|
|
|
Author Autographed Copies
Includes the 10 Steps for living with PTSD
Dear Mickey,
Thanks for the copy of your book,
TAKE ONE DAY AT A TIME.
I'm pleased to have your book
about surviving Post-Traumatic Stress.
I really appreciate you thinking of me.
All God's best as you fulfill what God
has created you to do!
God Bless,
Rick Warren, Author
THE PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE |
I wrote this book, because it saved my life. PTSD has caused so much suffering and depression in my life. Family and faith have brought me through.
As I wrote each page of this book I felt weight lifting from my shoulders. With the writing of this book also came the task of sharing this story with my wife. For 30 years, I have kept the story of my rape a secret from her. Along with the Lord, Deb is the strength of my life, but until now I never found the strength to tell her about how I got PTSD.
When I returned from Vietnam I felt unworthy because of how the public looked at and judged us Vets. I struggled with nightmares and depression. I was always searching for ways to find happiness and security. When I met my wife, I thought I had my answer.
Marriage did help me with some things. At the same time it added many difficult situations. A marriage can add stress to a person who is already stressed with PTSD. I wanted to love and be loved. I wanted us to share and support each other. I wanted complete happiness for us, but PTSD affected all parts of my family life.
My spouse realized there was something wrong. She tried to help. I wasn’t ready for help, and I wasn’t willing to accept help. I wasn’t able to trust others, and I couldn’t admit that I had a serious problem. I thought I could overcome PTSD alone.
For 30 years I never told Deb about my PTSD problem. I knew that I was already stressing our marriage, and felt afraid that if added any more problems she might finally give up and leave. My own feelings were buried so deeply that I was afraid I also wouldn’t be able to handle sharing my experience.
In earlier years I was afraid to tell Deb because she was supporting our family with jobs and working to raise our three children. The longer I waited the harder it felt to tell Deb. Good times would come and I’d think I’d overcome PTSD. Then something would happen and snap me right back to my problems.
When I started writing this book last year, I finally shared with my wife of 31 years how I was suffering with PTSD. My fears were real. Deb wasn’t sure she’d be able to stay with this marriage after I told her. She felt that I’d betrayed her trust for all those years. As we began to talk, I learned that she’d always suspected that I had some hidden problem, but she could never figure out what it was. She told me there had been times when she felt she couldn’t handle another minute or another day. She told me how she would get down on her knees and pray for strength and understanding. She thought about our children and how I was their father and how the kids needed a father. She has endured. I wish I had been able to tell her many, many years ago.
My children have been my source of unconditional love. Deb and I tried to always be supportive of them and provide them with the faith that the Lord will help if you trust and believe.
There were many times I was so helpless I did not want to call upon the Lord. I felt too far away from God and too unworthy. In those times I would lean on the strength of my wife or my children. There were times I felt the only thing I could do was go to bed and then try to get up the next day. I would try to get through that day and hope something would happen to give me strength, a hug from my wife, or an even with my children.
These days as I sit with my wife and we talk about all the things we went through, we know we could not have done it on our own. We made it through with God’s help and God’s timing. We supported each other even when we were worn out.
Writing this book saved my life. It lifted weight from my shoulders. I pray that it will be a story of hope for you the reader, and help you to cope with your own struggles and your own life.
Mickey
Reviewed by Rapid City Journal: (December 10 2006)
Mickey Dennis weaves a tale that would make Charles Dickens pale and Emily Dickinson proud in “Take One Day At A Time: Surviving Post-Traumatic Stress.” His writing is engaging, disjunct and chock full of story. The story of one man’s resilience in the face of overwhelming odds against him : his victory over death, over abuse and over Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. His story falls to the ground in narrative chunks, only to be carefully rebuilt by his descriptions of the loving family and church congregation around him, supporting him. He offers a path for every human being suffering from PTSD or abuse, especially service members or veterans. Available from www.bloomingtwigbooks.com; costs $14.95.
NEW! The Buffalo Soldier of the Western Frontier
 Author Mickey Dennis explores the lives of South Dakota's Buffalo Soldiers, and the impact they've had on America. As American experiences it's first Black president, The Buffalo Soldier of the Western Frontier takes a look back at one of the important contributions by Black Americans on the journey to freedom, justice, and full participation in the American Dream.
More Information
Order "The Buffalo Soldier of the Western Frontier"
|
