PTSD: Reclaiming Control - Why Me?

PTSD: Reclaiming Control

By: Robert ‘Bob’ Cuyler, PhD Psychologist and Trauma Expert

Why me?

It’s part of human nature to wonder if we are somehow the cause of terrible events, so let’s explore this in some depth. Active service members and veterans who have seen combat, were wounded, or lost friends often contemplate: Why was my buddy killed and I survived? Why did I lose a limb while others walked away? Why did we pull the kind of missions our team did, when another unit got the safer ones?

This feeling often leads to the disturbing thought: “Why me?” which can then become, “Is something wrong with me? What’s my weakness? Could I have done something differently so we didn’t lose our teammates? Why am I still affected by this so badly while others are able to fit back into normal life? Why am I still being triggered by things that happened years ago?”

Service members are screened carefully for fitness, stability, ability to endure difficult circumstances and then trained to peak readiness. They are some of the most vetted people on the planet. So what are the risk factors that lead to PTSD?

Physiological and genetic factors both contribute to risk. Our genetics alone account for up to 20% of the risk factors associated with PTSD. We don’t get to choose this; it’s what we’re born with. Another major risk factor is exposure to trauma and loss when we’re young, which are called adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs. Death of a parent, divorce, exposure to violence and abuse – exposure to several of these ACEs significantly increases our risk of developing PTSD.

People often ask me, “Is that such a big deal? I was in one car wreck.” Or they try to compare their situation to that of a friend who experienced divorce and suffered loss. The fact is, this earlier exposure to trauma can magnify risk for PTSD, even though it’s not apparent at the time.

Developing PTSD does not indicate a personality flaw or personal weakness: this is a no-fault diagnosis. Trauma depends on many external factors, as well as some internal factors. Take the example of a journal. Our genotype is how we are wired: the physical notebook. Our phenotype is how our life interacts with our wiring: the experiences that fill the journal.

Our individual life experiences may trigger the risk factors built into our genes, or not. So someone genetically at risk for PTSD who had a happy childhood and was never exposed to violence or combat conditions may never develop PTSD. While someone else with a traumatic childhood who is also genetically at risk can develop it.

Think of diabetes. Someone might have several risk factors for the disease, but ultimately it’s exercise patterns and diet that influences whether you will develop diabetes.

We don’t have a say in whether our parents divorce, a childhood friend dies in a car wreck or whether you experience severe combat conditions while in the military. So these are circumstances beyond our control. I encourage everyone to think about this, so you can better understand the underlying factors for PTSD - whether it impacts you or someone you know.

Cuyler is chief clinical officer of Freespira, an FDA-cleared non-medication treatment that helps people with panic and PTSD manage their symptoms by learning how to regulate their breathing. - www.freespira.com

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