Me and My Black Dog: Complex PTSD: A truly disturbing account of a Falklands/SAS veteran’s battle with PTSD and his eye-opening stay on a psychiatric ward. (The P T Saunders Story Book 2)

WARNING: CONTAINS DISTURBING DETAILS SUICIDE ATTEMPTS, AND BATTLEFIELD SCENES. This is the very raw story of a man who served his country, fought in the Falklands, and then had extreme difficulty adjusting after the war. But it is actually much more than that. Yes, like many veterans of combat, he fought – and continues to fight – with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. However, the factors leading to his PTSD began long before he ever put on his uniform and picked up a gun.Paul and his siblings suffered for 14 years at the hands of a violently abusive stepfather. This in itself, with no intervention of counselling, set Paul up for a life of explosive bouts of anger and violence. Then Paul went to war and witnessed horrific sights on the battlefield, sights that the human mind itself recognizes is not “normal”. Come night-time, Paul’s sleep was disrupted as his brain tried to make sense of the visions, smells, and sounds. Unable to get the sleep he desperately needed, he was short-tempered and developed a very short fuse. Book Review by Dan Santos Amazon reader.This is one of the most extraordinary true stories I have ever read. It probably has to do with the writer having been a comrade in arms from the British Army or perhaps because of its deep introspection.

P. T. Saunders is a former British Paratrooper who saw action in the Falklands war, a conflict between the UK and Argentina in the early 1980s. He was subsequently a member of the elite Special Air Service. As unique as his service may have been, what makes this story exceptional is his description of the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder resulting from his experiences. Saunders is a skilled writer whose story flows smoothly, making it a pleasant, ‘unputdownable’ reading experience despite the tragic subject. It is not fair someone’s selfless service to his country is repaid with a torturous disorder which makes him relive the blood, gore and violence of his sacrifice. What makes this story even more special is the matter-of-fact manner tone he uses in describing his bouts with deep depression, violent outbursts and suicidal thoughts.He will take you through his pre-deployment angst, landing under enemy fire at the British possession, and a rushing attack on an Argentinian machine gun position. Here was my first shocker. Another soldier would have described in detail how he and his comrades overpowered the enemy. (Spoiler) He refuses “out of respect” for the death of his foes. That’s the kind of man who wrote this account.Saunders describes in all honesty the failure of his first marriage, his inability to end it all, and the uncertainty of his every step he takes in life. His account does not depress or put off the reader; rather, it makes the reader root for success in his many attempts at ‘normalcy.’ He neither seeks not elicits pity. What he accomplishes is even more extraordinary: the reader’s awakening to this soldiering scourge that has taken such a heavy toll on British and American war fighters. It let’s you understand how our suicide rate of 22 veterans a day came about.I truly recommend this book. Five Stars!Me and My Black Dog: Eine wahre Geschichte über eine Soldatenreise in PTSD, Depression und Perfektionismus