How did Ancient warriors deal with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder? | Australian Army Research Centre (AARC)

“My past is an armour I cannot take off, no matter how many times you tell me the war is over.” - unknown Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is often thought to have arisen with the advent of mechanised warfare—think shell shock and the First World War—but the examination of ancient texts offers sufficient evidence that PTSD may be as old as the act of war itself. This raises the question of how might have ancient cultures dealt with PTSD in their soldiers and, more importantly, whether any lessons can be drawn from these experiences. Human Performance forms a cornerstone of the Army’s ongoing research and interest, and learning lessons—past, present and future—from anything that may impact this performance is crucial. Learning from ancient warriors’ personal experience of battle and its aftermath—much in the way we learn our strategy from history’s great tacticians and philosophers—could help us address the root causes of afflictions such as PTSD. While making an association betwee

“My past is an armour I cannot take off, no matter how many times you tell me the war is over.” - unknown Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is often thought to have arisen with the advent of mechanised warfare—think shell shock and the First World War—but the examination of ancient texts offers sufficient evidence that PTSD may be as old as the act of war itself. This raises the question of how might have ancient cultures dealt with PTSD in their soldiers and, more importantly, whether any lessons can be drawn from these experiences. Human Performance forms a cornerstone of the Army’s ongo