Chris Kyle

[Fantine]

I read that the assailant who killed Chris Kyle and another man at a Texas gun range had been previously taken by Kyle to the gun range to help him deal with his PTSD.

Is it recommended to take people with PTSD to gun ranges? What sort of therapeutic purpose does that serve? If it's to help them get their anger out, wouldn't it be better to let them beat pillows, which is a much more common therapeutic technique?

Since PTSD can be characterized by hypervigilance, wouldn't encouraging shooting put them in situations where they may impulsively overreact and put innocent people in danger?

I am really confused, and would like to know the rationale for this supposedly therapeutic technique.

 

[isshinwhat]

It has nothing to do with letting their anger out. If you are interested in different groups which help those who have experienced prolonged combat stress, perhaps you could speak with them directly.

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A good, short video can be found here, as well:
NRA LIFE OF DUTY | Welcome

And if you want reading material, please see Dave Grossman's excellent work, On Combat. Additional work of his can be read here:
Psychological Effects of Combat - Dave Grossman, Author

 

[AvilaSurfer]

Nice job Fan. Let's jump on the dead guy and say he brought this on himself. Sheesh.

 

[TheOtherHockeyMom]

It's ironic that just a few days ago a poster said places like gun ranges were never the site of gun violence. Too many armed people for a murderous criminal to take a risk was the thinking.

 

[Fantine]

Nice job Fan. Let's jump on the dead guy and say he brought this on himself. Sheesh.

You certainly know how to twist good intentions to suit your own preconceptions.

Obviously Kyle was trying to help veterans with PTSD, but if his techniques put him and his companion in grave danger, it is important to use different techniques in the future, especially if the technique in question does not have an exceptionally strong success record, or if it can be replaced by other therapies.

Thanks for the links, isshinwhat.

I posed the question to google, and here is one therapy I found that I believe in:

http://rochesterhomepage.net/fulltext?nxd_id=315642

Tapping is an acupressure technique that my daughter has used successfully to deal with anxiety and panic attacks (rather than using pills with lots of side effects.)

OK, I found what I was looking for. Apparently taking veterans with PTSD to a shooting range is a desensitization technique, so that they become 'vaccinated' against their fears.

It sounds good in theory, I suppose. I wonder if psychiatrists recommend this in general for veterans with PTSD, or whether Kyle developed the theory based on his own experience.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/death-navy-seal-chris-kyle-puts-spotlight-ptsd/story?id=18393163

If it is widely used, they should certainly evaluate it through a statistical analysis for effectiveness and potenital negative effects.

 

[MKJ]

Nice job Fan. Let's jump on the dead guy and say he brought this on himself. Sheesh.

It seems like a reasonable question to me. It isnt the most obvious place to take someone with PTSD. It may be an ok thing to do, but I think a reasonable person who heard about it would probably be inclined to ask if it was a good idea.

 

[Erose]

I think before we all rush to judgement on the motives of this individual in this case more information is needed. We don't know the full story and until we do if we ever do, all we have is weak speculation.

Fantine,

To answer your question it really depends upon what type of shooting one is doing. Most shooting types actually are more relaxing and focused, requiring patience on the part of the shooter. For example, long range shooting requires one to have patience, focus, control over breathing and muscular movements, as well as an understanding of ballistics, effects of wind, humidity, etc. Kinda like a more precise game of golf.

Others, such as popup target shooting, skeet & trap shooting, require someone to respond quickly and efficiently, which requires one to do without thinking about it.

I really don't know a type of shooting that is meant to burn off anger, except maybe taking something that one hates and shooting it up, to make one feel good.

Anyway there are many shooting practices that would be IMHO very good for people suffering from various mental issues. It really depends upon what you are trying to teach someone.

But like I said, before we all jump the gun (which is I admit is the standard operating procedure on this forum, & by the way no pun intended), we really need to first get more information on the situation.

 

[MKJ]

I would think it would be fair to say that if someone had PTSD from combat, talking to a psychologist before going to a range would probably be a pretty good idea.

People can be triggered by little things like sounds or especially smells, and those are both going to be present at even a pretty calm range.

 

[Michie]

The murder of Chris Kyle: A watershed moment for military PTSD?

 

[MikeK]

Ron Paul tweeted: Chris Kyle's death seems to confirm that "he who lives by the sword dies by the sword." Treating PTSD at a firing range doesn't make sense
5:05 PM - 04 Feb 13

 

[isshinwhat]

"It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt"

This goes for Tweets, too.

 

[MikeK]

I don't feel I've accomplished enough in my life to suggest that Mr Paul is a fool. There are things I disagree with him on, but I think calling him a fool is a little harsh. He is an MD, a former USAF Flight Surgeon and an acomplished man in a wide variety of fields. I suspect that he is more qualified than most to opine on which PTSD treatmens do and do not make sense.

 

[isshinwhat]

It was a foolish comment and I lost a lot of respect for the man. First, his Biblical reference was way of of line and out of place, secondly he should know better than to paint with that broad a brush stroke. I know plenty of people with PTSD and no two of them are the same; neither is what helps them deal with it.