Veterans Self Assessment
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Veteran Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): The Inner Battle
Has Your Combat Experiences Changed you?
“A soldier can leave the battlefield, but the battlefield never leaves the soldier”
Memories are the recordings of one’s life. Memories are all that are left of the battlefield experience, good or bad. Combat flashbacks are unprocessed bad memories that are a result of serving in a war. A soldier cannot just erase bad memories of combat, ignore, leave them on the battlefield or medicate the bad memories away. A soldier’s combat flashbacks are a legacy of fighting for one’s country and the future pain for veterans.
Combat experiences alter a soldier’s mind, body and spirit, and create stress. Many veterans are suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) but don't realize that the core of their difficulties once stateside is due to PTSD. The #1 symptom of PTSD is “re-experiencing combat experiences”. PTSD is the aftereffects of experiencing and witnessing combat events. PTSD is not a judgment of weakness or ineffectiveness, just a fact. The most important issue that a veteran needs to know is that Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is not a sign or outcome of weakness. In fact PTSD is a normal response to experiencing an abnormal event – combat. Veterans are so highly trained to complete a combat mission that when in the mist of battle there is no time to normally process what is going on. For safety the brain re-routes the overwhelming events to a dissociative storage area. Once out of the war zone and over time, a soldier’s brain will bring back that dissociative event to consciousness for processing. This act of a dissociated memory brought to consciousness is termed “combat flashback”. If the combat or war experience memory is processed once it is brought back to consciousness then the memory is stored in normal long term memory storage without the impact of the intense emotions. Even though the US government attempts to ignore Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD is a fact of war and is a normal human survival response.
Step One: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
The first step healing bad memories or combat flashbacks due to PTSD is recognition. Truly, the only person that knows your combat experiences is you. So the best way to get an accurate view of your PTSD symptoms or not is from you.
The following is self assessment checklist will help you to pinpoint specific areas which are affecting you from your combat experiences and the possible areas you need to work on before going forward to begin your healing from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
If you discover that you rate high on the assessment, there is a way to heal. There are Life Coaching skills that can help you to heal the flashbacks and erase the bad memories that you brought back from the battlefield. Life coaching can help veterans move forward in their transition to life after military service.
Has Your Combat Experiences Changed you?
“A soldier can leave the battlefield, but the battlefield never leaves the soldier”
Memories are the recordings of one’s life. Memories are all that are left of the battlefield experience, good or bad. Combat flashbacks are unprocessed bad memories that are a result of serving in a war. A soldier cannot just erase bad memories of combat, ignore, leave them on the battlefield or medicate the bad memories away. A soldier’s combat flashbacks are a legacy of fighting for one’s country and the future pain for veterans.
Combat experiences alter a soldier’s mind, body and spirit, and create stress. Many veterans are suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) but don't realize that the core of their difficulties once stateside is due to PTSD. The #1 symptom of PTSD is “re-experiencing combat experiences”. PTSD is the aftereffects of experiencing and witnessing combat events. PTSD is not a judgment of weakness or ineffectiveness, just a fact. The most important issue that a veteran needs to know is that Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is not a sign or outcome of weakness. In fact PTSD is a normal response to experiencing an abnormal event – combat. Veterans are so highly trained to complete a combat mission that when in the mist of battle there is no time to normally process what is going on. For safety the brain re-routes the overwhelming events to a dissociative storage area. Once out of the war zone and over time, a soldier’s brain will bring back that dissociative event to consciousness for processing. This act of a dissociated memory brought to consciousness is termed “combat flashback”. If the combat or war experience memory is processed once it is brought back to consciousness then the memory is stored in normal long term memory storage without the impact of the intense emotions. Even though the US government attempts to ignore Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD is a fact of war and is a normal human survival response.
Step One: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
The first step healing bad memories or combat flashbacks due to PTSD is recognition. Truly, the only person that knows your combat experiences is you. So the best way to get an accurate view of your PTSD symptoms or not is from you.
The following is self assessment checklist will help you to pinpoint specific areas which are affecting you from your combat experiences and the possible areas you need to work on before going forward to begin your healing from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
If you discover that you rate high on the assessment, there is a way to heal. There are Life Coaching skills that can help you to heal the flashbacks and erase the bad memories that you brought back from the battlefield. Life coaching can help veterans move forward in their transition to life after military service.
If you find that you need assistance with dealing with Military experiences contact
Dr. Bill at:
Dr. Bill at:
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To download a copy of this assessment please use the following link
Veterans PTSD Assessment
Part I
Understanding Your Self Assessment
The combat self assessment is constructed to help you understand what effect your war zone experience has had on you. The purpose of the assessment is to help you to recognize what specific areas you need to work on.
Are You Affected By War Zone Experiences?
Check “YES or “NO” YES NO
Do you have difficulty concentrating on daily tasks?
Do you hear sounds or noises from combat experiences in your head?
Do you find yourself worrying about the safety of family, friends, self and the future?
Are you easily startled by daily sound or noises that remind you of your combat experiences?
Do you become easily frustrated, angry or have temper outbursts which you cannot control?
Do you feel ashamed and judgmental toward yourself about how you perform in combat missions?
