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War and the Soul: Healing Our Nation's Veterans from Post-tramatic Stress Disorder
War and PTSD are on the public's mind as news stories regularly describe insurgency attacks in Iraq and paint grim portraits of the lives of returning soldiers afflicted with PTSD. These vets have recurrent nightmares and problems with intimacy, can’t sustain jobs or relationships, and won’t leave home, imagining “the enemy” is everywhere. Dr. Edward Tick has spent decades developing healing techniques so effective that clinicians, clergy, spiritual leaders, and veterans’ organizations all over the country are studying them. This book, presented here in an audio version, shows that healing depends on our understanding of PTSD not as a mere stress disorder, but as a disorder of identity itself. In the terror of war, the very soul can flee, sometimes for life. Tick's methods draw on compelling case studies and ancient warrior traditions worldwide to restore the soul so that the veteran can truly come home to community, family, and self.
345 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 25, 2005
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November 4, 2017
I was diagnosed with chronic combat related PTSD in 1992, after a lifetime of doing what we all did in one form or another, try to fit in and be as they would have me be, despite all the available evidence that this would be an impossible ask. It didn't work, ultimately I imploded. There followed nearly a decade at the mercy of the ministering hands of the mental health system, representative of a society that didn't want to know and had declared me and all other veterans returning from Vietnam, guilty and flawed. Guilty because we did what they asked of us and flawed because we lost. We were to have the shame of society's abysmal immorality throughout a decade of debacle, stuffed down our throats so that everyone could get on with feeling good about themselves.
Well, no one in the mental health system, (now there's an oxymoron if ever there was one) had any idea what was going on with us, nor despite sometimes well intentioned (and sometimes just disinterested) incompetence, did we begin at all to heal in any way. Neither the psychiatrists, nor the psychologists, nor the counselors, nor the nurses, doctors or carers, nor for that matter our families or friends had a clue what to do with us. The solution (they all had to do something) was drugs, counseling or psychotherapy, in isolation or in some trendy combination, all of them based on models that just did not apply. The results have been predictable, most notably defined by the catastrophic suicide, crime and homelessness rates among veterans, particularly in The US.
For myself, they nearly killed me with their kindness, They first convinced me that I was sick and that somehow that I was flawed because that was the case; then that the condition could not be remedied but that the symptoms might be ameliorated and or managed throughout the process of my gradual decline.
Well the author of this book has hit the nail on the head! Over the past few years, after I finally threw off the definitions of a maladjusted society and a chronically deficient "helping" profession, I came to see the "whole ball of wax" for what it was. Only years of meditation and focused and concentrated study of Buddhist teachings have helped me along that path. All of it done with no further reference to those who are supposed to know. The conclusions I came to line up directly with Tick's analysis, this is a sickness of those who sent us, our society and our government. Our responses are the only sane responses, the only human responses to those who represent what they themselves see as being "normal" but are in fact putrescent to the core. The way veterans were treated after Vietnam and are being treated as they return from Afghanistan now, is just symptomatic of that putrescence. If there is to be relief for us, we will have to provide it ourselves, and Tick lays down the principles and understandings that might guide us. There is little hope for, or inclination on the part of those who send us to war, ever to shoulder their responsibilities in that regard, or to treat their returning veteran's with honour.
That particular skill seems to be the preserve of those societies our spiritual and societal leaders arrogantly regard as "less civilized"; given the recent history this could reasonably be assumed to mean without any sense of morality at all.
Well, no one in the mental health system, (now there's an oxymoron if ever there was one) had any idea what was going on with us, nor despite sometimes well intentioned (and sometimes just disinterested) incompetence, did we begin at all to heal in any way. Neither the psychiatrists, nor the psychologists, nor the counselors, nor the nurses, doctors or carers, nor for that matter our families or friends had a clue what to do with us. The solution (they all had to do something) was drugs, counseling or psychotherapy, in isolation or in some trendy combination, all of them based on models that just did not apply. The results have been predictable, most notably defined by the catastrophic suicide, crime and homelessness rates among veterans, particularly in The US.
For myself, they nearly killed me with their kindness, They first convinced me that I was sick and that somehow that I was flawed because that was the case; then that the condition could not be remedied but that the symptoms might be ameliorated and or managed throughout the process of my gradual decline.
