It was another very thought provoking session of CPT this past Wednesday. We had a special guest: An 82 year old Korean War Veteran who was looking for help from the VA for the first time. This is a guy who has lived most of his adult life with PTSD and successfully raised a family - without any help or treatment. He made some choices he wasn't proud of and he has always had a short temper. He made it through it all, working for over 40 years with the same company, raising three kids, etc. He said there was one thought that got him through it all. Well, more of a philosophy or approach to each day:
Two things in life are free. Your love and your time. He always made sure that he gave enough of both to his family.
Can it really be that simple? I thought about what he said for quite a while. The conclusion I came to was that his philosophy offset the inherently self-centric/selfish nature of PTSD. Or at least, that's the only thing that makes sense to me. I find it hard not to emotionally withdraw from my family after a long day at work. It's not fair to them or to me and I need to figure out a way to make it stop. Sooner rather than later would be nice. So what harm does it do to try out his philosophy? Time will tell.
Two things in life are free. Your love and your time. He always made sure that he gave enough of both to his family.
Can it really be that simple? I thought about what he said for quite a while. The conclusion I came to was that his philosophy offset the inherently self-centric/selfish nature of PTSD. Or at least, that's the only thing that makes sense to me. I find it hard not to emotionally withdraw from my family after a long day at work. It's not fair to them or to me and I need to figure out a way to make it stop. Sooner rather than later would be nice. So what harm does it do to try out his philosophy? Time will tell.
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