War Trauma and
​Combat Trauma

Welcome. Your training has shaped who you are. Your experiences have shaped who you are. And sacrifices have been internal, as well as external.
 
In the civilian population, about 7.5% of people could be diagnosed with PTSD at some point in their life. For veterans, that number can go up to about 30%, depending on the theatre of operations, and the missions involved. About 50% of the veterans from OIF and OEF are seeking VA services for mental health conditions.* This is common issue, but not widely talked about.
*http://www.publichealth.va.gov/epidemiology/reports/health-care-use-gulfwar-oefoifond/index.asp
 
Dr. Victor Frankl (a physician/psychiatrist) lived through the Auschwitz concentration camp in Germany. His mother, wife, and brother died in the camps. He wrote about his experiences in a book called “Man’s Search for Meaning”.  Dr. Frankl said “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”

The stimulus of war has come into your life, and here you are…
 
Many people who have encountered death, combat, and war trauma are unsure if it is possible to have a normal life after these experiences. This causes difficulties with family, loved ones, spirituality, and job placement. The wounds of war are real, and sometimes invisible. There is also real hope for healing.
 
Some common experiences of people who have been around death and trauma include:

• images you can’t shake
• nightmares
• anger
• irritability
• feeling constantly on alert, even when you are trying to sleep
• feeling numb
• difficulty connecting with people
• avoiding things that make you remember
• using things to help you avoid
• remembering the event(s) through flashbacks
• physically feeling like that event is occurring again
• a change in the way you view yourself, other people, and the world
• difficulty sleeping
• feeling emotionally detached
• experiencing severe anxiety, even though the situation might not warrant it

 
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is simply a name that is an umbrella under which these feelings/thoughts/behaviors are housed under.
 
These post-trauma experiences can be worked through. The VA and Department of Defense have put a lot of money into researching the best ways to help PTSD and combat trauma, and there have been incredible results. Dr. Ramquist has been trained by these departments and now offers these treatments in her quiet, confidential office in Santa Clarita. She hopes that this location, closer to your home than downtown LA, and away from traffic, will be a benefit to you.
 
If you are wanting a professional to be on your side and work with you on sorting through the aftermath of experiencing war, this is the place for you. Dr. Ramquist will provide psychological treatment for you in a prompt, direct, and confidential manner. Please do call for a free 15-minute consultation with Dr. Ramquist to see if this is a good therapeutic fit for you.
 
Click here for resources that might be helpful to veterans.

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What does addressing this trauma/PTSD look like?

1. Initial brief assessment.
2. Dr. Ramquist will figure out what’s going on.
3. You will create a game plan together of how to address what’s going on in your life that you want to change.
4. Execute that plan through 12 or more sessions of talk therapy, which will include take-home skills practice.
5. Re-assessment of progress and planning for future.
   

More about Dr. Ramquist

Dr. Elizabeth Ramquist’s specialty as a Clinical Psychologist is in working with issues surrounding death, grief, and trauma, as well as personal growth and thriving.  She began working with traumatized children in group homes in CA, then went on to receive her doctoral training in adult Clinical Psychology at Rosemead School of Psychology in Los Angeles.

​Dr. Ramquist worked at the Veteran's Health Administration (VA) to receive specialized training in treating PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). There, she had the privilege of working with veterans from the Korean and Vietnam conflicts, younger veterans recently returned from OIF and OEF, and other military personal working through PTSD and traumatic experiences they had during peace-keeping missions. Dr. Ramquist went on to the University of Notre Dame where she provided psychological services to the ND community as a Staff Psychologist.

Dr. Ramquist now practices in the Santa Clarita Valley, specializing in PTSD and offering psychological services to first responders, those impacted by grief and traumatic death, infertility and miscarriage, and assault survivors. She also provides psychotherapy to other psychotherapists, and gives seminars and workshops on issues surrounding trauma, grief, and loss.