Well the author of this book has hit the nail on the head! Over the past few years, after I finally threw off the definitions of a maladjusted society and a chronically deficient "helping" profession, I came to see the "whole ball of wax" for what it was. Only years of meditation and focused and concentrated study of Buddhist teachings have helped me along that path. All of it done with no further reference to those who are supposed to know. The conclusions I came to line up directly with Tick's analysis, this is a sickness of those who sent us, our society and our government. Our responses are the only sane responses, the only human responses to those who represent what they themselves see as being "normal" but are in fact putrescent to the core. The way veterans were treated after Vietnam and are being treated as they return from Afghanistan now, is just symptomatic of that putrescence. If there is to be relief for us, we will have to provide it ourselves, and Tick lays down the principles and understandings that might guide us. There is little hope for, or inclination on the part of those who send us to war, ever to shoulder their responsibilities in that regard, or to treat their returning veteran's with honour.
That particular skill seems to be the preserve of those societies our spiritual and societal leaders arrogantly regard as "less civilized"; given the recent history this could reasonably be assumed to mean without any sense of morality at all.
April 25, 2012
I'm not often moved by a book from first page to last, but this has been one of them. Author Tick has spent decades of his life working as a therapist with war survivors from WWII to Iraq who have suffered from post traumatic stress disorder. The scope of his understanding as expressed in the book is reflected in his belief that PTSD "may be the moral defeat of our nation internalized in its veterans." It takes 276 pages of careful analysis before reaching this conclusion, but he builds a strong case along the way for dealing with PTSD as an identity disorder, and for understanding identity as bound up deeply with what lies at the living core of every human being - the soul.
It's impossible to do justice to the breadth and depth of Tick's argument in a brief review, but readers should be prepared for an acceptance of war as something that emerges from the psyche, where it finds expression first in archetypes and myth and then emerges as a rite of passage into adulthood. In other words, the willingness to go to war in individuals is not pathological but in fact part of a needed growth process. What makes this problematic in the modern age is the terrible destructiveness of modern weaponry and the modern war machine. The individual can be consumed in its ferocity and suffer profound psychological wounds (compounded by physical ones) that require immense healing. Alas, our culture, as returning veterans from Vietnam learned, knows next to nothing about how to provide healing that helps these men and women return to productive lives.
This is a book to be read slowly; there is much to absorb. Drawing on mythology, ancient literature about war, and Native American traditions, Tick explores how other cultures have regarded war and warriors. For those with either pro-war or anti-war sympathies, he makes an argument that each can learn from - building a model of healing that reflects some of both points of view. War is so deeply embedded in ourselves and in our connection to Divinity, he argues, it will never go away, and not because we are basically savage but because we need war to become fully human. The challenge is to re-imagine war and rediscover what has been understood, taught, and practiced in the warrior traditions that predate the modern age. While this may seem an impossible task, its vision can still serve those who look for a way to release themselves and others from the ravages of PTSD. The many case histories included in these pages show this process at work, and for those who have tears to shed, prepare to shed them.
It's impossible to do justice to the breadth and depth of Tick's argument in a brief review, but readers should be prepared for an acceptance of war as something that emerges from the psyche, where it finds expression first in archetypes and myth and then emerges as a rite of passage into adulthood. In other words, the willingness to go to war in individuals is not pathological but in fact part of a needed growth process. What makes this problematic in the modern age is the terrible destructiveness of modern weaponry and the modern war machine. The individual can be consumed in its ferocity and suffer profound psychological wounds (compounded by physical ones) that require immense healing. Alas, our culture, as returning veterans from Vietnam learned, knows next to nothing about how to provide healing that helps these men and women return to productive lives.
This is a book to be read slowly; there is much to absorb. Drawing on mythology, ancient literature about war, and Native American traditions, Tick explores how other cultures have regarded war and warriors. For those with either pro-war or anti-war sympathies, he makes an argument that each can learn from - building a model of healing that reflects some of both points of view. War is so deeply embedded in ourselves and in our connection to Divinity, he argues, it will never go away, and not because we are basically savage but because we need war to become fully human. The challenge is to re-imagine war and rediscover what has been understood, taught, and practiced in the warrior traditions that predate the modern age. While this may seem an impossible task, its vision can still serve those who look for a way to release themselves and others from the ravages of PTSD. The many case histories included in these pages show this process at work, and for those who have tears to shed, prepare to shed them.
