Chapter 3 Analysis
In the first pages of this chapter Junger explains the moment he realised to have a post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He describes having panic attacks when in confined spaces after returning from the war in Afghanistan. This experience was then followed by dreams that triggered a lot of pain in him . After this experiences he understood that his post traumatic disorder was manifesting in an entirely interior manner because, outside the war, there were no context in which war could be kept in common with other people. Later in the chapter he talks about long term and acute PTSD and the risks of developing it. Acute PTSD makes mammals reactive to danger and keeps them safe until a threat has passed, on the other hand long term PTSD is uncommon and inappropriate. One of the most traumatic events that a soldier can experience that could lead to PTSD is witnessing harm to others, even to the enemy. Combat veterans reported that killing an enemy soldier, or even witnessing one get killed, was more distressing than being wounded themselves. He also states that a person's chance of getting chronic PTSD is related to their experiences before going to war. For Junger the problem with PTSD is not the trauma of the war but the American society, the stress of social isolation that exceeds event the stress of combat. America society needs more unity and social connectedness in peacetimes.