Hope
PTSD Awareness
What is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?
View my page on Purple Heart for PTSD
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to one or more terrifying events in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened. It is a severe and ongoing emotional reaction to an extreme psychological trauma.
People with PTSD have persistent frightening thoughts and memories of their ordeal and feel emotionally numb, especially with people they were once close to. They may experience sleep problems, feel detached or numb, or be easily startled. (Definition from NIMH, The National Institute of Mental Health )
According to the National Center for PTSD, "Treatments developed through research help many people with PTSD deal effectively with their symptoms. Studies show that people can improve with cognitive-behavioral therapy, group therapy, psychoeducation, or exposure therapy. Support from family and friends can also be an important part of recovery. [...] There is also a great deal of current research on medications for PTSD with some very promising preliminary results. Studies have shown that medication may help ease associated symptoms of depression and anxiety and help promote sleep."
If you or someone you know is suffering from PTSD, take heart, there is hope!
Healing
Women, Body Image and Media
The portrayal of women's bodies in the media is of great concern to me. Television, music videos, fashion magazines and other print media continue to depict women's bodies in ways that are psychologically harmful to women and have disturbing social repercussions for society as a whole. With the rise of 'photo inhancement' technologies (Photoshop etc.), natural bodies are disappearing from the media. Instead, 'shopped' bodies have become the standard of beauty: a standard that is shallow indeed. Women and young girls are internalizing these unrealistic images of the female body and investing a great deal of time, energy and money to look like the gaunt, skeletal-like figures on the fashion runways.
We cannot stand by idly and allow the media and the fashion moguls to distort our societal concept of beauty. We cannot ignore the statistics which say that eating disorders and other body-image-related disorders are on the rise amongst women. The media persistently undervalues and objectifies the female body, using it as a sex object. This ranges from the flat-out grotesque photo shoots seen on some episodes of America's Top Model, to the subtle sexism of many of the television ads that we are bombarded with on a daily basis.
Thankfully, there have recently been growing efforts to address women's body image issues. Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty is one such effort, as is the Show Our Beauty campaign (click on the picture link above to find out more). Together, we can collectively educate and better each other, come up with ideas to fight this engrained lifestyle, realize and counter the media's influence, and advocate for equality, legitimacy, and acceptance of all people regardless of differences.
Change Children's Literacy and Children's Literature
Research shows that achievement in education and job sucess later on in life is related to childhood literacy and reading development in the formative years. Reading is fundamental in developing knowledge and creativity, and in the home, reading with children can be a crucial way of bonding and building the parent-child relationship. One reason for the widening acheivement gap is that disadvantaged children often do not have access to libraries, books and other resources. Many children in impoverished, minority neighborhoods do not even own any storybooks! Additionally, with increases in the usuage of technological toys (computer games, videogames, etc.), children are spending fewer and fewer hours reading. Busier lifestyles mean that parents spend less time reading to their children. These are only a few of the issues. Public funding for early childhood literacy programs is not always up to par, children's librarians are undervalued and there is often a lack of reading support, school resources and public reading resources for blind, mentally disabled and physically handicapped children.
The long and short of it is that we are living in a society in which reading is increasingly undervalued, underpracticed and even discouraged. However, there is lots that you can do to impact literacy and reading in your home and community. If you are a parent, you can start reading aloud and regularly to your children and get them involved in a reading program in your local library. If there isn't a libarary or literacy program in your comminuty, then why not start one? Also, libraries and afterschool programs are always looking for volunteers to act as reading counsellors and tutors. For more ways to help, you can visit the websites of the organizations listed under 'Children's Literacy Resources' below.
Recovery
PTSD Resources:
-Gateway to PTSD Information
-National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Inspirational Resources (Art, Poetry, Blogs, Music, Photography etc.):
-Gift From Within
-Photographic Thoughts
Children's Literacy Resources:
-Reading Is Fundamental (RIF)
-Lifelong Literacy
-ILoveLibraries
-The National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance
Spiritual Abuse Recovery Resources:
-Cult Awareness and Information Center
-Survivors of Spiritual Abuse (SOSA)
Women's Body Image Resources:
-Girls, Women + Media Project
-Love Your Body Campaign
-National Eating Disorder Information Center
-Helping Loved Ones
Resources for Temple Students:
-Tuttleman Counselling Center (Main Campus)
Click here to find a SUICIDE HOTLINE in your area (USA)
-Psychological Services (Ambler Campus)
Courage
If you have considered, or are now considering suicide,
STOP NOW AND CALL
1-800-SUICIDE ( 1-800-784-2433 ) , OR 911
Click here for a list of CRISIS HOTLINES (Trinidad and Tobago)
This site, along with its author does not endorse any religions, organizations, individuals, services or products of any kind. All of the resources listed on this page link to information sites that are research-based, secular and non-profit in nature.
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