Shift Your Life

With Tracy Latz, M.D. & Marion Ross, Ph.D.

Military

Memorial Day: Grief vs Remembrance vs Honoring

Articles, Body/Mind/Spirit, Consciousness, Inspiration, The Shift Doctors, Tracy Latz MD

Memorial Day was originally called ‘Decoration Day’ and was established as a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service. Memorial Day was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of both Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. It is a date of remembrance, honor and reconciliation. For many who have recently lost loved ones who served and gave their all for what they believed in, it can be a day of grieving over the fresh pangs of loss of their father, mother, son, daughter, brother, sister, friend, comrade or loved one.

Memorial Day is now celebrated in almost every state on the last Monday in May (passed by Congress with the National Holiday Act of 1971 (P.L. 90 – 363) to ensure a three day weekend for Federal holidays). For many this is most of what this holiday represents to them: a 3-day break from work or school to plan a vacation around.

Red Poppies began to be used as a symbol to wear in of honor those who had died in war or in service after Moina Michael wrote in 1919 the verse:

“We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies.” [Read more…] about Memorial Day: Grief vs Remembrance vs Honoring

PTSD Anniversary Reactions: Lessons from War, Abuse, Catastrophes and 9/11

Articles, Body/Mind/Spirit, Integrative Medicine, Marion Ross PhD, Mind Body Spirit, The Shift Doctors, Tracy Latz MD

Dr. Tracy Latz, M.D., M.S. is a respected, board-certified, practicing Integrative Psychiatrist who has worked in the past “in the trenches” in a regional state psychiatric hospital and in local county mental health center systems in North Carolina as well as in community hospital settings. She has done both inpatient and outpatient work with the seriously mentally ill. Dr. Latz received her bachelor degree in Biology from Wake Forest University, a masters degree in Immunobiology from Georgetown University, and her medical degree from Wake Forest University Medical School/Bowman Gray School of Medicine. She is now in solo private integrative psychiatric practice in Mooresville, a suburb of Charlotte, NC. She has written a landmark article on PTSD/Dissociative Disorders in a peer-reviewed journal, co-authored 2 books on personal transformation, recorded 2 meditation CDs to assist others with creating inner peace, filmed self-help integrative medicine videos, and has contributed to or been interviewed by many mainstream media outlets including CNN, Good Housekeeping, SELF, Glamour, AOL Health, Woman’s Day, Fitness, Whole Living, and Health – to name a few. You can find out more about Dr. Latz at www.shiftyourlife.com

Retraumatization? Anniversary Reactions & PTSD
I have heard many people over the years describe feeling significant reactions to anniversary dates of traumas experienced by self or others. On the anniversary of traumatic events, some people may find that they experience an increase in distressing memories or intrusive thoughts of the event. Even if you are not a veteran of war or a survivor of direct physical or sexual trauma, you can likely relate to feelings you might have over significant traumatic dates in history such as the terrorist bombings, military coupes, the ‘Twin Tower horrors’ of 9/11, the tsunamis in India and Japan, or other natural catastrophes around the world.

On the anniversary of going through a trauma, some trauma survivors or witnesses have an increase in emotional or physical distress. These “anniversary reactions” can range from feeling mildly upset, irritable or near-tearful for a day or two to a more extreme reaction with more severe mental health or medical symptoms.

Why do some people have anniversary reactions?

The awareness of an anniversary date itself may trigger a memory. For example, in a case such as the September 11, 2001, attacks, the date serves as a strong reminder… especially this year with it being the 10th anniversary of the event and it being plastered all over the media. Since people refer to those attacks with the date on which they occurred, it is hard for anyone who knows about that event to go through that day without being reminded of what happened, where they were when it occurred, etc. There may also be other subconscious reminders of the trauma apart from the date itself. Sometimes  memories appear to “come from out of the blue”. They may occur to you while you are dreaming, at work, home, watching television or a movie, or even when relaxing.

Anniversary reactions may occur because of the way an emotionally overwhelming traumatic experience is stored in memory. Memories of trauma contain data of events and emotions as well as hindsight information about the danger that the trauma involved- and how “if we’d only known” we might have avoided or escaped it. The memory serves to make us more aware of when we should be afraid, how we should look at similar situations, how to feel in similar situations, and what to think. For example, a [Read more…] about PTSD Anniversary Reactions: Lessons from War, Abuse, Catastrophes and 9/11