Back from the Front: Combat Trauma, Love, and the Family

by Aphrodite Matsakis

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 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 suf

478 pages, Paperback

First published April 30, 2007

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives a realistic picture of the aftermath of deployment on the solider and the family. However, if you are looking for a book to tell you that everything will be back to normal and everything will be happily ever after, don't read this book. It is a good portrait of how the solider is forever changed by the effects of war, and how these changes wreck havoc on their relationships with friends and family. No one is ever the same after experiencing deployment, and this book gives you an idea of how to start coping with these changes.

[Chante · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is very informational and can help others understand a little more clearly about PTSD and all that it entails. can be extremely difficult to read if you know/live with someone who suffers from PTSD.

[Glen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not great, not bad. Mediocre at best. Some things were long-winded. Other things were shortchanged. Some may benefit from this book, but not all. Don't buy this one, borrow it so you save your hard earned money.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

So far this is an engaging read. So many books on the subject, but not many written by 'writers' (that is... crafted). This isn't the best that I've read in this subject, but it is pretty good.