This is my rifle”, is an Idea I had for the last six years. PTSD (Post Dramatic Stress Disorder) is an issue many US military members deal with as they return from a war zone. It’s a life-changing issue that can’t be shut off. These heroes struggle day to day with depression, vivid recalls, paranoia and panic attacks. While these are signs that most of us understand about PTSD there is one issue that doesn’t get as much light.
What happens when the lights go out and you fall asleep?
PTSD doesn’t just go away, PTSD poisons or curses the veterans sleep – more specifically, their dreams. With this book, we join a US Marine Corps veteran struggling with PTSD. He looks back as he tries to understand what has taken him to the brink of suicide, taking readers on a journey through his mind and into the dreams that haunt him every night.
“How did I get here? Nothing has ever been as clear as it is now. I know what I must do, what I must do to be free. Free of pain, free of myself. My mind is a never ending merry-go-round that never seems to stop. I am tortured by my thoughts, and there’s only one way to break free. I know this is selfish, but I know that this is the only way I can free myself from the pain, from my mind. I have tried everything else.”
Each chapter is written in first person. This style allows the reader to feel as if they too are walking in the boots of the veteran’s every dream episode. By doing this the reader experiences what it’s like to live with PTSD and how a veteran with PTSD lives day to day. PTSD becomes a shared experience which increases awareness to the trauma of PTSD. It is only through the greater knowledge can stigmas be removed and treatment be promoted.
Kickstarter: www.kickstarter.com
