By Gary Maguire, M.Sc., P.T.   http://www.linkedin.com/pub/gary-maguire-m-sc-p-t/7/455/449

PhysioSympath: The Path to Resilience ©

Welcome to Military Network’s new PTSD section.  Articles that appear in this section are aimed at reducing the stigma of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), strengthening resilience and providing new strategic solutions for PTSD treatment.

Emerging neurophysiology and physiotherapy medical devices are being developed to support mental healthcare professionals.  Your comments and feedback are welcome to improve the newsletter.

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~READINESS FOR CHANGE~

In our last newsletter (Vol 1/Num 5) the assigned task was advancing from precontemplation (the state in which there is little or no consideration of change of the current pattern of behavior in the foreseeable future) and trying to move to the stage of contemplation (the stage where a PTSD warrior examines the current pattern of behavior and the potential for change in a risk-reward analysis). The assignment was RESILIENCE 101 (ishttp://sites.google.com/site/humanprioritiesorg/home/resilience-101/Resilience101Brochure.pdf?). 

So you arrived at a stage of contemplation.  Now what do I do?  The next stage in “readiness to change” for addressing PTSD symptoms and developing a treatment plan is PREPARATION.

PREPARATION:  Preparation is the stage in which the PTSD warrior makes a commitment to take action to change the behavior pattern and develops a plan and strategy for change.

The tasks of preparation are to increase commitment and create a change plan that is acceptable, accessible and effective.  The goal is an action plan to be implemented in the near term.

So that is all it takes.  You might think of it as a battle plan.  A battle plan against stigma and the inner war of PTSD is needed.  ORGANIZE>PLAN>COMMIT.

In preparation you can begin to realize that you are angry.  Anger is really rejection and disappointment.  This anger produces stress, pain and tension.  It is easy to blame a situation that occurred as the problem.  Stress is the product of anger.  Stress is created by the mind of anger that is rejecting the situation.

So in preparation a PTSD warrior needs to be able to acknowledge the situation which provides the opportunity to transform the situation.  The problem is that we think the situation or event is producing the stress.  In this way a PTSD warrior is externalizing it.  The situation is seen as unmanageable with a feeling of being trapped instead of seeing it as an internal conflict.  By not recognizing it and acknowledging anger it continues to create an environment of just griping and battling internally.

SOLUTION: Recognize anger, reduce anger and abandon anger.  A PTSD warrior has to recognize that anger is a problem, that they have control over it and that there are many possibilities of addressing it.  This situation can be a transition point of contemplation (Do I have anger?) to preparation (Yes. I have anger so what am I going to do about it to address it?).  A PTSD warrior needs to accept for themselves that they are angry and that stress is the product of the anger.

The next part is to just look at it (anger), see how painful it is, disruptive and disturbing and how you don’t want to follow it.  Just by looking at it (anger) you create a space or distance from it in your internal self. You create some leverage to recognize it.

PREPARATION: Preparation then provides the source to develop some positive way to respond to it.  The situation is looked at as an object of patience.  This is an opportunity to practice patience.  Anger is the nature of rejection and patience is the nature of acceptance.  There is no point in rejecting what has happened.  The doors are closed.  Why reject?  It has happened and now the stage of preparation develops in how to accept it?

PREPARATION:  Preparation is now focused on developing patience and to develop a plan to take action to change the behavior pattern and strategy for change.

A plan of action can consist of:

• I recognize that there is a problem that is not external but internal.
• I am interested in or concerned about the need for change.
• I am convinced that change is in my best interest or will benefit me more than cost me.
• I will organize a plan of action and will commit to implementing it.
• I will look for PTSD programs online and read about what is available. 
• A couple of programs that I will look into for PTSD information are the Real Warriors Campaign (http://www.realwarriors.net/) and the after deployment.org website (http://afterdeployment.org/index.php).
• I will do this as an initial plan of action as it is acceptable, accessible and effective.  What is important is that I am making my own plan of action and am transitioning into a readiness for change.
• I will also read two articles to gain some insight: Reintegrating into Family Life after Deployment (http://www.realwarriors.net/active/afterdeployment/familylife.php) Reintegrating into Civilian Life (http://www.realwarriors.net/guardreserve/reintegration/civilianlife.php).
• I need to develop my own PTSD battle plan.  There will be three components to my PTSD battle plan: (1) strategic, (2) operational and (3) tactical.

The centerpiece of a PTSD battle plan is a high-level description that encapsulates the “how” of the plan in a paragraph or two.  Think of this as an overview or the concept of a PTSD battle plan.  It captures the “big idea” of the plan.  It is aimed at capturing the essence of the PTSD battle plan in the most functional and widest terms possible that retain practical meaning.  Included in this overview or outline should be a description of the “success mechanism,” a statement of how it is envisioned that this PTSD battle plan will accomplish the stated mission.  This success mechanism should be stated in terms sufficiently broad enough that it can be widely applied.  Basing a future operating PTSD battle plan on the eventuality of a single, narrowly conceived success mechanism neglects the friction that is a primary and timeless attribute to the PTSD war within.

~THE CAMPAIGN OF NAPOLEON~

Napoleon was insistent that the battle was an integral part of the strategical plan.  Every successful campaign, in his mind, could be broken down into three parts:  the move to contact, the battle and lastly the pursuit and general exploitation phase.

Napoleon laid down five principles for opening a campaign: (1) an army must have only one line of operations; that is to say, the target must be clearly defined and every possible formation directed toward it. (2) The main army should always be the objective; only by destroying an opponent’s field forces could he be induced to give up the struggle. (3) The French Army must move in such a way as to place itself on the enemy’s flank and rear, for psychological as well as strategical reasons. (4) The French Army must always strive to turn the enemy’s most exposed flank, that is to say, cut him off from his depots, neighboring friendly forces, or his capital. (5) And last: communication both safe and open.

In conclusion preparation for change requires a PTSD battle plan.  Napoleon developed one and so can you. ORGANIZE>PLAN>COMMIT.  Take action in an organized fashion to develop this plan in preparation for the next stage which is ACTION!

Copyright © 2010 Gary Maguire, M.Sc., P.T., PhysioSympath.  All rights reserved.

Related posts:

1. PTSD and Neurophysiology [Vol 1/Num 5]
2. PTSD and Neurophysiology [Vol 1/Num 4]
3. PTSD and Neurophysiology [Vol 1/Num 3]
4. PTSD and Neurophysiology [Vol 1/Num 2]
5. PTSD and Neurophysiology