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IMPACT: A Memoir of PTSD
For readers of The Glass Castle, Half Alive, and Wild, an inspiring, intimate memoir about family, loss and finding one’s way, that shimmers with truth and heart on every page.
On a sunny spring morning, Jane Ann McLachlan was driving her daughter Caroline, newly home from university, on a routine errand. Their affectionate banter was suddenly broken when a jeep barreled into their car. The impact trapped McLachlan in the car with multiple injuries and resulted in severe PTSD.
McLachlan takes us on a deeply personal, immediate, and emotional journey through PTSD. She is forced to surrender her illusion of control and re-evaluate what it is that gives a life value. In telling her story, she captures the impact of PTSD on its victims and their families, and shines a light on the unacknowledged truth that PTSD is not something that only happens to war veterans or victims of abuse, but something that can happen to anyone.
Impact is the story of how a life can be shattered in the blink of an eye, and of how to begin again.
On a sunny spring morning, Jane Ann McLachlan was driving her daughter Caroline, newly home from university, on a routine errand. Their affectionate banter was suddenly broken when a jeep barreled into their car. The impact trapped McLachlan in the car with multiple injuries and resulted in severe PTSD.
McLachlan takes us on a deeply personal, immediate, and emotional journey through PTSD. She is forced to surrender her illusion of control and re-evaluate what it is that gives a life value. In telling her story, she captures the impact of PTSD on its victims and their families, and shines a light on the unacknowledged truth that PTSD is not something that only happens to war veterans or victims of abuse, but something that can happen to anyone.
Impact is the story of how a life can be shattered in the blink of an eye, and of how to begin again.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 30, 2018
57 people are currently reading
29 people want to read
About the author
J.A. McLachlan
9 books72 followersJ. A. McLachlan (also known as Jane Ann McLachlan) is a multi-genre Canadian author. She has ten published books: Three Historical Fiction novels, The Lode Stone; The Sorrow Stone; and The Girl Who Would Be Queen; IMPACT: A Memoir of PTSD; a short story collection, CONNECTIONS (Pandora Press); two College texts on Professional Ethics (Pearson-Prentice Hall); a science fiction novel, Walls of Wind (self-published); and two young adult fiction novels, The Occasional Diamond Thief and The Salarian Desert Game (EDGE SF&F Publishing).
Visit her website to learn more and read excerpts from her books: http://www.janeannmclachlan.com
Praise for Walls of Wind:
"Look out, C. J. Cherryh! Step aside, Hal Clement! There's a new master of truly alien SF, and her name is J. A. McLachlan. THE WALLS OF WIND is doubtless THE debut novel of the year."
~ Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo Award-winning science fiction author
Tamora Pierce read Occasional Diamond Thief and The Salarian Desert Game and said:
"Tense, thrilling, edge-of-the-seat reading--I tore through this! Kia and Agatha are a fascinating pair, Kia so practical, down-to-earth, and wilful; Agatha so mystical and driven. More, please!"
~ Tamora Pierce
Visit her website to learn more and read excerpts from her books: http://www.janeannmclachlan.com
Praise for Walls of Wind:
"Look out, C. J. Cherryh! Step aside, Hal Clement! There's a new master of truly alien SF, and her name is J. A. McLachlan. THE WALLS OF WIND is doubtless THE debut novel of the year."
~ Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo Award-winning science fiction author
Tamora Pierce read Occasional Diamond Thief and The Salarian Desert Game and said:
"Tense, thrilling, edge-of-the-seat reading--I tore through this! Kia and Agatha are a fascinating pair, Kia so practical, down-to-earth, and wilful; Agatha so mystical and driven. More, please!"
~ Tamora Pierce
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 31, 2019
I received a copy of this book as an early reviewer from the author.
My wife suffers from PTSD. She been on medication for years. I too suffer from PTSD but in a much milder form. My memories are so repressed that counselors gave up trying. Neither my wife nor I been to war, but we share similar experiences that are the root cause of our PTSD.
