[95B30]

OK, for some unknown reason digging in the dirt has a great calming effect. I used my old, disused garden and a forked spade to turn a 60’ X 45’ plot as a way of working myself back into “normalcy” (is that even a word?). The action of digging and the smell of the dirt was capable of removing angry feeling, anxiousness, and unwanted flashes of things past in a way no other activity could. Finding old nails, toys that my kids had played with and other finds just added a bit more fun to the whole. AN archaeological dig would require a level of concentration that would add to the other aspects. Every returning soldier has some level of need to reintegrate into society, this seems to fit well. Having had this experience I think most of our current knowledge and practice of PTSD is flawed, this kind of activity helped to bring happy memories to the fore.

[afraidfortherepublic]

How interesting! I knew that there had to be reason behind your remark. I was just trying to figure out the essential elements behind your statements. Is it the physical action of digging? Is it the intrigue about digging for lost artifacts? I See that it is all of it. The smell of the soil didn’t occur to me, but I can see how that would be calming. Those of us who garden find the same effects.