“Paula Caplan's important book is profoundly empathetic to the psychological needs of our soldiers. She is especially attuned to those needs in a political culture that shifts the burden of its pathology onto its soldiers. Dr. Caplan teaches that the most salutary treatment for both the culture and the soldiers is the necessary exposure of the truth of their experience. Continued denial deepens the trauma and enables its repetition.”
--Robert Shetterly, artist and author of Americans Who Tell the Truth
--Robert Shetterly, artist and author of Americans Who Tell the Truth
“If we, as citizens, want to do right by the young men and women who serve in our military and fight our wars, we can start by reading this profound and moving book. By the book’s end, you will be certain of one ‘therapeutic’ truth: A society that sends its young off to war needs to be ready to hear their stories when they return and know that ‘there is healing power in not only listening, but also in remembering what the speaker says.’”
--Robert Whitaker, author of Anatomy of an Epidemic and Mad in America
--Robert Whitaker, author of Anatomy of an Epidemic and Mad in America
“The suffering of returning Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans, their families, and those whose lives they affect is likely to be the greatest mental health tragedy of at least the next decade. Dr. Caplan's passionate, eminently readable book makes a compelling case that this is about human pain, not mental illness. Dr. Caplan's critically reasoned review of the multiple dimensions of this crisis is both a call to action and a guidebook for how we can all do our part (still to be done for Vietnam vets) to welcome our American heroes home.”
--Paul Block, Director, Psychological Centers, Providence, RI
--Paul Block, Director, Psychological Centers, Providence, RI
“Caplan peels away the layers of myth, denial, and cliché we've used to shield ourselves from our veterans' unmet needs and our unpaid debt to them. Veterans' own stories put a human face on this book's careful research and thoughtful analysis. This book is a must-read not just for those who care about our veterans but for anyone who has benefited from their sacrifices, which is to say all of us."
--Kenneth S. Pope, psychologist, ABPP, and co-author, Ethics in Psychotherapy and Counseling
“Rather than dealing with soldiers' post war pain through denial or the distancing, detachment, diagnosis, drugs, and dis-ease of professionals, Caplan advocates that we all contribute by listening when soldiers tell their stories, and she presents a clear and convincing case that we should not recoil from or deny the horrors of war. Refusing to recognize the experiences of soldiers contributes to the continuation of both war and the debilitating impact of war on returning warriors. Caplan employs prose, poetry, literature, logic, and empirical data to convince us of our power to contribute to a community that connects with and socially supports returning veterans. It is important for all of us, laypersons and professionals, to hear what Caplan has to say and to listen to the stories that veterans have to tell.”
--Maureen C. McHugh, Professor of Psychology, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
--Maureen C. McHugh, Professor of Psychology, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
"Some of the most tragic and lasting consequences of the U.S. military invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq only begin after our troops return home to resume their lives. They bring back with them deeply-disturbing experiences and memories largely unknown and often unrecognized by family and community—turning these soldiers into outcasts even when greeted as heroes. Paula Caplan’s timely new book illuminates the inadequacies of current societal and mental health system responses, and explores promising alternatives for confronting the stigma and isolation experienced by so many of our combat veterans.
--Roy J. Eidelson, Past President, Psychologists for Social Responsibility; President, Eidelson Consulting
--Roy J. Eidelson, Past President, Psychologists for Social Responsibility; President, Eidelson Consulting
