Page 57 - Total War on PTSD

irritability and anger, causing him/her to want to flee the environment or lash out. Again and again in my office, I have witnessed the phenomenon of Veterans focusing on things that annoy them or make them angry to pull back from their anxiety or vulnerable feelings such as fear, helplessness or uncomfortable primary emotions. I have long surmised that this is an attempt to have some sense of empowerment and escape emotions that they feel are intolerable. Most Veterans will eventually present at my office due to either their overwhelming level of anxiety or anger issues that impact their families, jobs, or functioning in the community.
When fight or flight symptoms occur, they can feel overwhelming to the combat Veteran. Of course, different individuals can experience different levels of symptomatology. Common fight or flight symptoms may include:
• A full feeling in the head due to elevated blood pressure, which can lead to headaches
• Visual changes that can include tunnel vision or narrowing of the visual field
• Heightening or dampening of their hearing
• Increased ringing or pitch heightening of tinnitus for those who already have this ailment • Dry mouth
• Muscle tension
• Feeling hot or sweaty
• Increased heart rate
• Increased or shallow breathing patterns • An increased urge to urinate
• A feeling of a surge of adrenalin
In a combat zone, this cascade of symptoms is usually related to something bad happen and the individual being in a dangerous situation. When they symptoms occur in the combat Veteran’s daily life stateside, they often will become more vigilant, believe something bad is about to happen, and will often leave the environment out of fear and anticipation that something dangerous is about to occur. They have relied on this “Spidey sense” as a survival in the combat
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