Veterans are more than statistics.

welcome to veterans' ptsd project

By Veterans for Veterans - Changing the National Conversation on PTSD

Service Members are not statistics.  They are our sons, mothers, husbands, and friends.  A web search on "PTSD” will give you more than 18 million results that generally fall into two categories: web sites clinical in nature and sites anecdotal in nature. This is worth noting since most Service Members returning from combat are under the age of 30 – when diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress, they turn to the web for information. And what they find are grim statistics: 18 suicides per day. Up to 70% of Soldiers exposed to traumatic incidents. Over 31,000 OIF Veterans wounded in action. Double the divorce rate among active duty personnel.

This can easily become a self-fulfilling prophecy when, in fact, the converse is true: most returning Service Members diagnosed with PTSD do not commit suicide or lose their jobs, their families or their sanity – they work through their Post-Traumatic Stress and come back stronger; many experience personal growth. By sharing Service Members' first-person accounts of hope and victory over PTSD with other Veterans and their families, the Veterans' PTSD Project answers the one burning question in the mind of a Combat Vet looking for answers on the web: "how do I get better?"

Leading psychologists and researchers agree that Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is not an inevitable outcome of combat. Dr. Martin Seligman (2011) notes the following:

"At West Point, we found that more than 90 percent of cadets had heard of post-traumatic stress disorder, which is relatively uncommon, but less than 10 percent had heard of post-traumatic growth, which is not uncommon.  This is medical illiteracy that matters. If all a Soldier knows about is PTSD, and not about resilience and growth, it creates a self-fulfilling downward spiral."

Our Project reaches out to Veterans who have successfully overcome their PTSD and asks them to write a first-person account of recovery.  There are many ways to come back stronger, and our writers candidly talk about their experiences, warts and all, and they tell the reader what worked for them. Whether working through counseling, finding a support group, creating art, or connecting through their faith, these Vets and their family members speak directly to the recently diagnosed Service Member and give them insight they can use in their own lives. While often begun in grief or sorrow, these narratives end in power, strength and perseverance; they make the reader feel more connected to the greater Veterans' community and inspire us all to feel more thankful, more encouraged, and more ready to take on the challenges we face today. These writers say, "I made it, and so can you."

This is why we want to hear from you. While deeply personal, your narrative of resilience and growth is one that will inspire others - in different theatres and different bases and different missions, we are all moving forward together. Sharing your story may not only be a step in your healing but your narrative has the power to inspire others.

You can read Veterans' PTSD Project stories on our blog and on Facebook, and we encourage you to reach out to us - through e-mail, social media, and our blog we hear you.  You are not alone in this journey; there is great hope for life after PTSD - this experience will give you and your family the kind of perspective and wisdom forged through fire.  You can come back stronger.

This is the place.  Now is the time.  You are the one.

Share your story with The Veterans' PTSD Project.