If you look at the positive aspects of this christian mentality though, people are realising what prayer is and is not about. There is nothing wrong with believing, but how much faith you put within anothers hands is another story. I believe there is life after death, god, devil, good and bad, then those who walk the earth for whatever reason. I believe in faith, I believe in will, I believe in fate... all of which, I am not a christian, nor a religious person, but I still believe in certain things. For example, do things happen for a reason? Yes, they most certainly do.

Where I believe these guidance aspects go wrong, is when advice is sought from a person with bias, and in this case, a christian pastor / priest, whatever the case, bias towards their beliefs in God. They believe that God controls all... where in fact, God as outlined in the bible doesn't do that at all. God made rules, one of which is choice. He says "x" is right, "y" is wrong, and then leaves the choice to us. God gave the earth protection from the sun, but God did not put holes in the ozone layer, we did. We make those choices every day off our lives.

God is not going to help you with your PTSD, he merely provides the choice of whether you help yourself or not. It is like going to a shrink, where one believes in what he learnt from text books, and prescribes medication after medication, and his faith lie in that medication to help you. Another may be anti-medication and use other methods. Both by themselves could provide detremental results. Both by themselves have bias. Join the two and take the best aspects from each, and you have a more balanced, sensible approach. When I refer to medication, I mean both prescription and natural. Both have their positives and negatives, once again, a balanced approach often returns best results. As you heal, you then remove all these other factors from the equation, leaving you with you once again, to make the choices.

I've slowly been noticing PTSD mentioned more and more often in the media.

In the "Six Feet Under" TV series, one of the main characters develops PTSD
On "House" the TV series, one of the shows is about a patient with PTSD
On Dr. Keith Ablow a couple days ago...
And there's a couple more examples I can't think of right now

But I agree that a documentry or national show would help raise awareness.

I had this scary ass dream and all night I laughed in the face of those of my past and told them to piss off.I have never done that befoe it was so peacfull I thought I had slept in till 10 or so when I first woke.I am still only on a mood inhacer supalment and chocolate perscibed only by me.it seems to be working out I don't fluter my eyes half as bad as I use too.Speaking of God There is an Entity That rescued Me thats for sure.I remeber dying on the operating table and coming back you don't do that by your sel. tome there is some kind of god but thats all there is......
I have been sexualy tortued along with other children in the basements of churches. So for me churches are no safer then any where else .And some will say. But no ones perfect in any religon.And I say why the hell not? you mean it's O.K.to be a hypocrate
I do not need to be in some ones click or church club to belive in a god.After all they all think there right.How the hell do I know which ones right.I was not there.

ok, i am going to make some of you mad at me, sorry. i am not upset, and not wanting to be argumentative. after all, it doesn't matter who believes what or how they feel, it doesn't change who God is, or what He has done for us, or requires from us. we are just talking to hear ourselves(including me)
i grew up in the Bible belt, and i know what you are talking about. people that say that you just need more faith, or that God heals all illness(of any kind) MIGHT be well-intentioned, but they are wrong. remember, He did not heal Paul (apostle) of his infirmity, and he asked often for God to do that.
some things are just part of living on this earth and the human condition. CAN God heal anything? i believe so, if he wants to interveine. sometimes His purpose is better served when we go through these things, and that does not make Him unloving. He will help with any illness, if He doesn't take you from it, He will take you through it. It is part of your "support system". You have to ignore people that don't know what they are talking about. they are not using the Bible for their information, just ignorance passed down. Some are hypocrytes, some are just hypocritical. Either way, they are not accurately projecting what God says. I believe in church, because the Bible says to assemble for support and to worship. if one is tearing people down, for any reason, it is wrong. Churches(congregations) can be wrong, too. MY husband is a pastor, and he knows that my ptsd is not something that God is going to take away, but that i can lean on hiim for support and strength. Christ doesn't want us to jump down people's throats and tell them what to do. we are to show them His love, and when they surrender their heart(not just their mind) then He will take care of the rest. ok, i'm off my soapbox now,please don't be mad at me, i love alll of you. but others got to say how they feel, so i get to write a book--right??**wink,wink**

This part from the link jumped out at me. Moved me.

I won't even get into the whole God-healing-power-all-being thing. It's a subject that I feel is very personal for each one of us and I hate it when people begin to debate it. It usually starts off innocently enough ("I believe..., "well, here is what I believe...."), then turns nasty because feelings get hurt because someone dares to disagree.

Anyways, ABC just aired the premiere episode of a show called, "The Nine". It came on earlier in the week but we recorded it and just watched the episode today. In the first episode, there was a bank robbery and someone got killed, but the angle from which they told the story was unlike any I've seen (maybe there have been other like it, but I've never seen it); they showed the beginning of the robbery and then quickly switched to the end of it. In the second half of the show, it was about the people involved in it, both the hostages trapped in the bank and one of the robbers (the other is in the hospital, condition unknown). It only gave glimpses of their life soon afterwards, as there are about 8 or 9 characters they are focusing on. It ended with all but one of them gathering together in a diner - with one of them making a comment about how her friend wanted to come along but that it was a "private hostages-only party." The one that didn't go went to the prison to speak with the robber who wasn't in the hospital.

Warren and I both got the feeling that this show may end up showing the aftermath for the victims - their life after the life-threatening encounter. Perhaps they will show what it's like for those of us with PTSD? At the end, while they were at the diner, seated together in one of those giant round-booth tables, someone in the diner dropped something glass (they didn't show it, but you could hear it) and they ALL jumped in their seats and had looks of fright on their faces.

I'm not sure what night it comes on; Warren wanted to save the episode but accidentally erased it. However, if you want to see it, there is a link to the show in its entirety on the ABC website. Go to www.abc.com, find the show, and from there you can view it.

*****Of course, anyone who's been in this type of circumstance may not want to or be ready to view it, as it may trigger symptoms.***** I got nervous just watching it!

KimG - thanks so much for pointing this show out. I am relieved to see that main stream America is starting to recongnize PTSD (will be more now, thanks to tv), hopefully healthcare will come next (hah, I'm really fantasizing now!). It sounds like the perspective of the film will help people see a minute part of what living with PTSD is like, let's hope. When I was going through trial, the judge dismissed my case because he said that PTSD couldn't be recognized as a disease that could effect quality of life, hopefull now that way of thinking will be changed! For me personally I don't know if I can watch the show, I think it is too close to what I went through.

Yes, Miander, as I said, those who have been through a similar experience may not be able to watch the show. But, isn't it a nice heads-up instead of accidentally watching the show?

I'm sorry that the legal system screwed you. Once again, unless someone actually has PTSD, they can't comprehend its effects; thus the reason why this forum is so successful!

Oh, and I apologize for misspelling your name when wishing you Happy Birthday. I hope you had a good one!

No problem KimG!!! Today is the day I will get to celebrate, and yes, I am so glad I will not accidentally stumble on it now because I am an out-of -control channel surfer but I know the show would've caught my attention and I would've been sucked into watching it without wanting too! It is GREAT how we look out for each other here, isn't it?