Veterans and Fireworks

Sunday night when the clock strikes midnight fireworks will light up the sky to welcome in a new year. While the firework shows are exciting to most people, the loud booms can cause fear in those who have served our country.
News 25 spoke with PTSD experts about how veterans can manage the New Year’s celebration.
Popping fireworks is the sound of ringing in the New Year to most, but for some veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder it’s a haunting sound that can stop them in their tracks. Dr. John Liberto said, “The fireworks bring them back to the sounds and so it brings them to the point where they may even be back in the battle. These loud noises will trigger memories and events of that nature.”
For someone struggling with PTSD, it doesn’t matter how big or how small the firework is, something as simple as the smell can set them off. “Smells are a very strong trigger for a lot of veterans. Fireworks can emit a smell that smells very similar to gun smoke and their weapons and of the bombs and missiles that go off,” said Dr. Liberto.
According to Dr. Liberto, the brain has a startle response and when triggered it can cause someone to react with a fight or flight mentality. Garden Park Medical Center Director of Behavioral Health Beth Joachim said, “Really you want to take into consideration that those fears are real and try to prepare for that and not to subdue it or make less of it, but to really be aware of it and be able to help someone that is suffering with those fears.”
PTSD experts say that the best way to handle anxiety that New Year’s fireworks may bring on is to be prepared. “Thinking about it before it happens and then providing support when it does happen and letting them know that they are not alone,” said Joachim.
“If they can find another area to move to out into the country, maybe away from the city and the fireworks if that’s possible. If not, then maybe use ear plugs or headphones to block out the sound with music,” said Dr. Liberto.