Download This Issue - US Concealed Carry

ing
hooting Trauma
resulted from his combat experiences.
Finally, after the Viet Nam War, significant
gains were made in the understanding
of the mechanisms and
clusters of symptoms of the condition
we now refer to as Post Traumatic
Stress Disorder (PTSD). [Technically, it
is called Acute Stress Disorder (ASD) if
the symptoms are of less than 30 days
duration.] The PTSD diagnosis provided
a great deal of relief to men and
women who were struggling to make
sense of the internal turmoil they experienced.
They could understand that
they were normal people with normal
reactions to the abnormal conditions of
war. Since that time, treatment methods
for PTSD have progressed to the
point where there is a good chance the
mental wounds of war can be healed in
those who seek treatment.
What does all this have to do with Post
Shooting Trauma (PST) or Post Violent
Event Trauma (PVET)? It seems to me
that PST/PVET is not a separate condition
from PTSD, but rather a handy way
of discussing the psychological effects
of lethal force encounters without having
to mess with the problems of a formal
diagnosis of PTSD. PST is a concept
specific to shooting incidents, whereas
PTSD covers a wide variety of traumatic
events from shootings to rape to traffic
accidents to natural disasters and
more.
At any rate, the great advantage to
identifying and naming what is happening
after a shooting is that the naming
allows a person to get a mental grip
on what’s happening. It provides the
defender with a frame of reference for
their unique internal experiences. The
understanding can then be the starting
point for the person dealing with an otherwise
confusing bunch of distressing
symptoms. Today, the information out
there has helped to normalize the idea
of folks having a psychological struggle
after a life and death struggle, an advantage
for any of us who may deal with the
aftermath of a shooting incident.
It needs to be emphasized that not all
people will experience any particular
symptoms of a post shooting trauma.
The idea of PST and PVET may have
originated in the psychological community,
but the most significant communicator
of the concept is Massad
Ayoob, a well known and highly respected
member of the shooting community.
Ayoob was focused on the sad
fact that the moral climate in America
could often turn a lawful and necessary
use of deadly force in the protection of
innocent life into a community shaming
and shunning event for the lawful
defender. He publicized a number of
symptoms of PST and PVET, including
sleep disturbances, a period of depression
or malaise, eating disturbances,
increased use of alcohol, social isolation,
sexual dysfunction or promiscuity,
pharmacological cascade (use of drugs
and alcohol together which increases
their impact), increased aggression, and
flashbacks.
Perhaps the key feature of PST is the
Mark of Cain, the “killer of my brother”
tag laid on the defender. The mark can
be shaming, as in, “What kind of person
would do such a horrible thing?”
Or the mark can be congratulating the
defender in a way that doesn’t match
their feelings about the event, as in,
“Now that you have shot your man (the
slimy creep, scumbag, goblin...), you’re
awesome!”
While most lawful defenders need to
decide what the event means to them
personally, insensitive comments either
for or against the act tend to increase
the feeling of isolation. Either way,
The problem can come
when we get stuck in
negative emotional
judgments about what
we have done, in spite
of all the evidence
and opinion to the
contrary.
JULY 2008 n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n USCONCEALEDCARRY.COM
37