June Is PTSD Awareness Month….

And Not All Wars Are Fought Overseas….

When people hear the term PTSD, many immediately think of military combat or war zones. And while veterans absolutely deserve recognition, support, and respect for the battles they carry long after coming home… PTSD does not belong to only one type of trauma.

Some of us developed PTSD inside our own homes.

Some of us developed it from years of emotional abuse, manipulation, fear, control, intimidation, hypervigilance, trauma, neglect, medical trauma, childhood trauma, or living in survival mode for so long that our nervous systems no longer know how to rest.

Some of us are fighting wars nobody else can see.

I live with PTSD. Not because I went to war overseas, but because there has been a war going on inside of me for years.

A war created by someone who was supposed to love me, protect me, support me, and make me feel safe.

Instead, I was made to feel like I was never good enough. Like I was failing. Like if I didn’t do things their way, I was a bad person.A bad partner. A bad mother.

I was manipulated into believing there were other people better suited to raise my children than me.

That kind of damage doesn’t disappear just because the relationship ends.

PTSD doesn’t clock out when the paperwork is signed. It doesn’t magically stop because time has passed.

Sometimes it shows up in the middle of the night.

In the night terrors.The night sweats.The broken records in your head that replay conversations, accusations, fear, and pain over and over until you haven’t slept for days.

Sometimes it looks like constantly checking over your shoulder because your body has learned that safety is temporary.

It looks like watching cars sit outside your house too long. Jumping when your phone rings from an unknown number. Changing your number because the harassment never stops.

It looks like being triggered by things other people would never think twice about.

A smell. A sound. Making dinner. Sitting in silence. A song. A phrase. A notification sound.

And suddenly your body is no longer in the present moment.

You are right back there.

Your chest tightens.Your breathing changes.Your heart races.Your body physically hurts from the panic and emotional flood that follows.

People don’t realize PTSD is not “just anxiety.”It is your nervous system living like danger is still happening — even when you are desperately trying to convince yourself you are safe.

And healing from that is not overnight.

Especially when your trigger is someone you still have to encounter regularly.

But I am healing.

With the help of medical providers, therapy, medications, grounding exercises, journaling, blogging, boundaries, education, and support systems, I am slowly teaching my brain and body that survival mode is not the only mode I’m allowed to exist in anymore.

Some days I do well. Some days I don’t.

Some days I’m strong. Some days I’m exhausted from fighting battles nobody else can see.

But I keep going anyway.

And if you are someone silently carrying PTSD from emotional abuse, childhood trauma, domestic violence, medical trauma, grief, assault, neglect, or years of survival mode — I need you to know this:

Your trauma is valid.Your symptoms are real. And you do not have to “earn” PTSD through military combat for your pain to matter.qq

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Trauma is trauma.

And surviving it deserves compassion too.

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PTSD & C-PTSD Statistics

PTSD in General

• Approximately 6% of U.S. adults will experience PTSD at some point in their lives.

• Women are about 2 times more likely than men to develop PTSD.

• PTSD can develop after emotional abuse, domestic violence, childhood neglect, medical trauma, assault, accidents, grief, or ongoing psychological trauma — not only physical violence or combat.

Source: National Center for PTSD / U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Veterans & PTSD

• About 7 out of every 100 veterans will experience PTSD during their lifetime.

• PTSD rates are higher among veterans exposed to combat trauma, military sexual trauma, or repeated deployments.

• Many veterans also experience depression, anxiety, substance use struggles, and sleep disorders alongside PTSD.

Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

Childhood Trauma & PTSD

• Studies estimate that over two-thirds of children experience at least one traumatic event before age 16.

• Childhood trauma significantly increases the risk of:

  • PTSD

  • Anxiety disorders

  • Depression

  • Substance abuse

  • Chronic health conditions

  • Difficulty regulating emotions in adulthood

• Children exposed to emotional abuse or chronic household stress can develop complex trauma responses even without physical violence.

Source: CDC ACEs Study (Adverse Childhood Experiences)

Complex PTSD (C-PTSD)

Complex PTSD often develops from long-term, repeated trauma, especially when escape feels impossible — such as:

• Emotional abuse

• Domestic violence

• Childhood neglect

• Coercive control

• Narcissistic abuse

• Ongoing psychological manipulation

In addition to traditional PTSD symptoms, C-PTSD may include:

• Emotional dysregulation

• Chronic shame

• Difficulty trusting others

• Hypervigilance

• Negative self-worth

• Relationship struggles

• Feeling constantly unsafe

C-PTSD is increasingly recognized by trauma specialists worldwide.

Medical PTSD

Medical trauma is real.

Studies show PTSD symptoms can develop after:

• Major surgeries

• Medical emergencies

• Chronic illness

• ICU stays

• Painful procedures

• Traumatic childbirth

• Ongoing health complications

Research suggests that between 20–30% of ICU survivors experience PTSD symptoms afterward.

Many people with chronic illness or repeated medical trauma also experience:

• Hypervigilance

• Anxiety during appointments

• Panic surrounding symptoms

• Sleep disruption

• Fear of medical environments

Final Thoughts…

PTSD awareness should include all survivors.

The veteran. The abuse survivor. The child who grew up in chaos. The person healing from medical trauma. The mother silently holding it together while fighting battles nobody else can see.

Healing is not linear. But speaking about it matters.

And maybe this month, awareness starts by finally believing people when they say:

“I survived something too.”