What comes to your mind when you hear Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)? Is it a mentally deranged person, a psychopath or a fear-stricken person on the verge of suicide? For me, it is an extreme fear of the unknown, and here is why; when I was young, a friend casually pushed me, and my head hit a pillar. Before I could make contact with the column, I believed I was going to lose my sight. Although I survived the moment having to make do with a deep scar on my eyebrow, I had to live with a fear of pillars for three(3) years. Thus my passion for anything PTSD related to date.
In The Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Fallacy by H. Nattanya Andersen, a woman embarks on the journey of self-recovery after barely surviving a Boeing 727 engine explosion five feet away from her while she was mid-air. We see her experience the fear that comes with survival, her medical, psychological and spiritual revival from the reins of insanity to a reconstructed self-developed person.
There is quite a lot going on in this book; the recovery story, the contrast between medical expectation and reality, the highly researched yet simple information, and finally, the author’s profound point of view backed by evidence.
Albeit being a long read, this novel is not monotonous in any sense, getting more intriguing the deeper you dive. I found myself siding with the writer’s perspective in almost every instance, snorting and chuckling to myself whenever my sense of arrogance kicks in after having guessed the outcome of an event successfully.
Although there are references made to different religious affiliations, it is not enough to spike controversies. If I am to pick one ace attribute of this book, it will be the simplicity of the text, technical yet easy to interpret.
The only thing that I found dissatisfactory was that the writer focused too much on the evidence rather than the recovery story. Sure, the facts behind every suggestion make the whole novel worth a million, but how great would it be if it was fifty per cent on the emotional side and fifty per cent heavy research? That notwithstanding, it was an excellent read, definitely worth all attention!
Whilst there are a few errors in the book, it did not interfere with my enjoyment. However, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars taking one star off for the few grammatical errors I spotted because I’m a sucker for perfection. I recommend this book to the families and patients of PTSD who are looking to tackle their fears head-on or are looking for answers to questions medicine cannot solve.
In my opinion, anyone looking to expand their knowledge on stress, anxiety or PTSD should get a copy of this book as a guide.