Understanding Despair
This term describes the overwhelming loss of hope that often leaves people feeling isolated and stuck in suffering.
What is despair?
This percentage range of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan are estimated to experience PTSD.
What is 11–20%?
Bringle describes hope’s return as beginning with these.
What are the first glimmers of hope?
God is often found in this kind of interpersonal experience, according to Savage.
What is deep or empathetic listening?
This technique involves giving full attention and validating someone’s emotional experience.
What is active listening?
According to Bringle, despair causes people to see the future with these two emotions instead of confidence.
What are dread and discouragement?
This Iowa medical center provides care and support for local veterans.
What is the Des Moines VA Medical Center?
According to Bringle, moving out of despair depends on these two key elements.
What are community and imagination of a different story?
Bringle says trusting in God often means giving up this "seductive" thing.
What is the certainty of the intellect?
Veterans who engage in this therapeutic activity often report reduced PTSD symptoms and increased purpose through working with animals or land.
What is therapeutic farming or animal-assisted therapy?
This form of despair occurs when a person rejects help and refuses to acknowledge their need for healing.
What is the despair of defiance?
One reason veterans in Iowa may struggle more with PTSD recovery is due to this limitation.
What are limited mental health resources in rural areas?
A small act like this could represent a first step toward hope for a veteran.
What is attending counseling or making a call for help?
Veterans may see God working quietly through these kinds of people at the VA center.
What are healthcare providers and fellow veterans?
This mindfulness-based method helps veterans refocus during a PTSD episode.
What is grounding?
Bringle says this form of despair makes individuals feel they "cannot bear being themselves."
What is the despair of weakness?
This type of stigma in the military culture often prevents veterans from seeking help.
What is the stigma around mental health being seen as weakness?
Hope is not about denying pain, but about holding on to this.
What is a vision beyond despair?
According to Bringle, faith is not just belief in doctrine, but this kind of trust.
What is a steady, patient trust in God's timing?
This communication method uses a feeling word and a question to check in on someone’s emotional state.
What is a perception check?
According to Bringle, this subtle form of despair is marked by emptiness, disinterest, and distraction rather than visible suffering.
What is existential despair?
This major consequence of untreated PTSD is tragically higher among Iowa veterans than the national average.
What is suicide?
Hope begins to return when this theological virtue is combined with real-world action and support.
What is faith?
This image from Bringle represents surrendering one’s despair to the mystery of God's possibilities.
What is “the uncertainty of trust in God's unforeseeable possibilities”?
This technique helps individuals name and reframe negative internal narratives that reinforce despair.
What is cognitive restructuring (or reframing)?