morning, that was all destroyed. As of Friday morning, there were 4 dead and 159 remain missing.

Now is the time to reach out for help because the days will be harder for a while. Chaplains have been deployed there and they are trained to help you.

If you are thinking you need to be strong to help others, then let that motivate you to be an example by asking for help because you need it. That will allow them to feel free to ask for it too. #BreakTheSilence

Why is focusing on the spiritual needs of people with PTSD is important?

PTSD Patrol
Kathie Costos
June 24, 2021

There seems to be a lot of confusion out there about what faith is in America is now. This shows in the drop of people attending buildings of worship and the rise in suicides.

Why is focusing on the spiritual needs of people with PTSD is important? PTSD hits the emotional part of our brains. That is where our souls live.

Considering how many groups popped up all over the country because of the report from the Department of Veterans Affairs about veterans committing suicide, the fact that more Americans commit suicide without much attention at all.

A lot of them had PTSD but did not find the hope and help they needed to heal. We know this by all the reports of military, veterans and first responders with PTSD committing suicide. What we are not reminded of as often, is how many civilians give up too.

Suicide is a Leading Cause of Death in the United States
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) WISQARS Leading Causes of Death Reports, in 2019:

Suicide was the tenth leading cause of death overall in the United States, claiming the lives of over 47,500 people.
Suicide was the second leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 10 and 34, and the fourth leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 35 and 44.
There were nearly two and a half times as many suicides (47,511) in the United States as there were homicides (19,141).

That was the last report they have listed. Right now no one is sure how many with all the turmoil this country has gone through over the last couple of years, but one thing is clear, there is only one reason people commit suicide. They lost hope that life could get better. Losing the ability to believe in that, even just for a little while, takes away hope.

If they cannot find hope that the next day can be better, and no one gives it to them, it is a battle they lose. This is why suicide awareness does not work. It robs them of hope, putting a spotlight on all those who gave up on their own lives...and everyone else.

Less than half of Americans attend worship service now according to Gallop

People leave the building when they do not find what they need inside of it. Usually there are many reasons but the basic one is, they had a problem big enough they felt drained instead of filled as they walked out the door.

People also confuse the building with God Himself. They tend to believe that God wants nothing to do with them, or turned away from them, and they abandon that relationship entirely. Once that link to what they believe in has been severed, a piece of them is empty.

If this has been the case for you, then please know that you do not have to be in a building, or a group, or pledge anything to anyone for the privilege of praying. You can talk to God wherever you are, wearing whatever you are wearing and speak in your own words.

If you doubt this, remember, Jesus prayed outside most of the time. When He delivered the Sermon On The Mount, it was not in a building. It was on top of a hill.

Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount

5 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.
The Beatitudes
He said:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

If you read the rest of it, then you'll see how much else we get wrong all the time. Notice the difference between what He was preaching when the leaders of the Hebrew people were were saying something totally different.

Don't blame God for what people do. Don't think He turned away from you, just because some people made you feel as if you didn't belong with them.

Today's feature video is Kris Kristofferson, Why Me.

Kris Kristofferson Biography

He believed that songwriting is a spiritual communion of mind, body, and soul, and he believed that William Blake was correct in asserting that anyone divinely ordered for spiritual communion but buries his talent will be pursued by sorrow and desperation through life and by shame and confusion for eternity.

“(Blake) is telling you that you’ll be miserable if you don’t do what you’re supposed to do,” Kristofferson said in the Ken Burns’ documentary Country Music.

Kristofferson’s devotion to spiritual communion brought much in the way of sorrow, desperation, and misery, but it led to triumph.

Maybe it is time to fill yourself back up with hope by discovering what you can still hope for?

Years ago, I did a video because a lot of veterans thought that they were being punished by God because of PTSD. It is called PTSD Is Not God's Judgment. I have no idea why it is age restricted but that is the link to it.

I hope it helps. That is the video today because I don't think I can explain it any better today than I did in that video.

Why Me

Kris Kristofferson

Why me Lord, what have I ever done

To deserve even one

Of the pleasures I've known

Tell me Lord, what did I ever do

That was worth loving you

Or the kindness you've shown.

Lord help me Jesus, I've wasted it so

Help me Jesus I know what I am

Now that I know that I've need you so

Help me Jesus, my soul's in your hand.

Tell me Lord, if you think there's a way

I can try to repay

All I've taken from you

Maybe Lord, I can show someone else

What I've been through myself

On my way back to you.

Lord help me Jesus, I've wasted it so

Help me Jesus I know what I am

Now that I know that I've need you so

Help me Jesus, my soul's in your hand.

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Kris Kristofferson

Why Me lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC 

 

Bonus from A Star Is Born

why I always do the videos from my garage

PTSD Patrol
Kathie Costos
June 23, 2021

(This is for the new PTSD Patrol site to explain things the new readers may not know. If you already know all this, then please just enjoy The Beatles video)

My name is Kathie Costos. For decades I was known as Namguardianangel. I couldn't afford the website anymore, so I had to let it go. In 2007 I started Wounded Times and in 2017 PTSD Patrol began as a way to change the conversation from doom and gloom to hope and healing.

