Cloudy with a Chance of Ambrosia - PTSD Parables

Cloudy with a Chance of Ambrosia Parables of PTSD.

June 27th "National PTSD Awareness Day", this book is about PTSD. You usually find Ambrosia in the first section of the cafeteria serving line, but with PTSD you never know where it will pop up when you least expect it. Except for some senior citizens, most people just walk by ambrosia on their way to the meat & vegetables. Ambrosia is a unique and sometimes strange fruit salad concoction made up of grapes, pineapple, several types of oranges, marshmallows, coconuts, cherries, and lots of whipped cream. Most grandmothers have a special recipe for ambrosia.

However, there is something uniquely odd about ambrosia that is so similar to PTSD. Let's take a look at ambrosia and PTSD.

Ambrosia, like PTSD, seems to have a way of choosing you to be the one to test out the recipe.
Ambrosia generally lacks any specific form and is never the same.
Ambrosia, like PTSD, is made up of some strange and confusing ingredients.
Ambrosia can be overpowering at times, like PTSD.

No way, would you want to live off a steady diet of ambrosia. The ingredients in ambrosia are real, but the combination seems to defy reasoning. With ambrosia, one is never sure of the outcome.

For those who have endured the battle; wars, unlike fairy tales, rarely end happily-ever-after. For homecomings, victory speeches, and parades quickly fade and are replaced by the quotidian rhythms of liferhythms consisting of conscious and unconscious memories that are simultaneously distant but ever-near. These are the memories that both reveal and hide the psychic, social, and spiritual wounds of war. Both the congressionally designated June 27th "National PTSD Awareness Day" and the National Center for PTSD's designation of June as "PTSD Awareness Month" are powerful and timely reminders of this reality. A thoughtful reading of this book will foster a clear and deeper understanding and appreciation for the all too tragic, but at times hidden, wounds afflicting the lives of over 20% of our Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, as well as the lingering trauma of nearly 31% of Vietnam veterans. Awareness and understanding constitute the first step toward healing. A reading of "Cloudy with a Chance of Ambrosia" is the best place to begin.

Dettagli