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Film 'Last Call at the Oasis' Blasts Pharmaceutical Drugs and Toxic Chemicals In Water
While it's true that most of us generally don't want to plunk down $30-$40 at the movies to see something that lectures, preaches or wags a finger at us, every now and then there is a film that takes the high road to providing us with key information and is just too important to miss.
One such film is "Last Call at the Oasis," which began running in select theaters May 4. According to several reviews of the film, not only do some critics see it as a sure Oscar nominee, but the information it conveys could literally change the debate over one of the world's rapidly declining resources: Water.
Helping Survivors of Military Sexual Trauma
The US Department of Veterans Affairs has called military sexual trauma “an epidemic.” Since the VA began universally screening its patients for MST, in 2002, more than one in every five women have reported sexual harassment or assault during military service. That compares with 1 in 100 men reporting sexual harassment or assault.
Scientific Breakthrough! Magnetic Therapy Could Mean the End of Dangerous Antidepressants
Depression has long been treated by dangerous drugs that often give the patient side effects worse than the condition. However research into new magnetic pulse therapy has proven to alleviate symptoms in over a third of patients tested.
The treatment, NeuroStar TMS Therapy, uses magnetic pulses beamed through the skull. The pulses trigger small electrical charges that cause activity in the brain. The tests, conducted by the a team at the University of California, found that 58 percent achieved a positive response while 37 percent went into remission.
Football, Combat Brain Trauma Similar PTSD in Vets
The same type of brain damage identified in 14 deceased professional football players has been pinpointed in veterans who endured bomb blasts in Iraq and Afghanistan - a finding that raises concerns that numerous other military personnel may be vulnerable to similar long-term impairments.
Families Living w/ PTSD
This is a forum for families who are or have lived in a toxic culture at home as a result of a parent who served in direct combat or experienced traumatic events. Children in particular are at the highest risk of mental and physical abuse resulting from the legacy of war.
Gender's Double Standard When Teachers Abuse Kids
When male teachers have sex with students, nobody laughs. But if the predator is female, the titters don't stop. Arizona teacher Gabriela Compton sexually abused two teenage boys. Why did she get off with a slap on the wrist?
Report: Nearly 10 Percent of Inmates Suffer Sexual Abuse
Nearly one in 10 prisoners suffer sexual abuse while incarcerated in state prisons, local jails and post-release treatment facilities, according to a report published Thursday by the U.S. Department of Justice. The report, based on the first National Former Prisoners Survey, includes data from 518,800 former prisoners who were on supervised parole in mid-2008.
6 Kinds of Pills Big Pharma Tries to Get You Hooked on for Life
Since direct-to-consumer drug advertising debuted in the late 1990s, the number of people on prescription drugs -- especially prescription drugs for life -- has ballooned. Between 2001 to 2007 the percentage of adults and children on one or more prescriptions for chronic conditions rose by more than 12 million, reports the Associated Press and 25 percent of US children now take a medication for a chronic condition. Seven percent of kids take two or more daily drugs.
PTSD: the Latest, Hottest, Maybe Most Controversial Diagnosis
Lilienfeld reviews the history of the PTSD diagnosis, notes that it is now used in the absence of trauma, and suggests that when people demonstrate the characteristic symptoms of PTSD, they might legitimately be diagnosed with PTSD. Lilienfeld noted that trauma and PTSD expert, Harvard based Richard McNally, questions this current trend, warning about what McNally describes as “criterion creep” –or getting rather fuzzy with criteria used in diagnosing a patient.
The literal flood of PTSD diagnoses now being used for people whose therapists believe suffered from “childhood trauma” is suspect. What is considered “childhood trauma” is almost ludicrous in some cases, and carries the assumption that people are fundamentally weak, fragile and vulnerable, instead more ordinarily highly resilient.
Ask Your Doctor if This Big Pharma Scam Is Right for You: The Dangers of a Drugged Up America
Welcome to medicated America, where the fix for every problem--from incontinence to erectile dysfunction, stiff joints to mood swings, weight gain to wrinkles-- is just a prescription away. Thus the beautiful images, stirring music, attractive actors, and soothing words in the omnipresent, multibillion-dollar kaleidoscope of drug advertising by Pfizer, Merck, Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, and other giants of Big Pharma--all pitching their particular brand-name nostrum directly at us hoi polloi (the industry spends a fourth of its income on ads and other promotions, nearly double its expenditures on research and development).
Military Families Hit Pentagon On Response To PTSD And Suicide
Us Army
WASHINGTON -- Blue Star Families, an advocacy group for military family members, released a report Wednesday that says a high percentage of service members are avoiding treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder due to doubts about the military's support system.
