Veteran’s Stress, Trauma and Synapse Rehabilitation

This book provides a structured, multidisciplinary synthesis of the psychological, social, and neurobiological consequences of combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It outlines how contemporary therapeutic strategies, considered through the lens of the concept of synaptic rehabilitation, can intervene in this devastating condition. Through 17 chapters, the volume journeys from first-hand testimony to molecular mechanisms, mapping how war-induced trauma distorts brain function, cognition, and social behaviour, and how these changes may be reversed. The book’s point of departure is personal: a historical account of an Australian World War I veteran ("Pop"), whose experience at the battle for the Somme in France reveals not only the acute horrors of trench warfare but the intergenerational consequences of unresolved PTSD. From this foundation, the text proceeds through empirical research, clinical instruments, neurobiological models, and therapeutic techniques. Each chapter builds upon the last in order to provide a coherent clinical and neurophysiological narrative. Read more