Have you been feeling depressed a lot?
Does the future look hopeless?
Do you feel worthless or think of yourself as a failure?
Do you easily feel overwhelmed?
Have you lost interest in your career, hobbies, relationships, family or friends?
Have you lost your appetite or restrict your eating?
Do you isolate from your family or friends?
Do you judge yourself about how you have been performing in relationships, job or socially?
Do you feel guilty that maybe you didn’t protect yourself or brothers-in-arms enough?
Do you find it hard to sleep through the night?
Have you lost interest in sex?
Do you have thoughts that life is not worth living because a brother-in–arms died?
Do you feel that you did not complete the combat mission you were trained for?
Do you feel hatred toward anyone, any culture or yourself?
Have you experienced emotional numbness or detachment from thoughts painful events you have experienced in combat?
Are you having repeated thoughts of threats made, overtly or covertly, to your life in combat?
Are you constantly dreaming about combat experiences?
Are you constantly fearful, jumpy and suspicious?
Are you turning to addictive behaviors?
Are you consciously avoiding reminders of losses in your life?
Are you experiencing sexual problems, such a preoccupation, indifference or fear of?
Do you have constant inner feelings of emptiness?
Effected By War Zone Experiences Key:
The goal in taking this assessment is to have no checks in the “yes” column. If you checked 4 or less “yes” boxes then you are experiencing a low level of effect, but you need to address each area. Five to fourteen “yes” boxes, then your war experiences are significant level of affect on your daily life. If you checked 15 or higher, then your experiences are severely effecting your daily functioning and should seek professional help.
Part II
Memory
Do you have repeated unpleasant thoughts of combat that won’t leave your mind?
Do you have repeated thoughts of threats made to you that will not leave your mind?
Do you have disturbing combat images that flash in your mind?
Do you experience the inability to stop or control combat memories which replays often in your mind?
Do you dream of past combat experiences?
Do you experience periods of lost time.
Do you dream about something bad happening in the future?
Memory Checklist Key:
The goal of this checklist is to assist you to recognizing that you have unclosed combat issues. If you have checked even one “yes” box, you are carrying unclosed material. If these issues are not addressed, you will experience more intrusiveness and have greater difficulty functioning in civilian life.
Part I
Understanding Your Self Assessment
The combat self assessment is constructed to help you understand what effect your war zone experience has had on you. The purpose of the assessment is to help you to recognize what specific areas you need to work on.
Are You Affected By War Zone Experiences?
Check “YES or “NO” YES NO
Do you have difficulty concentrating on daily tasks?
Do you hear sounds or noises from combat experiences in your head?
Do you find yourself worrying about the safety of family, friends, self and the future?
Are you easily startled by daily sound or noises that remind you of your combat experiences?
Do you become easily frustrated, angry or have temper outbursts which you cannot control?
Do you feel ashamed and judgmental toward yourself about how you perform in combat missions?
Have you been feeling depressed a lot?
Does the future look hopeless?
Do you feel worthless or think of yourself as a failure?
Do you easily feel overwhelmed?
Have you lost interest in your career, hobbies, relationships, family or friends?
Have you lost your appetite or restrict your eating?
Do you isolate from your family or friends?
Do you judge yourself about how you have been performing in relationships, job or socially?
Do you feel guilty that maybe you didn’t protect yourself or brothers-in-arms enough?
Do you find it hard to sleep through the night?
Have you lost interest in sex?
Do you have thoughts that life is not worth living because a brother-in–arms died?
Do you feel that you did not complete the combat mission you were trained for?
Do you feel hatred toward anyone, any culture or yourself?
Have you experienced emotional numbness or detachment from thoughts painful events you have experienced in combat?
Are you having repeated thoughts of threats made, overtly or covertly, to your life in combat?
Are you constantly dreaming about combat experiences?
Are you constantly fearful, jumpy and suspicious?
Are you turning to addictive behaviors?
Are you consciously avoiding reminders of losses in your life?
Are you experiencing sexual problems, such a preoccupation, indifference or fear of?
Do you have constant inner feelings of emptiness?
Effected By War Zone Experiences Key:
The goal in taking this assessment is to have no checks in the “yes” column. If you checked 4 or less “yes” boxes then you are experiencing a low level of effect, but you need to address each area. Five to fourteen “yes” boxes, then your war experiences are significant level of affect on your daily life. If you checked 15 or higher, then your experiences are severely effecting your daily functioning and should seek professional help.
Part II
Memory
Do you have repeated unpleasant thoughts of combat that won’t leave your mind?
Do you have repeated thoughts of threats made to you that will not leave your mind?
Do you have disturbing combat images that flash in your mind?
Do you experience the inability to stop or control combat memories which replays often in your mind?
Do you dream of past combat experiences?
Do you experience periods of lost time.
Do you dream about something bad happening in the future?
Memory Checklist Key:
The goal of this checklist is to assist you to recognizing that you have unclosed combat issues. If you have checked even one “yes” box, you are carrying unclosed material. If these issues are not addressed, you will experience more intrusiveness and have greater difficulty functioning in civilian life.