By Dawn Daum of W.T.F. words thoughts feelings
Survivors of childhood abuse, interpersonal violence and other various traumas are professionals at looking “normal.” Most of us have it down to an art. So it’s no surprise why people waging internal wars are not commonly recognized as the faces of PTSD. The #FacesOfPTSD campaign was created to change that.
**Click here to watch the official #FacesOfPTSD video with original song by Joyelle Brandt.**
#FacesOfPTSD is an online social media campaign that features the faces and stories of trauma survivors living with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The group leading the campaign, all women, all mothers living with PTSD, are dedicated to increasing information on the root causes of PTSD.
Lady Gaga captured the essence of the #FaceOfPTSD campaign in her Open Letter published on the Born This Way Foundation website.
Public figures like Lady Gaga, Jewel, Wentworth Miller, Abigail Breslin, and Alanis Morissette speaking about how PTSD and other mental health disorders have affected their lives has opened the door for discussion. Let’s not allow that invitation to be in vain. Let us intertwine common voices with the voices of those more recognized.
Trauma as a whole is ignored as a contributing factor to mental illness, despite a growing body of evidence to show there is a direct link between trauma and chronic mental and medical illnesses. The body remembers what the mind—or the survivor—forgets.
Our bodies harvest experiences, good and bad, and the energy created can manifest in ways that aren’t easily identified as a symptom of trauma, but rather, as unexplained or misdiagnosed mental and medical malfunctions. Google’s search results reflect our culture’s singular perspective on mental health issues, which only feeds shame and misconceptions.
We go to work, despite flashbacks, and carry on even when we’re not sure we can take another step. We raise our children while navigating triggers. We live a “normal” life, because we have been conditioned to “deal with it” instead of recover from it, so at times, hidden away from the world, we fall apart. We self medicate or do whatever we can to swim through the suffering, and the cycle continues…
If we don’t see or hear about people like us living with PTSD, will the stigma ever truly be eradicated? No, it won’t. That’s why supporting campaigns like #FacesOfPTSD is so important.
With your support, we will collectively build momentum to change search engine results to more inclusively represent who is living with PTSD. Our goal is to collect images posted across all social media platforms that use the hashtag and include them in a massive collage to share on June 27th – National PTSD Awareness Day.
Join the movement.
Let’s kick off this campaign May 24th, 2017 with as many images, along with the hashtag #FacesOfPTSD as possible. Share on any or all social media platforms.
Be a part of the change!
Show your face. Share your knowledge. Make a change.
#FacesOfPTSD …because not all wars are fought on the battlefield.
For resources and information about PTSD, visit www.facesofptsd.com.
If you are a parent navigating the challenges of living with PTSD while raising a family, visit www.parentingwithptsd.com.
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About the Author
Dawn is a thirty-something wife, Momma to two, mental health care manager, survivor and student of life. She blogs at W.T.F. words thoughts feelings, and is co-editor of Trigger Points: Abuse Survivors Experiences of Parenting. Her work has been featured on Huff Post Parents, The Indie Chicks, Elephant Journal and Scary Mommy. Dawn can be found on Facebook and Twitter.