May 3, 2023
I’m a therapist for combat Veterans and Active Duty military and all I can say to this book is YES! 100 times YES! Postraumattic Stress is really about heart and soul wounds and as such cannot be truly healed by just changing thoughts and behaviors. Soul deep and more heart connected healing is needed and it is a whole nation’s responsibility to be involved in this healing as we are all responsible for sending our young men and women to war in the first place. This is not without a great cost and we can do better. First by using every other avenue to avoid war and then providing the care needed for as long as it’s needed on the other side of the war when our warriors return home. Our warriors continue to shoulder the impossibly heavy burdens of war long after they’ve left the combat zone and the war is supposedly over. This book is full of wisdom about the soul and tapping into the hero’s journey. I will reference this book and work again and again in the healing journey I continue to do with our warriors and I will always consider this work to be hallowed and sacred ground.
Thank you Edward Tick for getting to the heart and the soul of the matter.
Thank you Edward Tick for getting to the heart and the soul of the matter.
March 28, 2020
As a spouse of a veteran who struggles with PTSD, Tick's description of his experience in counseling veterans and others who have to live with memories of trauma is a breath of fresh air. It can be frustrating and challenging to not understand why some veterans can be mistrustful of the VA and anything associated with it. The realities of what it's like to live with horrific memories is all too familiar yet foreign to me, and I feel like the author does a decent job at framing the struggle for many so as to better comprehend what many veterans deal with after seeing combat. I find it interesting how his approach of using universal cultural norms of rite of passage and warrior rituals has had such profound effect on his clients. He seems to have a good grasp on the connection veterans fail to receive through an overwhelmed VA system. To describe PTSD as an injury to the soul, a moral injury, is to shed light on the crux of the problem plaguing so many veterans regardless of which era's war.
January 15, 2011
A fine look into the madness that gets swept under so many rugs. Who can walk away from war unchanged? This book helps us to understand the trauma that occurs in the mind of soldiers faced with the brutality of combat. It is to our benefit to know these stories so that we can help our soldier's truly to come home.
October 15, 2023
Психолог Эдвард Тик рассказывает про посттравматическое расстройство у участников войн, пытается найти его причины и способы с ним работать, и в ходе своих изысканий приходит к тому, что это сложное явление про идентичность – не про психику или здоровье, а в первую очередь про душу целиком, что бы этим ни называть. Много про историю и архетипы войн в массовом сознании, а также традиционные практики отношения к воинам у разных народов мира, которые Тик в итоге применяет для своих пациентов. Выглядит местами почти эзотерикой, но ничего слишком мистического.
Читал, чтобы знать и быть готовым.
Цитаты:
«Richard Gabriel writes, “In every war since World War I, more American soldiers have become psychiatric casualties than were killed . . . . We have reached a point where almost everyone exposed to combat will, within a comparatively short period of time, be killed, wounded, or driven mad”.»
«During hostilities, the United States suffered 148 combat deaths, 235 other deaths, and 467 wounded. As of more than a decade later, the Veterans Administration had recognized a total of 262,586 veterans disabled due to Gulf War duties and 10,617 dead of combat-related injuries and illnesses since. That raises the casualty rate of American forces in the Gulf War to the rather substantial figure of 30.8 percent.»
«And our culture, which craves various forms of getting high, exacerbates the problem by encouraging stories that glorify war in order to gain a vicarious thrill. the compulsive storytelling reinforces our strange cultural ambivalence about war—we can get high on war stories while shunning war’ s reality and failing its victims.»
«- Though young people in the military may hunger to become warriors, in most cases they become soldiers instead. Warrior and soldier are different roles, different archetypes. The role of soldier be the modern remnant of the warrior archetype, in that it is mass produced, wired with technology, and given no honest sense of transcendent purpose or lifelong usefulness.
It is a twisted version of warriorhood that comes from an immature psyche still trying to prove itself in a world it fears. It is characterized, as Robert Moore summarizes, by lack of control of aggression, insensitivity to relatedness, desire for vengeance, enjoyment of carnage and cruelty, scorn toward the vulnerable, hostility toward the feminine and everything soft, and compulsive and workaholic tendencies.»