"Sixty-two percent of respondents who felt their service member had exhibited signs of PTSD, regardless of any official diagnosis, did not seek treatment, demonstrating there is a still much to be done to help service members and their families cope of the invisible wounds of war," said the group in a statement accompanying the survey, which polled about 4,000 military family members.
Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse
A man in his late 50s wept uncontrollably. He had just disclosed in therapy that as a boy, living in rural Jamaica, he was forced to repeatedly have intercourse and perform other sexual acts with his older female relative. He said that it was the first time that he was disclosing this painful piece of his life to another human being. Not being able to process this pain as a child, he was wrapped in anger, shame, guilt and feelings of helplessness and powerlessness.
The Power of Images
Childhood sexual abuse pulls us into a dimension beyond our capacity to comprehend. Though we find our way back to the everyday world and often appear ‘normal’, we are branded by an ominous sensation of being followed by our experience. Some of us feel a darkness hovering. Many sense a ticking bomb. There are survivors who remain in a constant state of flight and those who are numb.
Half Of U.S. States Short-Change Abused and Neglected Children
Despite the moral imperative and sound fiscal basis for protecting the legal rights of abused and neglected children, half of U.S. states cheat them of appropriate legal representation, denying them an effective voice in proceedings that determine their futures, according to a state-by-state study conducted by two national child advocacy organizations.
Babysitter Admits Sexually Assaulting 5-Year-Old Girl and Streaming Live Video of It Online
A babysitter faces 30 years behind bars after she admitted broadcasting a sex attack on a 5-year-old girl to other alleged predators using the live video-chat program Skype on her iPhone. Jennifer Mahoney, 33, of Manalapan, New Jersey, pleaded guilty in US District Court Wednesday to the sexual exploitation of a child that took place on at least two separate occasions in her home.
FDA Seeks Prescription Drug Vending Machine
Would you purchase prescription drugs from a vending machine? Thanks to a new move by the FDA to allow the public to diagnose themselves with conditions and purchase the appropriate pharmaceuticals from a vending machine, it may become a reality. By simply visiting a ‘drug kiosk’ in a mall or drug store, you may soon be able to buy drugs that treat health conditions like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, asthma, and migraines.
The Secret Darkside of Facebook
(EXPLICIT CONTENT: This report contains graphic details of sexual abuse of children as it has appeared in numerous locations on Facebook. WND immediately reported images of child pornography and child sexual abuse to the FBI. Censored screenshots published are among the mildest of those found.)
Psychiatry’s Diagnostic Manual-DSM-5- Retreats: “Psychosis Risk” Discarded
The American Psychiatric Association DSM-5 website announced yesterday that it had dropped the most controversial of its numerous expansionist diagnoses: ”Psychosis Risk” and “Mixed Anxiety Depression.” They have been banished “for more study.”
A diagnosis of “Psychosis Risk” would have misdiagnosed and exposed millions of children and adolescents to the scourge of neuroleptic (antipsychotic) drugs whose lethal risk profile is acknowledged by some of psychiatry’s respected experts–seniors with independent sources of income whose clarity of vision has improved with age.
Police Association Says PTSD A Major Issue for Officers
OTTAWA — The head of the Canadian Police Association says post-traumatic stress disorder is a major issue for police, and the RCMP shouldn't believe its current system for treating members afflicted by PTSD is good enough. Tom Stamatakis said Monday he was disappointed that the RCMP and its commissioner believed the services to members suffering from PTSD were good enough.
Transformers/Avengers Rated: PTSD
I saw The Avengers yesterday since everyone I know has been raving about it for weeks saying it was better than every other big budget comic book summer blockbuster because it had a good script and good cinematography. I thought it was very good for a comic book movie, pretty good overall. It was entertaining, but at the same time disturbing. I had to think for several hours after what I found unsettling about it.
FDA Proposes Bypassing Doctors, Selling Prescription Drugs Over The Counter
When it comes to freedom of food choice, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers Americans to be too stupid to make their own dietary choices. But when pharmaceuticals are involved, the FDA apparently thinks individuals should be able to completely self-medicate themselves without a prescription, having recently proposed new guidelines that would make it easier than ever for patients to access high-risk prescription drugs without even having to see a doctor.
Troops Are So Stigmatized By PTSD The Military Wants The Disorder's Name Changed
A public hearing today in Philadelphia will draw attention to a lesser known debate about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Its name. The military hopes to remove stigma associated with PTSD — by replacing "disorder" with the word "injury"— which could encourage troops, and even civilians who suffer from it, to seek treatment instead of bottling it up out of shame.
FDA Breaks Promise on Proposed New Supplement Rules
FDA promised not to enforce the NDI guidance until it was final. Last Friday, they broke that promise.
