Summary Of Soft Spots

Soft Spots: A Marine’s Memoir of Combat and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, written by Clint Van Winkle, is about his struggle dealing with PTSD after returning home from Iraq. The book demonstrates what it is like to be constantly taken over by emotions and memories from the past. He does this by jumping from present to past many times throughout the book. In one sentence he will be sitting in his class at college and then the next he is back in Iraq in an AAV (amphibious assault vehicle) securing whichever city they happen to be at that day. His memories are often clouded or unclear, especially when he speaks about them with the marines he served with. They can never agree on the details of each other’s stories. When he is diagnosed with
PTSD at the Phoenix VA hospital, he sees it as a stamp that he will never get rid of. He spends his free time drinking attempting to escape from his memories, but this only brings them forward. He cycles through doctors trying to better his situation, but none seem to care or are able to help him. He calls 911 multiple times before being told he is having panic attacks related to his memories. Finally, in his epilogue, he is receiving a type of treatment called eye movement desensitization and reprocessing or EMDR. It is not known how EMDR works, but it seems to improve patient’s symptoms. Van Winkle ends his book without coming to a conclusion, without some type of closure of being cured. He comes to terms that a part of him will always be in Iraq and he cannot change that, he can only live with it and learn from it.
Clint Van Winkle was diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. He did not want to believe the diagnosis at first saying, “surely the nurse wasn’t suggesting that I had PTSD. She had to be talking about somebody else” (39). He goes on to say that a sergeant of the marines was not a person to have PTSD, he wasn’t crying about his experiences. He met the criteria for being exposed to traumatic events by his time spent in combat in Iraq. There are also moments of re-experiencing the trauma when he has dreams and flashbacks of his time in Iraq. The events are not factual as a whole, there are often parts missing or interpreted wrong. He also displays a constant feeling of anger and reckless behavior, such as driving under the influence of alcohol. His sleep pattern is disturbed by the memories, he often stay awake and when he does fall asleep he is awakened by his nightmares. He is also hypervigilant in certain situations, especially when it is dealing with his wife, Sara. The contributing factors that led to Van Winkle’s PTSD were his service in the United States Marine Corp and his tour of duty in Iraq. He states himself, “…there were nightmares, insomnia, and heavy drinking… I wanted to hurt other people” (39). The PTSD is maintained by the memories that flash through his mind on a daily basis, along with his constant drinking. “The more I drank, the more I remembered. The more I remembered, the more I tried to forget” (42). He also feels as though he has no one that he can talk to about his memories, he does not want to disturb Sara with the mental images, however he is able to confide in his fellow marines when they are able to hold a conversation together. The “outside” world, those without knowledge of PTSD or military service, does not understand the experiences of a veteran and this keeps Van Winkle from being able to express his emotions to most people he comes in contact with, even some doctors. There is no way he could have avoided PTSD except by not serving and being deployed to Iraq, but that does not seem to have been an option in this case.
At first, Clint Van Winkle was not given any treatment but a medication that he was reluctant to take
Reading this book gave me a better understanding of PTSD and how it impacts the daily lives of combat veterans.
Previously, I thought PTSD was only related to ducking when you heard a loud noise or being paranoid. However, this book taught me that it is much more than that. The people affected by this disorder are constantly reminded of their trauma through recurring flashbacks and unpleasant memories that can seem very real. The health care system for veterans is disappointing, how can someone that has served our country be shoveled through a system only to receive a stamp of a disorder and given medication just to move on to the next person? Veterans deserve the best care simply for their sacrifice that keeps our country free. The concept of the EMDR treatment Van Winkle was receiving at the end of his book is interesting. It would be better to understand exactly how it works and what causes the memories to become so much clearer under this treatment. I could not see myself working with this type of patient, because I feel that the best care would be provided for a veteran by a veteran. They are able to understand each other and the experiences they have been through. This would make treatment easier for both the patient and the
doctor.
This was an amazing book, it was able to open my eyes to the harsh reality of life after war for a combat veteran. At first the book seemed confusing because of the constant jumping around from past to present back to the past again. Once I was more acquainted with his life, I understood exactly where he was in thought throughout the book, whether it be present or past. I would most definitely recommend this book to others and I have already. It is very captivating and interesting and I feel that it would be beneficial for people to read so that they are more aware of how PTSD can impact someone’s life.
If a person was reading this book that had never had a psychology course, I feel that they would still be able to grasp the concepts of the book. It is full of information and perfect examples of how the disorder works. The book portrays the negative effects of the disorder in a positive way. The symptoms are not pleasant, however they are displayed in a way that shows how truly traumatizing they can be. The treatment itself is not displayed in a negative way, however the health care system for veterans is shown to be subpar and needing improvement. Van Winkle did not want to go to the doctor only to be given another type of medication and sent on his way. Like most people, he wanted explanations and answers. An uneducated reader would still be able to benefit from reading this book because of its portrayal of PTSD. It is not an overly complicated book to understand, it is rather straightforward in its explanations of the disorder and the symptoms of it.
The author did not seem to have any biases. He seems to have interpreted his experiences without being exceptionally bias toward or against any group. However, marines are a band of brothers and this contributes to his seemingly perfect view of his brothers he served with in Iraq. He holds them close to his heart and believes that they are in the same position as he is, but hold a hope that they will be able to improve just as he is. There were no contradictions to the current research based on PTSD or false information related to the disorder and its symptoms. The story behind the book was a completely painted picture, however some memories may have been unclear, and this is because of the disorder and cannot be held against Van Winkle. The ending would have been more satisfying had he been cured and leading a normal life, but I did not expect this to happen. It is understood that the disorder takes time to treat and overcome and many are never able to fully overcome their symptoms. And as Van Winkle stated, “The vivid memories I collected in combat won’t disappear. A piece of me will always be in Iraq” (212).