«Art trusted no one and was numb to all feelings but “staying on red alert.” He had to distance himself from everyone or he’d let his guard down. He startled at every loud sound and could not sleep—or when he did, he had nightmares of combat. And he was plagued with survivor’s guilt. “I shouldn’t be here. I should be dead a thousand times, the things I’ve been through. That’s why I’m just waitin’ for it. Death is chasing me. It’ll catch up to me. Nobody could survive what I did and still be alive»
«Post-traumatic stress disorder is a constellation of fixated experience, delayed growth, devastated character, interrupted initiation, and unsupported recovery. Many veterans who cannot get on with life are boy-men stuck in the psychic war zone, lost in an incomplete and horrific rite of passage.»
«It seems that survivors cannot find peace unless they make peace with the legions of dead with whom they have any relationship—as relative, friend, comrade in arms, former enemy, or even as their killer. Relations with the missing and the dead, and with death itself, are at the core of the soul wound we call post-traumatic stress disorder.»
«After a year of performing imaginal exhumations, Ray finally began to feel, for time, that he had the right to live a full life. His form of reconciliation with the dead was to make it his duty to carry forward their words, names, and memories. Not able to escape what he had seen, he accepted the responsibility to bear witness to it.»
Читал, чтобы знать и быть готовым.
Цитаты:
«Richard Gabriel writes, “In every war since World War I, more American soldiers have become psychiatric casualties than were killed . . . . We have reached a point where almost everyone exposed to combat will, within a comparatively short period of time, be killed, wounded, or driven mad”.»
«During hostilities, the United States suffered 148 combat deaths, 235 other deaths, and 467 wounded. As of more than a decade later, the Veterans Administration had recognized a total of 262,586 veterans disabled due to Gulf War duties and 10,617 dead of combat-related injuries and illnesses since. That raises the casualty rate of American forces in the Gulf War to the rather substantial figure of 30.8 percent.»
«And our culture, which craves various forms of getting high, exacerbates the problem by encouraging stories that glorify war in order to gain a vicarious thrill. the compulsive storytelling reinforces our strange cultural ambivalence about war—we can get high on war stories while shunning war’ s reality and failing its victims.»
«- Though young people in the military may hunger to become warriors, in most cases they become soldiers instead. Warrior and soldier are different roles, different archetypes. The role of soldier be the modern remnant of the warrior archetype, in that it is mass produced, wired with technology, and given no honest sense of transcendent purpose or lifelong usefulness.
It is a twisted version of warriorhood that comes from an immature psyche still trying to prove itself in a world it fears. It is characterized, as Robert Moore summarizes, by lack of control of aggression, insensitivity to relatedness, desire for vengeance, enjoyment of carnage and cruelty, scorn toward the vulnerable, hostility toward the feminine and everything soft, and compulsive and workaholic tendencies.»
«Art trusted no one and was numb to all feelings but “staying on red alert.” He had to distance himself from everyone or he’d let his guard down. He startled at every loud sound and could not sleep—or when he did, he had nightmares of combat. And he was plagued with survivor’s guilt. “I shouldn’t be here. I should be dead a thousand times, the things I’ve been through. That’s why I’m just waitin’ for it. Death is chasing me. It’ll catch up to me. Nobody could survive what I did and still be alive»
«Post-traumatic stress disorder is a constellation of fixated experience, delayed growth, devastated character, interrupted initiation, and unsupported recovery. Many veterans who cannot get on with life are boy-men stuck in the psychic war zone, lost in an incomplete and horrific rite of passage.»
«It seems that survivors cannot find peace unless they make peace with the legions of dead with whom they have any relationship—as relative, friend, comrade in arms, former enemy, or even as their killer. Relations with the missing and the dead, and with death itself, are at the core of the soul wound we call post-traumatic stress disorder.»
«After a year of performing imaginal exhumations, Ray finally began to feel, for time, that he had the right to live a full life. His form of reconciliation with the dead was to make it his duty to carry forward their words, names, and memories. Not able to escape what he had seen, he accepted the responsibility to bear witness to it.»
