I Love a War Veteran: A Handbook for Families, Veterans and Professionals dealing with the Effects of Combat Trauma

A great deal is involved when loving a War Veteran (WV), let alone someone struggling with the effects of combat stress and trauma. The war does not end for many veterans. In fact, a significant number carry the effects of war home with them for the rest of their lives. The risk of WV’s and families becoming damaged by the effects of combat stress and trauma is significant. Unless veterans, along with their loved ones, find ways to integrate the implications of war experience into wider frames of reference they will continue to struggle with considerable pain, loss and personal diminishment. In many instances, the way life was characterized before the war has been damaged or overturned as a result of having witnessed and/or participated in killing and destruction. This handbook is designed, for veterans, family members, loved ones and professionals who work with war veterans and their families as they attempt to reconstruct their lives in the wake of war. It explores a host of issues and dynamics (i.e., training, indoctrination, military culture, stigma’s associated with seeking mental health services and the failure of military medicine and the VA to assess victims of psychological, spiritual, physical and organizational trauma) that shape the way War Veterans and their families hold the effects of war. This handbook also suggests that the way Military Psychiatry characterizes the impact of combat stress and trauma on a WV often does not consider the moral, existential and spiritual conflicts that are generated by such exposures. Finally this handbook helps veterans and families navigate through a minefield of obstacles that prevent them from resolving their war-related experiences and accessing appropriate care from both the Military and the VA.
Cost $30.00