EmilyMurray
New Here
I'm engaged to a wonderful, incredibly sweet and caring man. But he has been struggling with major PTSD ever since he returned from Iraq in 2010.
I've dealt with PTSD in the past; my husband of 4 years was in a very traumatic bicycle vs. car accident in 2008, leaving him partially disabled, until he committed suicide 2 years ago. I am now in a committed relationship with an Army veteran, and although we are extremely happy with each other, his PTSD seems to be creeping up more and more often these days. Even the slightest thing that irritates him will trigger that anger switch, which just grows and grows until he is so engulfed with rage that he can't control it. I'm not afraid of him, he is not violent towards me in the slightest. But it does make him want to be violent towards other people. I just want him to be able to recognize when he starts to lose control so that he can figure out what he can do to harness that rage.
I don't pretend to know what to say to him, so most of the time I don't really say much of anything because I just don't want to make it worse. I just try to be there for him and be a calming, supportive partner... but it doesn't seem to be working.
I need some advice for what I can do to help calm him down. He IS willing to go to the VA, he just hasn't made the time to go do it yet. But as far as myself, is there anything I can do differently or am I doing the right thing already by just being an ear to listen?
I haven't talked about this with anyone else.
I've dealt with PTSD in the past; my husband of 4 years was in a very traumatic bicycle vs. car accident in 2008, leaving him partially disabled, until he committed suicide 2 years ago. I am now in a committed relationship with an Army veteran, and although we are extremely happy with each other, his PTSD seems to be creeping up more and more often these days. Even the slightest thing that irritates him will trigger that anger switch, which just grows and grows until he is so engulfed with rage that he can't control it. I'm not afraid of him, he is not violent towards me in the slightest. But it does make him want to be violent towards other people. I just want him to be able to recognize when he starts to lose control so that he can figure out what he can do to harness that rage.
I don't pretend to know what to say to him, so most of the time I don't really say much of anything because I just don't want to make it worse. I just try to be there for him and be a calming, supportive partner... but it doesn't seem to be working.
I need some advice for what I can do to help calm him down. He IS willing to go to the VA, he just hasn't made the time to go do it yet. But as far as myself, is there anything I can do differently or am I doing the right thing already by just being an ear to listen?
I haven't talked about this with anyone else.
