Marc,
What everyone above has said. Here are my additions/repetitions:
I started my degree before joining and completed it after getting off active duty. I quickly noticed that my mind was not quite the sponge it used to be. At the time, I thought that I had not been using my brain as much and had lost some of its ability. Getting to the point of going to them took me eating some personal humble pie. However, when I went to my professor’s office hours and spoke privately with each of them, told them that I was recently out of the military and was struggling a bit with studying. Every one of them listened, cut me some slack, and offered their assistance. You don’t need to air all of your dirty laundry to them, just tell them the basic problems, a little history, and work with them to find the solution.
I was given the honor of being asked to be an adjunct professor at a local university. I taught there from 2005-2010. I was (as Sarg so aptly called them) one of the Gate Keepers. I was a hard ass. The funny thing is that I was just starting to be kicked in the ass by the Beast at just the same time! I definitely made it difficult for my students to approach me, but most of them did at some point. I have to tell you, as an instructor, I had much more empathy for the student who came to me early in the semester asking for help or giving me excuses as to why there were unable to complete something, than the students who came to me two days before the final...
Even the Gate Keepers are there to impart their knowledge into you. They want you to learn the topic. But they want you to earn the knowledge. Being proactive with the Gate Keeper type is probably the best thing that you can do. It shows that you want to learn. That you are putting in the effort. However, they might not cut you any slack. :-)
“I take my classes online so it is very hard to establish a relationship with the professor.”
Although internet learning is the new rage, and it gives people who would not have the opportunity to learn the ability to do so, I personally have issues with it for this very reason. Shooting electrons at people is not relating to those people. The internet is a very lonely place. It makes people do things and act in ways they would never act if actually standing in front of another person. However, the people on the other end of those electrons are people. Just look at this forum. A bunch of broken monkeys sitting in their respective cells. Some days, we decide to
fling poo at each other. Some days we rant and rave. But on any given day, there is at least one of us around to lend an ear, and help pick you up. Remember that your professors are no better and no worse.
Not every subject is going to be exciting to you and your brain. Everyone, PTSD or not, struggles with this. So don’t let yourself get into a death spiral because of that. Just tough it out soldier!
As for techniques:
An excellent guide is
13 Steps To Studying
Ms. Kesselman-Turkel does a much better job at explaining it than I can, but here are a few other pointers.
As stated above; exercise. You said
“Exercise seems to help with motivation but not concentration.”
While this may be true for you, sometimes looks are deceiving.
Dead Link Removed at the University of Illinois, has shown that children taking test immediately after 20 minutes of aerobic exercise increases their cognitive control (ability to pay attention). In that study reading comprehension increased as much as a full grade level, but that spelling and mathematical ability does not see much improvement.
Remove Distractions. All day you are running around doing errands, moving between classes, etc. As you suffer from PTSD this means that your stress cup is getting fuller and fuller. Getting home and trying to crack open a book in this condition will not end in a good learning. Humans are actually very poor at
Link Removed, but it makes us feel good. So, try to clear your mind and remove distractions. Turn off the music, turn off the TV, turn off your phone, don’t study where the kids or pets or whatever are around. Try studying at library or a secluded park.
Study in small chunks. See Step 9 of the 13 steps. I can’t tell you how much this worked for me. I also took a Speed Reading course. It sounds like lunacy, but it actually helps concentration and retention of the material! So keep trying to study in small increments, a couple of pages at a time. If you can, read the material twice or more. As we have all learned in the military, repetition works.
“1,000 jumping jacks, by the four count. Ready? Begin!”
Finally, remember, you are not alone in this. You are not the first, nor the last to experience what you are experiencing. And to quote my son’s favorite cartoon Bob the Builder.
Bob asks, “Can we fix it?”
His friends say, “Yes we can!”
Hang tough brother,
Fargo