You may wonder why I always do the videos from my garage. That is because that is where my vehicle rests. We know so much more about the vehicles we drive, than the one we live in. This is a way to explain it.

(Today's video is a long one to explain it to people who discover this on the new site. You may learn something too.)

The only thing I didn't cover in the video was why I use music. It changes our moods. It puts words to what we feel but cannot communicate. The other reason is, it reminds us that other people felt the same way too or they wouldn't have been able to write the lyrics. Another reason is, I never drive without the radio on!

Remember, it is your life...get in and drive it!

#BreakTheSilence and #TakeBackYourLife from #PTSD

HELP

The Beatles

(Help!) I need somebody

(Help!) Not just anybody

(Help!) You know I need someone

(Help!)

When I was younger so much younger than today

I never needed anybody's help in any way

But now these days are gone, I'm not so self assured

Now I find I've changed my mind and opened up the doors

Help me if you can, I'm feeling down

And I do appreciate you being 'round

Help me get my feet back on the ground

Won't you please, please help me?

And now my life has changed in oh so many ways

My independence seems to vanish in the haze

But every now and then I feel so insecure

I know that I just need you like I've never done before

Help me if you can, I'm feeling down

And I do appreciate you being 'round

Help me get my feet back on the ground

Won't you please, please help me?

When I was younger, so much younger than today

I never needed anybody's help in any way

But now these days are gone, I'm not so self assured

Now I find I've changed my mind and opened up the doors

Help me if you can, I'm feeling down

And I do appreciate you being 'round

Help me get my feet back on the ground

Won't you please, please help me?

Help me? Help me? Ooh

Genius.com

the oldest pandemic this nation has ever seen

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
June 22, 2021

Last year I went to the New Hampshire veterans cemetery for the first time on Memorial Day. As I walked around, I thought about all the veterans in my family who passed away, as well as the two veterans I was walking with. My husband and his best friend are both Vietnam veterans.

When I came upon this memorial, I had to catch a couple of tears falling. The empty place where the service member is saluting, got to me.

It was around that time when I was debating about giving up working with veterans. No matter how hard I tried, or how much I knew, it seemed as if I was fighting everyone I knew in the veteran community. Most of them were latched onto the slogan of "22 a day" and wouldn't let go of the notion that suicide awareness was a good thing to do. How could they believe that letting suicidal veterans hear about others giving up would offer them anything but more despair?

It was too late to change their minds and I had been doing this work for too long to be able to deal with the deadly results of ignorance. My heart was being ripped out every time I read another report of another suicide.

No one wanted to hear what needed to be done, anymore than they wanted to hear about the decades of failures to address the oldest pandemic this nation has ever seen...suicides carried out by those who valued the lives of others so much so, they were willing to die to save them.

I got into all of this in 1982 and focused on Vietnam veterans with PTSD, but the truth is, they had only become the latest generation to join the others going back to when this nation began. What I didn't know back then was there would be more wars.

It felt as if I was fighting this one all alone as soon as people started to read news reports in 2012. Soon after that, the awareness groups started popping up and eroding the ability for veterans to find people like me.

And now, maybe you'll understand why I gave up on what I had dedicated my life to almost 4 decades ago.

read more here

While all the "awareness" people were talking about, a number when they didn't even understand the report it came from, I was talking about changing the conversation. This is from an interview I did in 2012.

That was what they needed to hear, but I guess I stopped being good enough to get them to hear me. 

I fought them until last year and then I opened this up to anyone with PTSD. If you are in the military, a veteran, or a member of any of the responder positions, this work is for you too. No matter what caused PTSD in you, you are still only human like the rest of us.

Today the featured video is Neil Diamond, He Ain't Heavy because helping people with PTSD heal should not be a burden for any of us.

Remember, it is your life...get in and drive it!

#BreakTheSilence and #TakeBackYourLife from #PTSD

He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother

Neil Diamond

The road is long with many awaiting turns

That lead us to who knows where,

Who knows where

But I'm strong,

Strong enough to carry him

He ain't heavy, he's my brother

So long we go

His welfare is my concern

No burden is he to bare, we'll get there

For I know

He would not encumber me

He ain't heavy, he's my brother

If Im laden at all,

I I am laden with sadness that

Everyone's heart isn't filled with the gladness

I am alone for one and other

It's so long long road

From which there is no return

While we're on the way to live why not share

And the load doesn't weigh me down at all

He ain't heavy, he's my brother

He's my brother

He ain't heavy

He's my brother

He's my brother

He ain't heavy

He's my brother

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: B. Russell / B. Scott

He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother lyrics © Music Sales Corporation, Music Sales Corp.