PTSD is becoming commonly known throughout the nation. The American Psychiatric Association, or APA, added PTSD to the third edition of its diagnosis and statistics manual.
The complex phenomenon affects those who experience a traumatic event and any memory that correlates with the event can trigger one’s PTSD. For those without PTSD, it can be hard for them to understand what goes through an individual’s head when their PTSD is triggered.
When one’s PTSD runs its course, the individual enters a state of hypervigilance meaning, that their muscles tense and they retreat into their fight-or-flight response mechanism.
This is portrayed in Will Byers, a character in the show Stranger Things, who went missing in the first season. Byers spends his time during the first season in an alternate reality that is filled with horrific monsters and creatures (terrifying for any lost kid).
After his return home, Byers will enter a state of paralysis when something triggers a memory of this reality, which has been happened through sounds, being startled, or images he finds around town. When these triggers happen, he reenters the world he was lost in.
Byers will typically run when he enters this state of hypervigilance (understandable given that a large shadow like figure chases him when this happens).
This, in a sense, is an idea of what an individual goes through when their PTSD takes over their rational mind.
People will try to cope with their PTSD through a variety of methods and many choose to use drugs and alcohol as their method of choice.
Understandable given the circumstance.
However, there are holistic approaches to coping with the effects of PTSD. Many have found solace in taking martial arts, practicing meditation, or having therapy sessions. Sadly, many struggle with PTSD and it’s important to understand their position.
One should never use a fictional television as a means of education for completely understanding something like PTSD, but the interpretations that the show create for its viewers acts as a starting point for what an individual goes through.
