Finding out...

[brittris]

So my Dad just started going to counseling for his PTSD. It's been something we've been wanting him to do for awhile, and it's finally happening. He was talking to us last night about how his first session went, and it seems it's going okay.

Along with the talks of counseling, he mentioned some of the things that he and the therapist talked about as far as "traumatic experiences" he had in the past that led to what's going on now. My mom knew about them all, obviously. But my brother and I are just finding out about most of them. And to be honest, it may have been years ago when some of these occurred, but it scared me to death hearing about them last night. I know when we were younger, they didn't want to scare us, so they never said anything about what was going on...at least until later on. But now that I'm leaving in a few months for Basic Training, it makes me worry a little.

I know I have nothing to worry about. But this PTSD is a wake-up call on how "real" this all is for me and the family. I've got a book he brought home for the family to read on coping with it, so I'll probably sit down and read it today. And even though I'll be gone soon and off starting my military career, it's still going to affect me, whether I'm living at the house or not. So any advice on support and coping would be great!