The specific provision that FDA has decided to enforce is the one that says synthetic botanicals will no longer be considered New Dietary Ingredients and must never be sold as supplements, only as drugs. Last Friday, FDA issued a press release and sent warning letters to ten companies who sell supplements containing DMAA (dimethylamylamine), which is advertised to increase energy, concentration, and metabolism.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) On College Campuses
When something major happens in our lives, it can take time to get over it; we all understand that. But can you imagine feeling crippling side effects from a traumatic experience that, in many ways, were worse than the original experience? According to an article, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder & the College Student, while about 50-90% of people go through trauma in their lifetimes, about 8% develop full PTSD.
The "Me & I" Culture
In a toxic family where PTSD symptoms persist as a result of prolonged abuse and trauma, there is no real family unit.In this environment there is the perception that no one has your back. You are basically alone protecting and defending your turf and position.There is a high level of anxiety and insecurity that grows out of a motivation to survive rather than growing and thriving together as a team with common goals and parental leadership.
Child Rape Victim Hunted Down and Killed Suspected Pedophiles
A man accused of murdering a gay supermarket worker embarked on a campaign against uncaught pedophiles using 'military strategy' to track them down after overhearing convicted prisoners planning new offenses while in prison, a court heard.
Christopher Hunnisett, who is on trial accused of killing supermarket worker Peter Bick, told the court he used the internet and a network of 'live sources' - some made in prison - to investigate rumors of child abuse.
Using Music to Heal Shattered Souls
A new paper on music therapy suggests music can serve as a tool to allow issues to be explored on a granular level — extending deeper than words. Concordia University’s Sandra Curtis, Ph.D., believes the connection occurs because communication with an individual is on the fundamental level of rhythm and sound.
Weighing the Real Risks of Antidepressants
A new Canadian research paper suggests use of commonly prescribed antidepressants may do more harm than good. Investigators believe knowledge of the negative effects of the medications may reduce their use.
"This website was developed due to an inspiration by Antonio, my husband. He felt strongly that we needed to provide people struggling with PTSD and their loved ones resources we never found during our darkest struggles with my PTSD. PTSD effects citizens as well, but most of the subject is aimed towards members of the military.
I am so proud of and grateful to Antonio for painstakingly researching and maintaining this website on a weekly basis. His passion is educating and providing resources to PTSD sufferers and their loved ones so that their lives may be made a bit easier by understanding they are not alone. There are numerous sources for alternative treatments on my resources link. Spending time on this site will be an opportunity to begin learning how to find help in healing your mind, body & spirit.
My hope is that you find this website resourceful for yourself or loved ones. This site is for information and support only and NOT a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment."
-Kaitlyn Gant
If you're struggling with depression, please visit the informative resources page!
"Freedom is not merely the opportunity to do as one pleases; neither is it merely the opportunity to choose between set alternatives. Freedom is, first of all, the chance to formulate the available choices, to argue over them -- and then, the opportunity to choose."
-C Wright Mills
Featured Videos
Living Yesterday: A Look at PTSD
110K US Troops on Prescribed Psychotropic Medications?
A Soldier’s Touching Story of PTSD, Addiction and Recovery
The Retorno in America pilot project is a non-sectarian Israeli-based drug rehabilitation program designed specifically for American soldiers who are struggling with addictions related to PTSD. These noble men and women are usually treated with strong drug cocktails. While drugs serve to keep their emotions appropriately subdued, the chemical dependency that develops as a result can leave our heroes broken and unfit to re-enter society after their discharge or retirement from the military.
No Kidding! Me 2!! Trailer - Mental Illness Documentary
Human Trafficking Webcast
This webcast, recorded live on international Women's Day 2012, takes an in-depth look at the reasons why women are trafficked and examines the economic implications of this form of slavery.
Big Bucks, Big Pharma Marketing Disease Pushing Drugs
“You can ignore reality, but you can’t ignore the consequences of ignoring reality.”
-Ayn Rand
“I know but one freedom and that is the freedom of the mind.”
- Antoine de Saint-Exupery quotes (French Pilot, Writer and Author of 'The Little Prince', 1900-1944)
PTSD I: Describing and Diagnosing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
This is a great presentation in understanding PTSD.
PTSD II: Describing and Diagnosing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Symptoms of PTSD
* Startle easily
* Feel emotionally numb (especially in relation to people with whom you used to be close)
* Loss of interest in things you used to enjoy
* Trouble feeling affectionate
* Irritability
* Aggressive impulses/Agitated mood
* Some people may become violent when triggered
* Avoidance of situations that remind you of the original incident
* Symptoms worsened on anniversary of the original incident
* Repeatedly relive the trauma in your thoughts during the day (flashbacks)
* Insomnia or nightmares at night
* Other possible symptoms and related issues may include depression, alcohol or drug abuse or other addictions, personality changes, hopelessness, paranoia, restlessness, fear, inability to focus, dissociation, and severe anxiety.
