The ravages of war extend far beyond the battlefield. The scars cut deep, not just into the bodies of those who fought but into the very souls of all who were caught in the crossfire.
We read the clinical studies on the staggering rates of PTSD, chronic pain, and substance abuse among veterans. The data is shocking but fails to convey the anguish behind those numbers. For every soldier still jolted awake by nightmares decades later, there is a lifetime of trauma etched into their psyche.
But the civilians? Their suffering is too often an afterthought. The misconception that only those who picked up a weapon knew true terror is a cruel injustice. Ask the children who huddled in bomb shelters and survived without food and water. Ask those who were made refugees in an instant; everything and everyone they knew was reduced to rubble.
The devastation doesn’t stop when wars are over. The wounds continue festering, becoming deep-rooted anxieties, panic disorders, and chronic pain with no apparent source. For so many survivors, peace is simply the next battle.
Gerda C. Robinson’s memoir “From Trauma to Peace” lays this bare. As a German child during WWII, she knew the boom of falling bombs was a daily occurrence. Her story, and millions like it, reveal war’s true legacy, “a generational cycle of psychological torment.”
After her father was called to serve in the armed forces, Gerda’s mother and sisters had to leave her behind to join him in Wilhelmshaven. This early separation of three years from the family became a hurdle in connecting with her family later. Living with her aunt in Bad Charlottenbrunn and then moving to Wilhelmshaven, Gerda faced hunger, constant fear, and the emotional burden of living through the war.
The roaring sound of planes and the threat of death would not leave little Gerda even in her sleep. She often felt alone and unsupported, especially during her terrifying nightmares.
Gerda emigrated to America in her twenties, hoping to leave her past behind. However, in her mid-40s, she began suffering from chronic back pain, panic attacks, and depression. Symptoms that she later linked to her repressed childhood trauma.
After treatment in Dr. Pilling’s Chronic Pain Clinic, Gerda was able to confront and heal from her traumatic past. Gerda’s story brings to light an important truth: trauma must be acknowledged and processed, not suppressed.
For those who have survived war’s atrocities, the path to recovery is often a lifelong one, mired in setbacks and suffering. But Gerda’s story is ultimately one of hope that no matter how deep the trauma, with proper support and determination, it is possible to reclaim the life that war sought to steal.According to Gerda, wars may end, but for many, their scars remain, manifesting as chronic pain that can only be healed by confronting the trauma at its root. Read how she healed her emotional scars in her memoir, From Trauma to Peace: How We Reclaim Our Lives, now on Amazon.
