Survivor Guilt
With the passage of time, the guilt of the survivor just over having had the good fortune to go on living may grow rather than diminish. The richness of his own life and experience may produce in him a heightened sense of the forfeit that his unfortunate companion made in losing life in such an untimely fashion.
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Comments (1)
This will come in handy with my work with veterans.
Just saw a Vietnam vet who presented to the VA for the very first time. He said he sought treatment after seeing that it worked for his brother. He could have been the poster child for survivor guilt. He told me that he wished he had died a "respectable death" like his buddies that didn't make it home.
He seemed already well on his journey toward healing. He had been talking a great deal with other vets in a coffee shop. He has a reunion planned this summer with a few that he hasn't seen in over 40 years. One of these men had saved his life by carrying him to safety when he was wounded.
Thanks
Posted by Jim | 02.06.2010