February 1, 2025
Several books have helped guide me during my healing journey from PTSD and moral injury. One of those is “War and the Soul: Healing our nation’s veterans from post-traumatic stress disorder” by American psychotherapist Edward Tick.
Ed writes that U.S. veterans have been through a profound death-rebirth process and are significantly and permanently transformed. Extreme damage has been done to their character. As such, PTSD should be seen as an identity disorder and soul wound, affecting personality at the deepest level.
War and the Soul, published in 2005, has been a constant source of inspiration. Ed helped me understand the importance of my identity wound and like a lighthouse keeper, he helped me find my way home. While Ed works mainly with veterans, his insights are valuable to all of us.
Ed writes that U.S. veterans have been through a profound death-rebirth process and are significantly and permanently transformed. Extreme damage has been done to their character. As such, PTSD should be seen as an identity disorder and soul wound, affecting personality at the deepest level.
War and the Soul, published in 2005, has been a constant source of inspiration. Ed helped me understand the importance of my identity wound and like a lighthouse keeper, he helped me find my way home. While Ed works mainly with veterans, his insights are valuable to all of us.
March 20, 2023
I don’t know enough about PTSD to give this a proper review, but I am reading more books on the subject to help better support someone close to me who struggles with it, and this book was….interesting. It was rather hippy dippy and that says a lot coming from me since my family and I live a somewhat crunchy lifestyle. It’s different from a lot of medically supported articles I’ve read so far and all in all, it was a good read for people with an open mind.
February 21, 2017
Worth reading. Neutral on the topic of "Is this war/that war justified?" yet offers insight into war's effects on the soul of the one tasked to carry out the war.
Should be read by anybody who has been to war, who served but did not have the opportunity to deploy to war, and most importantly by those with the power to declare war and those who support them.
Should be read by anybody who has been to war, who served but did not have the opportunity to deploy to war, and most importantly by those with the power to declare war and those who support them.
September 8, 2020
Overall I thought this was a great read! It gives great insight on the many things that can affect military members during and after service. PTSD is very real, especially for Veterans. It's an injustice that they aren't always taken care of when transitioning back to civilian life and I thought the cultural rituals noted by the author were very interesting to think about.
March 26, 2017
While his theories may be controversial among professionals, to a layman such as myself, they make whole bunch of sense. Very moving and insightful. Tick's work motivated me to get involved in a minor capacity supporting veterans.
January 15, 2021
Trying to make sense to people who have been convinced to kill others that this is trauma they can work through, healing is harder than anything. Explores why people are convinced and why more might want to push back *before*
July 10, 2018
Every American should read this! Powerful. Poignant. Patriotic.
June 6, 2020
The finest book to really understand the etiology of PTSD
October 5, 2021
An idea that needs to be understood and addressed by Homo Sapiens.
October 26, 2021
harrowing and Healing
A look at what moral injury does to combat participants, with a look towards what helps, what hurts, and the archetypes involved . Powerful and necessary.
A look at what moral injury does to combat participants, with a look towards what helps, what hurts, and the archetypes involved . Powerful and necessary.
October 11, 2022
Fantastic read.
April 7, 2013
Edward Tick uses Jungian psychology as a lense to view the post traumatic state of war veterans. He contends that PTSD is a "soul wound" an identity disorder naturally resulting from the brutal experiences of war that are not addressed appropriately in light of the archetypal unconsciuos.
War seems to be an elemental part of the human experience, he claims, and modern war is especially damaging to the human psyche for several reasons. One is that modern society has not developed the warrior culture with attendent myths, rituals, rites of passage, etc... that is nested in the society. Such a culture helped warriors from earlier times to cope with the brutalities of war and provided a context for the warrior's experience, including the psychic wounds incurred. Modern society, including modern warfare doesn't recognized these "spiritual" dimensions to life and wants to treat the identity disorders and psychic wounds resulting fom participation in modern war with pharmaceuticals.
