The terrifying monster lurking behind the closet door or under the bed has tremendous power over the imaginative child. It can force him to make choices based on fear: turn out the light at the door and run for dear life and leap on the bed, pulling the covers over his head. We can be forced to make similar choices based on fear, choices that leave us unsatisfied, unfulfilled and frightened. The monster with all this power can become a dictator, one who winds its way insidiously into our lives each time we give in to it.

Warriors who return from combat bring to our collective attention consequences of facing danger and remind us how it can transform the brain’s “wiring.” It is possible and crucial to know how to  successfully “re-wire” it.

Anyone, not just uniformed warriors, who experiences a life-threatening event, and who has an overwhelming sense of helpless terror, can develop posttraumatic stress disorder. Examples in civilian life are plentiful: