Who am I? Why am I here?

My name is Candace L. Cooper and I'm the author/ editor of the upcoming book "Help Me Get Off This Island: Experiences With PTSD".  It's a collection of many people's stories of their life with post-traumatic stress disorder, and I welcome those of you with PTSD to submit your stories to be potentially included in the anthology.

I was sexually assaulted about 11 years ago, and not only did I develop PTSD, but I also spent almost all of these years blaming myself for what happened and feeling too ashamed to talk about it.  This past Fall, after a particularly bad triggering event, I re-evaluated my situation.  When I stepped back, I told myself, "You can't blame yourself anymore.  The assault wasn't your fault, and it's nothing for you to be ashamed of."  This did not vastly improve my PTSD-- I still get triggered by regular events.  But I feel stronger and more ready to face this demon face-on.

Out of this event came my inspiration to put together this anthology.  I want more people to understand PTSD and recognize its importance and severity.  I want people to see that it is not only soldiers who suffer from it.  I want people with PTSD to have hope for their future and I want them to know they are not alone. If I help only 1 person through this, it will still be worth it.