Summary Of Soft Spots

Soft Spots: A Marine’s Memoir of Combat and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, written by Clint Van Winkle, is about his struggle dealing with PTSD after returning home from Iraq. The book demonstrates what it is like to be constantly taken over by emotions and memories from the past. He does this by jumping from present to past many times throughout the book. In one sentence he will be sitting in his class at college and then the next he is back in Iraq in an AAV (amphibious assault vehicle) securing whichever city they happen to be at that day. His memories are often clouded or unclear, especially when he speaks about them with the marines he served with. They can never agree on the details of each other’s stories. When he is diagnosed with
Previously, I thought PTSD was only related to ducking when you heard a loud noise or being paranoid. However, this book taught me that it is much more than that. The people affected by this disorder are constantly reminded of their trauma through recurring flashbacks and unpleasant memories that can seem very real. The health care system for veterans is disappointing, how can someone that has served our country be shoveled through a system only to receive a stamp of a disorder and given medication just to move on to the next person? Veterans deserve the best care simply for their sacrifice that keeps our country free. The concept of the EMDR treatment Van Winkle was receiving at the end of his book is interesting. It would be better to understand exactly how it works and what causes the memories to become so much clearer under this treatment. I could not see myself working with this type of patient, because I feel that the best care would be provided for a veteran by a veteran. They are able to understand each other and the experiences they have been through. This would make treatment easier for both the patient and the