Page 596 - Total War on PTSD

“Motor racing is like one big family, ultimately, and when you come back to it, that’s really what it feels like.” – Mario Andretti
Courtenay: Clifton, featured in the following Experience Magazine article, who is active in motorsports, sees PTSD differently than most. According to the article, “His hope in telling his story is to help create what he calls PTG: a post-PTSD mindset centered on growth. He wants his recovery to prove there is life after trauma, joyful life, full of energy and passion.” A huge part of his recovery was through his capacity to get behind the wheel and experience the excitement that is motorsports. As mentioned in the 2nd article below, “Training for driving in a combat zone may result in driving behavior patterns that are dangerous in noncombat driving situations. Because of situational threats and the likelihood of being attacked, military personnel on deployment may adopt offensive driving styles that involve speeding, keeping a great distance from other vehicles, driving in the middle of the road, and rapidly changing lanes.” Another way to look at such behavior could be as an elevation in stress and anxiety levels, causing a Veteran to react to vehicles on the road as an extension of self, in a defensive and self-protective manner. References: Crossman, Matt, Wickerham, Jared, This veteran found healing through driving a Porsche - fast, Experience Magazine, https://expmag.com/2019/09/this-veteran-found-healing- through-driving-a-porsche-fast/
Elizabeth Possis, Thao Bui, Margaret Gavian, Jennie Leskela, Effie Linardatos, Jennifer Loughlin, Thad Strom, Driving Difficulties Among Military Veterans: Clinical Needs and Current Intervention Status, Military Medicine, Volume 179, Issue 6, June 2014, Pages 633–639, https://doi.org/10.7205/MILMED-D-13-00327
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