Ticks explores spiritual aspects of these psychic wounds and their potential alleviation including participation in traditional warrior rituals (like sweat lodges for purification), confession (an old spiritual practice), restitution (like working for some kind of humanitarian relief among the populations where one fought), healing journeys (like Vietnam War Veterans returning to Vietnam to interact with their former enemies, walk the ground of former battles, etc...) He claims some success stories among those he has counseled who have taken advantage of such therapeutic activities. The authors criticisms of modern militaries use of the warrior archetype for recruiting purposes while ignoring the equally elemental aspects of warrior rituals, warrior's place within society, and the other traditional aspects of the warrior journey leaves modern veterans stranded with broken identities and little in the way of real spiritual / psychic assistance with what comes after their experiences on the modern battlefield.
At the end of the day, this was a hard book for what it says about the human condition and about the psychically damaging aspects of participation in modern warfare. It was also a hopeful book in that it shed light on some directions we might take to mitigate some of the suffering of modern war among veterans of these conflicts and the populations among whom they fought. The author did a nice job of discussing "spiritual" maladies without using the language or relying on the assumptions of any religious point of view. A secular humanist might even go along with the descriptions of "soul" used for the concept of soul wounds for instance. I was at times depressed by this book, disturbed by this book and inspired by this book. I recommend this book for combat veterans and those who love them, for those interested in the mental health of combat veterans, and for anyone else who is interested in a point of view about modern warfare and it's psychic costs that isn't normally considered in our modern world.
War seems to be an elemental part of the human experience, he claims, and modern war is especially damaging to the human psyche for several reasons. One is that modern society has not developed the warrior culture with attendent myths, rituals, rites of passage, etc... that is nested in the society. Such a culture helped warriors from earlier times to cope with the brutalities of war and provided a context for the warrior's experience, including the psychic wounds incurred. Modern society, including modern warfare doesn't recognized these "spiritual" dimensions to life and wants to treat the identity disorders and psychic wounds resulting fom participation in modern war with pharmaceuticals.
Ticks explores spiritual aspects of these psychic wounds and their potential alleviation including participation in traditional warrior rituals (like sweat lodges for purification), confession (an old spiritual practice), restitution (like working for some kind of humanitarian relief among the populations where one fought), healing journeys (like Vietnam War Veterans returning to Vietnam to interact with their former enemies, walk the ground of former battles, etc...) He claims some success stories among those he has counseled who have taken advantage of such therapeutic activities. The authors criticisms of modern militaries use of the warrior archetype for recruiting purposes while ignoring the equally elemental aspects of warrior rituals, warrior's place within society, and the other traditional aspects of the warrior journey leaves modern veterans stranded with broken identities and little in the way of real spiritual / psychic assistance with what comes after their experiences on the modern battlefield.
At the end of the day, this was a hard book for what it says about the human condition and about the psychically damaging aspects of participation in modern warfare. It was also a hopeful book in that it shed light on some directions we might take to mitigate some of the suffering of modern war among veterans of these conflicts and the populations among whom they fought. The author did a nice job of discussing "spiritual" maladies without using the language or relying on the assumptions of any religious point of view. A secular humanist might even go along with the descriptions of "soul" used for the concept of soul wounds for instance. I was at times depressed by this book, disturbed by this book and inspired by this book. I recommend this book for combat veterans and those who love them, for those interested in the mental health of combat veterans, and for anyone else who is interested in a point of view about modern warfare and it's psychic costs that isn't normally considered in our modern world.
March 20, 2014
I struggle with Jungian psychology. To me, it seems to take "traditional cultures" and throw them all into one unified philosophy of self and society. I don't deny that there are strong commonalities across peoples and times. That said, equating Ancient Greece, 19th century American Indians, and post-9/11 soldiers feels... incomplete. Each of these cultures has specific, important aspects that define the universal archetypes enactment. Plus, I'm always hesitant when I see a western writer praise the inherent knowledge of "traditional cultures"-- the risk of cultural appropriation (and by extension symbolic violence) makes me weary of any unexamined attempt to adopt these spiritual or social practices.
I did find parts of "War and the Soul" interesting. Tick's contention that PTSD is a soul sickness and personality disorder, not a stress disorder, not only makes sense but is an important contribution to clinical thought on PTSD. However, I wanted to see a more thoughtful engagement with the state of research on PTSD and TBI. His case studies are all successes, of course. I also cringed at his subtle but persistent criticism of prescriptions used to treat PTSD symptoms. While I believe, fully, that many psychological prescriptions are over-used, I think it is a mistake to assume that a return to "traditional cultural practices" will solve all problems. Sometimes a sleeping pill is exactly what someone needs to function.
