Product Description

There are some things people don’t get over easily — pain from the past is one of them. Trauma changes people: It changes values, priorities, worldviews, and most of all…it changes how we relate to others. Painful, life-threatening experiences take people beyond the normal day-to-day life, leaving them stuck behind defensive walls that keep them from re-entering the world they have always known as “home”. So how does it happen? How do we lose the loving closeness with those around us? And better yet, how do we re-gain what pain has robbed us of? “Down Range” is not only a book explaining war trauma — it is required reading for anyone seriously interested about how to make healthy transitions from war to peace. Bridget C. Cantrell, Ph.D. and Vietnam veteran, Chuck Dean have joined forces to present this vital information and resource manual for both returning troops and their loved ones. Here you will find answers, explanations, and insights as to why so many combat veterans suffer from flashbacks, depression, fits of rage, nightmares, anxiety, emotional numbing, and other troubling aspects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #50301 in Books
• Published on: 2005-07-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 160 pages

About the Author
Bridget C. Cantrell, Ph.D. is a member of the American Psychological Association and Association of Traumatic Stress Specialists. She specializes in trauma with her primary work encompassing therapeutic counseling for war veterans and their families. With a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, Bridget is a licensed Mental Health Counselor in the State of Washington, and a Nationally Board Certified Mental Health Counselor. She currently works as one of a small number of specially selected and trained Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs PTSD Contractors. Dr. Cantrell is the co-author of a Turning Your Heart Toward Home, a re-integration workbook course for returning troops. In 2004 the Governor’s Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee and the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs appointed her the Outstanding Female Non-Veteran for her service to veterans. She currently works in both Bellingham and Everett, Washington. Chuck Dean, a veteran of the Vietnam War, was one of the first three hundred paratroopers to enter the war in S. E. Asia in May of 1965. After many years of combating his own post-traumatic stress disorder from that war, he now writes and helps other veterans make peace with their past. He is the author of several books addressing the unsettling spiritual and emotional issues caused by serving in a combat zone. His popular-selling book, Nam Vet: Making Peace with Your Past continues to help thousands of veterans. He has served as the National Chaplain for the Society of 173d Airborne Brigade—the same Army unit he served with in Vietnam. Chuck lives in Seattle, Washington.

Customer Reviews

Skims the surface
This is a good first step book. While I think it's very valuable it barely skims the surface of the issues. Let's hope there's more soon!

Very Helpful - Thank you so much!
I was referred to this book after having a scary run-in with a close friend who is recently returned from Iraq. I really didn't understand what he is going through and have gained a lot of insight into how to be supportive and understanding.

I'm going to give this book to him and can only hope that he'll read it.

It's a great jumping point.
I couldn't decide if I should give this book three or four stars; but I think I'll settle on the three.

All in all it was a good book. I did not dislike it. It was informative and very simply written. It reads almost like a manual (again an easy to read one.) I definitely think that family members of service members and even soldiers should pick this book up; it's not going to hurt to have read this one.

Now here's what I didn't like about the book. It's written in second person perspective (which isn't bad: don't get me wrong) but there are two authors (both with different writing styles) trying to talk to you at the same time. So the books reads a little funny. In addition, there are a lot of references to other "workbooks" that go along with this book. So if you're looking for a really detailed book about what to expect when a soldier returns home, this isn't the one. "Down Range" isn't a very detailed book in the way one might expect going in; it's more like a summary of combined books and experiences. Furthermore, I felt that it was repetitive; however, some people may like the fact that they stress certain points several times, I didn't.

Overall I recommend picking up this book even though it's more like a summary. It's a great jumping point to find more detailed information on the subject matter. This book would do great to base a class on, and get people talking: start a dialog about the topic of PTSD and Combat Stress.