To write about the combat veteran is to write about fortitude, dedication and selflessness, and about experiences unfathomable to those who have never known the indescribable horrors of war. To write about you – the veteran’s spouse or partner – is to write about another kind of loyalty and perseverance and yet another kind of pain and sadness.

The trauma of war can affect not only the warriors, but their partners and children as well. Often it is you, the veteran’s partner, who helps sustain the veteran during his or her depressions, anxiety attacks, and post-traumatic reactions. It may also be you, and perhaps you alone, who has sustained your veteran’s will to live during his or her most anguished moments. Unfortunately, some veterans vent their anger (at themselves or at others whom they felt betrayed them) on the people they love and who love them the most—their partners and children.

The purpose of this book is to help you (and your veteran) better understand combat trauma and its possible effects on intimate relationships and family life and to guide you to resources that can help strengthen every member of your family. The beginning chapters provide basic information about combat trauma and how it can lead to depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other forms of emotional pain. The remaining chapters focus on some of the most common problems confronting families of combat veterans: emotional numbing, sexual difficulties, anger, and guilt.

There are also chapters on family violence, children, women veterans, and military couples and sections on how to cope with anger and depression, how to find helpful organizations and books, and how to communicate effectively on difficult issues.

In addition to describing the tensions that can result from combat trauma, this book emphasizes the many ways a veteran’s war experiences can help enrich individual family members and the family as a whole. Just as one part of your family cannot suffer without that suffering affecting the entire unit, if your veteran has grown emotionally (or spiritually) as the result of combat, his or her growth can influence and inspire you and other family members. Keep in mind that the turmoil you and your veteran are experiencing can lay the foundation for more meaningful relationships and for an improved outlook on life.        

This book is based on the available research on the impact of combat trauma on family life and on some thirty years of clinical experience with veterans (male and female) and their partners and children.

Contents

1. The Reality of Combat Trauma
2. Frequently Asked Questions about Combat Trauma
• How many veterans really suffer from symptoms of combat trauma?
• What effect does combat experience have on symptoms of combat trauma?
• What effect can the atmosphere at home have on veterans?
• How can war affect veterans spiritually and morally?
• Why are some veterans more affected by combat than others?
• How can war affect veterans physically?
• How can war affect the way veterans think?
• What are some of the benefits of combat duty?
3. Common Traumatic Reactions—Anxiety Disorders, Dissociation, Depression, and Somatization
4. Emotional Distancing
5. Combat Trauma and Sex
6. Anger, Grief, and Guilt
7. Multiple Roles
8. Battered Women
9. Women Veterans: Achievements and Injustice
10. Military Couples
11. Children in Veteran Families
12. Suicide and the Veteran Family
13. The Hope of Therapy

Appendixes
A. Resources
B. Suggested Readings
C. Guidelines for Effective Communication
D. To Significant Others: Some Do’s and Don’ts
Notes
Index

Price: $24.95.