PTSD is an awful for those who have it and the ones closest to the individual. Jane Ann clearly writes of her experience with PTSD. How an auto accident affect her and her daughter. How the rest of her family suffered, stood by here and were always there to help. Her husband has a lot more patience than I ever could manage. Jane tells how insurance companies, doctors, therapists and counselors treated her and how they did and did not help her.
We are treated to her thoughts as she makes her way through the mess PTSD made of her thinking, her spiritual life, and the physical manifestation. Everything is well written, loaded with visual pose, and I very much felt I was a part of Jane Ann's journey.
Maybe this might help you understand your own PTSD sufferer, or yourself if you suffer. I now understand my wife just a tad better. Unfortunately, the affect that PTSD has on an individual is like a lake and what we can understand is just a drop of water from the sky. Each case is individual, and causes are numerous, and the person's makeup will determine the when, where and the what.
With the onset of PTSD with my wife, the doctor explained that it was like a switch in her brain. Unfortunately, my ‘old wife’ is gone but we manage, especially with our faith. Jane’s story is similar to what my wife experienced and at the same time worlds apart. Thanks Jane Ann for sharing your story.
My wife suffers from PTSD. She been on medication for years. I too suffer from PTSD but in a much milder form. My memories are so repressed that counselors gave up trying. Neither my wife nor I been to war, but we share similar experiences that are the root cause of our PTSD.
PTSD is an awful for those who have it and the ones closest to the individual. Jane Ann clearly writes of her experience with PTSD. How an auto accident affect her and her daughter. How the rest of her family suffered, stood by here and were always there to help. Her husband has a lot more patience than I ever could manage. Jane tells how insurance companies, doctors, therapists and counselors treated her and how they did and did not help her.
We are treated to her thoughts as she makes her way through the mess PTSD made of her thinking, her spiritual life, and the physical manifestation. Everything is well written, loaded with visual pose, and I very much felt I was a part of Jane Ann's journey.
Maybe this might help you understand your own PTSD sufferer, or yourself if you suffer. I now understand my wife just a tad better. Unfortunately, the affect that PTSD has on an individual is like a lake and what we can understand is just a drop of water from the sky. Each case is individual, and causes are numerous, and the person's makeup will determine the when, where and the what.
With the onset of PTSD with my wife, the doctor explained that it was like a switch in her brain. Unfortunately, my ‘old wife’ is gone but we manage, especially with our faith. Jane’s story is similar to what my wife experienced and at the same time worlds apart. Thanks Jane Ann for sharing your story.
August 7, 2018
Been there, done that
I suffer from PTSD. I had a severe motorcycle wreck on February 19th 1983. To this day I remember nothing of the wreck and don't remember the first 5 days after the wreck. I remember waking up in a hospital bed in a white room with an IV and no idea where I was at or how I got there. I was a young soldier stationed at Ft Campbell, KY and had to relearn much of the basic knowledge for my job after I was allowed to return to the work environment. I had forgotten so much. I was told by my first line leaders constantly how I'd never do this or that again. I was determined to prove them wrong and managed to attain much of what I had lost. It seemed harder to learn new things as it was easy before for me to learn and retain new knowledge. I have been in constant pain since I woke from the accident in my right shoulder and neck. No medicine totally relieves the pain and I need muscle relaxants to help ease it somewhat. When I retired from the army I was awarded 20% disability. I then went to work with the US Postal Service as a rural carrier. For the next 11.5 years I continued the fight for a 100% disability rating through the US Department of Veterans Affairs. During this process at various times people would make remarks about why should you get disability, you're fine. I would tell them spend a week in my body and maybe you'll understand what I deal with every day. When I was evaluated by a Psychiatrist for PTSD he checked every block indicating I have PTSD. This finally pushed me over the top to be 100% disabled through VA. A proper evaluation through a medical authority can go a long way toward getting the help you need. If Jane received proper treatment she may have recovered more quickly. Her book does an excellent job of demonstrating the effects PTSD can have on you. Her book walks us through her experiences in such a way that it feels as if you are the one going through it. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who suffers with PTSD!!!
