NEW YORK — (NEW YORK) -- Afghanistan War veteran Jason Kander says he was a few months into therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder when he realized, for the first time, that recovery is not only possible, but common.
"My therapist had to explain to me that it is normal to get better," Kander said in an interview with ABC News' Linsey Davis."That most people who commit to the program actually achieve post-traumatic growth, meaning they get to a point where PTSD no longer is disruptive to their life."
"I said yes to [being featured], because I could tell that what they wanted to do was to tell a story that was so different than the way PTSD is usually depicted," Kander said, adding that he believes"a sense of voyeurism" of people in the throes of the illness is often what gets portrayed onscreen and in the news.
People diagnosed with PTSD have intense, disturbing thoughts and feelings that last long after a traumatic event ended, according to the American Psychiatric Association. They may relive the traumatic event through flashbacks or nightmares and may avoid situations that remind them of the event. They may also feel sadness, fear or anger and detached from other people around them.
Prolonged exposure therapy is a type of cognitive behavioral therapy that teaches patients to"gradually approach trauma-related memories, feelings, and situations" they have been avoiding since the trauma, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs website. Tabitha and Teresa received their treatment at the Cincinnati VA Trauma Recovery Program, which is featured in the film. An average of 210 people go through its residential program per year; 70% of participants who complete the program no longer meet the criteria for PTSD, a spokesperson for the documentary said.
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