"War and the Soul's" critiques of modern war were also interesting. Tick emphasizes that modern war promises but does not deliver "transformation" and also emphasizes the deep disconnect between suffering veterans and the society that sent them to war. Often, the nation's failure to accept culpability for veteran suffering only adds to the "soul wound" veterans experience. Tick is especially critical of the media and video games that prop up a warrior myth in a society that rejects its own culpability for wars. I am less convinced by his points on media and representation. TV, movies, and video games use war as entertainment but, frankly, so did Shakespeare and Homer.
It's a thought-provoking book but one that should be read in concert with other texts on PTSD. Tick's approach to his clinical work is fascinating and a needed dose of humanity in an often hyper-medicalized diagnosis.
I did find parts of "War and the Soul" interesting. Tick's contention that PTSD is a soul sickness and personality disorder, not a stress disorder, not only makes sense but is an important contribution to clinical thought on PTSD. However, I wanted to see a more thoughtful engagement with the state of research on PTSD and TBI. His case studies are all successes, of course. I also cringed at his subtle but persistent criticism of prescriptions used to treat PTSD symptoms. While I believe, fully, that many psychological prescriptions are over-used, I think it is a mistake to assume that a return to "traditional cultural practices" will solve all problems. Sometimes a sleeping pill is exactly what someone needs to function.
"War and the Soul's" critiques of modern war were also interesting. Tick emphasizes that modern war promises but does not deliver "transformation" and also emphasizes the deep disconnect between suffering veterans and the society that sent them to war. Often, the nation's failure to accept culpability for veteran suffering only adds to the "soul wound" veterans experience. Tick is especially critical of the media and video games that prop up a warrior myth in a society that rejects its own culpability for wars. I am less convinced by his points on media and representation. TV, movies, and video games use war as entertainment but, frankly, so did Shakespeare and Homer.
It's a thought-provoking book but one that should be read in concert with other texts on PTSD. Tick's approach to his clinical work is fascinating and a needed dose of humanity in an often hyper-medicalized diagnosis.
June 15, 2009
This was an amazing book that combined the first person stories of veterans (mostly from the Vietnam War) with a psychologist's description of PTSD as a soul disorder rather than a "stress" disorder.
He describes the experience of going to war as an initiation -- one which in modern times is almost never successfully completed. As a result, those who go war undergo the first part -- the tearing down of the previous personality and the transformation into a soldier -- but seldom receive the support to integrate their experiences into becoming a mature warrior after the war: a person who has faced and dealt with the horrors of war and the ethical issues, who can release their fear and anger, and become an elder, a guardian, and an advocate against senseless violence.
Author Edward Tick uses myth and archetype -- the language of the soul -- as the language of this work, which resonates deeply with me. Our culture still responds to the ancient mythic power of war, but the way we wage war (mechanized, large scale, with more tolerance of "acceptable loss" and collateral damage to civilian targets than used to be the case) makes the fulfillment of those dimensions very difficult, and increases the soul wounding for those who participate in it.
Through individual counseling and the work of his organization "Soldiers Heart," Tick has been using these techniques successfully for more than 20 years to help veterans, their families, and communities, heal from the wounds of war.
Five stars not just for strong writing and a fascinating topic, but because I've joined Soldiers Heart as a result of reading it.
He describes the experience of going to war as an initiation -- one which in modern times is almost never successfully completed. As a result, those who go war undergo the first part -- the tearing down of the previous personality and the transformation into a soldier -- but seldom receive the support to integrate their experiences into becoming a mature warrior after the war: a person who has faced and dealt with the horrors of war and the ethical issues, who can release their fear and anger, and become an elder, a guardian, and an advocate against senseless violence.
Author Edward Tick uses myth and archetype -- the language of the soul -- as the language of this work, which resonates deeply with me. Our culture still responds to the ancient mythic power of war, but the way we wage war (mechanized, large scale, with more tolerance of "acceptable loss" and collateral damage to civilian targets than used to be the case) makes the fulfillment of those dimensions very difficult, and increases the soul wounding for those who participate in it.
Through individual counseling and the work of his organization "Soldiers Heart," Tick has been using these techniques successfully for more than 20 years to help veterans, their families, and communities, heal from the wounds of war.
Five stars not just for strong writing and a fascinating topic, but because I've joined Soldiers Heart as a result of reading it.
April 13, 2010
Dr. Tick lucidly and compassionately makes the argument that it is not war itself that is responsible for PTSD (which he presents as a "soul disorder," rather than as a "stress disorder") but the way our society treats those who have fought its wars. It's not the experience itself that causes the trauma; it's then being unable to share the burden of the experience. Taking communal responsibility for the soldiers' experiences and treating them as warriors who have been through a rite of passage and have emerged on the other side with hard-won, valuable knowledge for all to share in, rather than as resources to be disposed of once they've performed their duty, is a way to avoid war's corrosive and distortional effects on the psyche.
April 18, 2008
Beautiful. This is one of my favorite books. The author talks about the importance of integrating the warrior archetype into our cultural psyche in order to make meaning of our participation in warfare, and to avoid more psychological casualties. I think he's right; if soldiers can't make some meaning of their combat experiences, the shit they see and do, they get "stuck", and that looks like the cluster of symptoms that make up PTSD. And I like that he is open to both creative ways of conceptualizing what's going on with veterans, and alternative ways of working with this population, because I think above all, we have to get really creative and open-minded when working with these guys.
April 18, 2010
Ed Tick shares his fascinating and valid perspective on the core reasons why our soldiers and veterans develop what we call PTSD. I am enthralled by his accounts of war, warrior cultures, and rituals throughout history...especially the themes of initation - war AS initiation - and sacredness. Compared to these accounts and themes, our culture is dreadfully lacking in what it takes for veterans to heal and reclaim their lives meaningfully. I am hopeful that this book will give a context to veterans in which to place the sacredness, power, and depth of their experiences; their suffering and loss, and hopefully their healing and transformation.
July 26, 2014
I wish I could rate the book higher, but it just does not warrant it. Tick has streaks of brilliance followed by valleys of confusion.
The highlights of this text include his call for a collective accountability for wars a country undertakes and the care of the retiring warriors.
The confusion comes from his chasing of the 'myth' of a warrior. I understand, and appreciate, his drawing from different faiths and cultures but I am not sure if his points addressed the overall idea effectively. They seemed random at times and failed to contribute.
I have recommended this book to someone else, but I do so with words of caution.
The highlights of this text include his call for a collective accountability for wars a country undertakes and the care of the retiring warriors.
The confusion comes from his chasing of the 'myth' of a warrior. I understand, and appreciate, his drawing from different faiths and cultures but I am not sure if his points addressed the overall idea effectively. They seemed random at times and failed to contribute.
I have recommended this book to someone else, but I do so with words of caution.
August 12, 2007
The first part of the book deals with the myths and archtypes of war, and is rather academic. The second half of the book deals more directly with PTSD. The stories of veterans are the most interesting part, in particular vets returning to Vietnam in an attempt to heal their war traumas. I like how the author considers PTSD to be a soul sickness and one of our society, due to the fact that we isolate our war veterans in a attempt to retain our society's innocence over the wars our country has been involved in.
April 10, 2011
What is the soul? Apparently soldiers find out when they are faced with losing it. Tick realizes the only way to heal PTSD fully is to engage soldiers in soul healing. Interesting sociological discussion of "warrior",initiation rites, and romanticized views of war.
July 28, 2013
"We must learn to walk through hell with our hearts wide open" (p. 285). This is the seminal work for current helping professionals working with veterans, their families, and our communities. I could not recommend it enough.
October 17, 2018
Thank you, Edward Tick, PH. D. for your service to veterans plagued by dislocation, stress, loss, moral ambiguity and the surrender of the ego. I appreciate your exemplary manner as portrayed in War and the Soul: Healing Our Nation's Veterans from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder.
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September 13, 2007http://www.wbez.org/Program_WV_Segmen...
Another heavy but life-affirming interview on NPR. I like people who believe talking is healing.
Another heavy but life-affirming interview on NPR. I like people who believe talking is healing.
June 21, 2008
A discourse on the profound emotional and psychological impact on those who experience war and its life-long effects.
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