Types of Trauma
*War
*Violence & Abuse
*Disasters
*Death
*Car or Plane Crash
*Terrorist Attack
The Difference Between PTSD and A Normal Response to Trauma
The traumatic events that lead to post-traumatic stress disorder are usually so overwhelming and frightening that they would upset anyone. Following a traumatic event, almost everyone experiences at least some of the symptoms of PTSD. When your sense of safety and trust are shattered, it’s normal to feel crazy, disconnected, or numb. It’s very common to have bad dreams, feel fearful or numb, and find it difficult to stop thinking about what happened. These are normal reactions to abnormal events.
For most people, however, these symptoms are short-lived. They may last for several days or even weeks, but they gradually lift. But if you have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the symptoms don’t decrease. You don’t feel a little better each day. In fact, you may start to feel worse.
A Normal Response to Trauma Becomes PTSD When You Become Stuck
After a traumatic experience, the mind and the body are in shock. But as you make sense of what happened and process your emotions, you come out of it. With post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), however, you remain in psychological shock. Your memory of what happened and your feelings about it are disconnected. In order to move on, it’s important to face and feel your memories and emotions.
My Personal Story: Living With PTSD
It’s amazing how life turns out. I never aspired to be a writer; yet I have written a book—a book that reveals my life during one of my darkest times. I questioned, Do I really want to do this? As you read on, you will find I was once one of the most closed off, emotionless people that ever lived! So who was I to write a book, sharing my deepest, most desperate emotions?
In my twenties, I studied psychology to see if I could figure things out—things that had happened to me in my life. I wanted to figure out why the people involved did what they did. To my dismay, I never completely figured this out.
After working hard to get a college education, I then became a business executive. I excelled in this role until “The Great Darkness” entered my life. All of a sudden, I had no interest in being involved with all the politics of corporate America anymore. My eyes were opened to many truths that I now find unappealing. I finally figured out the game, and I did not like what I saw.
I was thirty years old when the first waves of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder—my “Great Darkness”—began to appear. I remember cooking something on the stove, and in the pan, I saw images from my past. I do not recall exactly what I saw anymore … but it horrified me. It was a memory of someone from the past who was no longer supposed to exist in my world. That person was supposed to have been tucked away forever in the recesses of my mind, never to appear again. The memory was something buried, and how dare it appear in a pan while I was quietly cooking and minding my own business? For a few days, the experience shook me to the core. But soon I repressed everything again and moved on. Just work harder, do more, and don’t stop, and these things cannot enter your life because there will be no room.
By this time in my life I coped by trusting no one completely, except animals. I was tough and showed little emotion. Feelings were for sissies and weak people. I had little regard for my emotions or anyone else’s. People would say I was like a faucet. I could turn things on and off. They would ask me if I ever felt anything. Often, I could honestly say no. No one knew why I was this way, not even me. I thought I was strong, independent, and bordering on arrogant, if I had not already crossed that line. I didn’t know myself anymore. Looking back, I don’t think I would have wanted to know someone like me.
Today, my life is one of healing. I can no longer do the type of work I used to do because I can’t play the games. I don’t have the energy, and I honestly cannot get passionate about selling things that others believe are so vital to the community and the world, when they are not. In finding myself, I did not expect to lose my career and the identity of who I was as a professional, but I did.
The reality is, after what I have been through, my focus is now on helping others—helping others through their own Great Darkness and assisting them with resources and encouragement that I did not have. I understand PTSD and how debilitating and life-altering it is once you become symptomatic. The pain is searing and the losses are great. So now, here I am—an author of a book that evolved from my own suffering, written with the intent of assisting others. I am finally finding a passion in a career that was built on personal suffering … not self-glory … not being a top sales person … not producing like a maniac … but by suffering and being led by the glory of God so that maybe I can help others.
"So long as the people do not care to exercise their freedom, those who wish to tyrannize will do so; for tyrants are active and ardent, and will devote themselves in the name of any number of gods, religious and otherwise, to put shackles upon sleeping men."
–Voltaire
"It is by the goodness of God that in our country we have these three unspeakably precious things: freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and the prudence to practice neither."
–Mark Twain
"We must not believe the many, who say that only free people ought to be educated, but we should rather believe the philosophers who say that only the educated are free."
-Epictetus
"He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it."
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
"Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence."
-John Adams
"History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people."
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
