Dr. Cindee Grace
2008
Getting Started Congratulations on your courage to open this book! No matter when you were diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and/or Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), you’ll find remarkable information within these pages. You can use it to start feeling better today – as I have done. Not sure you have PTSD or DID? Please read this entire chapter. It has definitions for PTSD/DID – and much more. Then decide if you’d like to read further. If you don’t have PTSD or DID but survived or witnessed a trauma (serious illness, violence, significant loss, etc.), you’re welcome here, too. This book is geared to assist anyone with the aftershocks of surviving or witnessing trauma - whether the person has diagnostic labels or not. If you’re a person of color or in an oppressed group, (gay, non-Christian, etc.), this book can be valuable. Even if your group’s most obvious oppression occurred generations before you were born, that oppression can traumatize you. For example, Drs. Eduardo and Bonnie Duran investigated “multi-generational PTSD” affecting present-day Native Americans that originates from the genocide of their ancestors. The daily risk of prejudice can create PTSD symptoms. If you have loved ones/clients who survived trauma, or if you do progressive activism against violence, read on! You might have “compassion fatigue,” “common shock,” vicarious traumatization. Much of this book applies to your self-care, to prevent “burn-out.” Might you have Media Induced Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (“Mean World Syndrome”)? Do you have one of more MIPTSD risk factors? * You usually think the world is a dangerous and mean place. * You think that violence is usually the best solution to world problems. * You tend to categorize people as good or bad. * You fear one or more groups of people and feel no commonality with them; you are part of “us,” the feared group is “them” (social categorization). * You watch more than two hours of U.S. mainstream television dail
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