"You learn to keep your mental body armor handy to protect against sudden attacks -- providing precious seconds to collect yourself and fight back."
— Armeni, Damon T.
Author
Work Title
Date
May 7, 2014
Metaphor
"You learn to keep your mental body armor handy to protect against sudden attacks -- providing precious seconds to collect yourself and fight back."
Metaphor in Context
But I was wrong. I soon learned that treatment for PTSD is like a good training regimen -- difficult and painful. It helps me to imagine the tools I have been given as military-issue supplies. Therapy starts with this figurative tool kit: a flashlight, cold-weather gear, body armor, a helmet and a weapon. The gear keeps you warm when the storms of PTSD gather. You learn to keep your mental body armor handy to protect against sudden attacks -- providing precious seconds to collect yourself and fight back. When the darkness rolls over you, the imagined flashlight helps you see.
Categories
Provenance
Reading
Citation
Damon T. Armeni, "A Soldier Fights Off the Cold," New York Times (May 7, 2014). <Link to NYTimes.com>
Date of Entry
05/15/2014