I suffer from PTSD. I had a severe motorcycle wreck on February 19th 1983. To this day I remember nothing of the wreck and don't remember the first 5 days after the wreck. I remember waking up in a hospital bed in a white room with an IV and no idea where I was at or how I got there. I was a young soldier stationed at Ft Campbell, KY and had to relearn much of the basic knowledge for my job after I was allowed to return to the work environment. I had forgotten so much. I was told by my first line leaders constantly how I'd never do this or that again. I was determined to prove them wrong and managed to attain much of what I had lost. It seemed harder to learn new things as it was easy before for me to learn and retain new knowledge. I have been in constant pain since I woke from the accident in my right shoulder and neck. No medicine totally relieves the pain and I need muscle relaxants to help ease it somewhat. When I retired from the army I was awarded 20% disability. I then went to work with the US Postal Service as a rural carrier. For the next 11.5 years I continued the fight for a 100% disability rating through the US Department of Veterans Affairs. During this process at various times people would make remarks about why should you get disability, you're fine. I would tell them spend a week in my body and maybe you'll understand what I deal with every day. When I was evaluated by a Psychiatrist for PTSD he checked every block indicating I have PTSD. This finally pushed me over the top to be 100% disabled through VA. A proper evaluation through a medical authority can go a long way toward getting the help you need. If Jane received proper treatment she may have recovered more quickly. Her book does an excellent job of demonstrating the effects PTSD can have on you. Her book walks us through her experiences in such a way that it feels as if you are the one going through it. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who suffers with PTSD!!!
July 31, 2018
Received a copy of this book as an early reviewer from the author. Now, I am convinced that there are many individuals still out here with undiagnosed PTSD. Never know how one will react when involved in accidents, drama or circumstance. Only you know you and no one can tell you how to feel or how you should react or how you should be feeling/reacting. One thing I do know is the frustration of finding a doctor who knows or understands why you feel/react the way that you do. Such as doctor click clak. Sometimes I feel that doctors are using us a guinea pigs, experimenting because they don't really know or have the answers. They are human and don't have all the answers. They just refer to one doctor after the next and finally you get that one doctor that has the answer. This is when you find some comfort and relief. This book will help others to understand that PTSD isn't just the effects of military personnel but anyone who has suffered or been through a tragic event. I applaud the author for telling her story and pray that she is doing well.
August 2, 2018
Familiarity
Jane Ann is such a great storyteller that you can hardly bear to read of her experience. The excruciating fear and horror she felt during her lowest times coupled with her other health issues seems beyond endurance, yet the fine silver thread of hope for recovery that towed her back in is the same lifeline that anyone who has suffered PTSD can grasp for themselves.
Thank you Jane for retelling your story just one more time.
Jane Ann is such a great storyteller that you can hardly bear to read of her experience. The excruciating fear and horror she felt during her lowest times coupled with her other health issues seems beyond endurance, yet the fine silver thread of hope for recovery that towed her back in is the same lifeline that anyone who has suffered PTSD can grasp for themselves.
Thank you Jane for retelling your story just one more time.
August 23, 2018
Informative
Interesting and informative read. Learned a lot about PTSD. Even though the author may not she think she is brave she is and she should always remember that. Anyone with PTSD who survives it is brave and should be admired.
Interesting and informative read. Learned a lot about PTSD. Even though the author may not she think she is brave she is and she should always remember that. Anyone with PTSD who survives it is brave and should be admired.
Read
November 24, 2018This was a very eye-opening book! I learned a lot about PTSD that I didn't know. Any trauma, not just prolonged trauma such as fighting in a war, can cause it. News to me. I felt the author's pain - she brought me into the moment. At the same time, I was wishing she'd learn to get out of her own way in order to recover. She's definitely a type-A who just wouldn't or couldn't stop pushing herself to get back to "normal" despite her doctors, counselors and her own body telling her to rest. I had great compassion for her also, as I could see a bit of myself in her. A very good author and book.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews