Words of a Wolf is an eclectic collection of poetry exploring a Veteran’s experience of living with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It provides an insight few will have seen to date. The book also contains photographs.
The book has been sold in the following countries: England, Canada, France, Greece, Scotland, Switzerland, The Netherlands, USA and Wales.
Income generated from the book will allow me to continue my therapeutic work and go towards funding an exhibition of photography and poetry to shed some light on the PTSD and hopefully promote some understanding of what people living with the condition face in their daily lives.
Author Bio:
What prompted this book? Mainly meeting a continuous wall of ignorance and apathy in the the National Health Service (NHS) and Social Services when I moved to Nottingham in the UK to access care and support for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a UK Veteran. It was such a contrast from the care and support that was available to me while living in Cornwall. Some of the darkest moments portrayed in this book are a direct result of those experiences.
Veterans require a specialist type of care but they also require consistent professional care. This is something that the NHS in the UK are not geared up to provide simply because they operate on a time limited care model that is also limited by fiscal resources. This means that they will allocate care towards us for a certain time but then the care will be cut off. The implications are that we’ll withdraw further into ourselves, simply because we may not be able to go forward and open up those scars again sometime further down the line in order to access the care and support we need should things get worse. The consequences can be dire for Veterans.
There is also a communication gap between Veterans suffering from PTSD and loved ones. When one has to work in an environment where there is a constant threat of death or serious injury, emotions tend to be locked down and buried. Survival comes down to observation and instant reaction and emotions are a factor that can slow you down. If you’re a family member or a loved one of a Veteran, remember that they still have feelings for you but the feelings aren’t always going to be easy to show, display or talk about. There will be times when everything will seem fine and times when a need for solitude will arise. Be patient and let them do what they need to do. If you’re a carer for someone with PTSD or other disabilities, make sure that you’re seeking some support too.
The shades of grey that exist in human society become black & white on active service. When we come back to the grey of human society we find it hard to fit in. Human society is very materialistic and there is little evidence of honour at all levels. How can you expect men and women that were willing to give up their lives for their comrades to fit into a world where work colleagues won’t tell the truth about an injustice in the workplace for fear of falling out of favour with their bosses?
I hope this sheds some light on a Veteran’s perspective on living with PTSD.
Website(s)
Author Home Page Link
Link To Book On Amazon
Link to Book for sale via other sites
