Episode 3: The Purpose of PTSD

The DSM-5 thinks of every disorder as a set of symptoms, but that doesn't answer the question of what PTSD actually is - or what it's trying to do to help us become whole again.  Is there a redemptive drive behind our trauma symptoms?  How do we rewrite the ending of the worst moments we've ever been through?  What does that look like in the therapy room and the Gospel of John?  Bonus: how to convert a potentially traumatizing bank robbery into a meme.

(Content notice: brief mentions of many different kinds of traumatic experiences.  One mention of the word "suicide" as a maladaptive avoidance strategy, with no scenario or details of any kind.)

References:

Judith Herman's "Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence - from Domestic Abuse to Political Terror" - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/trauma-and-recovery-judith-lewis-herman-md/1100923391
(Note that this book is an excellent resource for deep understanding of trauma and abuse, and also intensely triggering for anyone with unresolved sexual trauma.)

Study which concludes the DSM is "a disingenuous categorical system" - https://news.liverpool.ac.uk/2019/07/08/study-finds-psychiatric-diagnosis-to-be-scientifically-meaningless 

DSM-5 Criteria for PTSD, with symptom clusters - https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/treat/essentials/dsm5_ptsd.asp

With All Your Psyche explores topics related to mental health, relationships, and faith, but it's not a substitute for therapy or professional care - though it might give you some ideas to bring up with your own therapist or pastor! If something you hear on this podcast brings up personal concerns for you, or if you need support in other areas of your life, please reach out to a licensed professional such as myself or others you can find through the therapist directory at PsychologyToday.com.