TURNING REAL NIGHTMARES INTO VIRTUAL DREAMS

TURNING REAL NIGHTMARES INTO VIRTUAL DREAMS

By Susan Hilbourne

Credit: Jonathan Wojcik (2014).

To innocent eyes, the “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder – The Wives’ Side” site is the “stuff of nightmares”.

Hence it is a closely guarded and protected geographical network – NON-INCLUSIVE to those that have not been touched by the effects of PTSD such as anxiety, mood swings and insomnia.

The site is a foreign world, with its own language, hierarchy and social rules.

Members openly discuss attempted suicides, the death of loved ones, family violence (including violence against young children) and drug/alcohol abuse.

The wives log on and post through tears or anger (sometimes both), and hope for someone in the network to connect with them…to read their post…to hear them...to relate to them…to understand… Ultimately, they are seeking help in a virtual space for problems they face in the physical world. Due to the confrontational nature of discussions and exchanges between other members and the hub, the website must remain locked-down, selective and non-inclusive.

But for reasons only obvious to those that have suffered through the debilitating impact of PTSD, the page is a dreamland they can escape to where they are never judged and always understood.

In a news story by ABC America, former United States Marine Chris Merkle describes the ability to use the virtual world as tool in treating his PTSD as a unique way to unlock his demons from a dark and scary place. (Full story) http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/treating-ptsd-virtual-reality-therapy-heal-trauma/story?id=38742665

Diversity is another issue that regularly causes conflict within the network. The PTSD-TWS social network does lack diversity with military husbands and same-sex partners banned from joining the page.  Recently there has been a strong and organised push by members for this so-called minority to be admitted to the page. While cultural diversity is not an issue, the hub is also quick to exclude the community comprising of civilian wives dealing with PTSD issues.

This constricts the network and limits the mutual support and differing opinions all members could provide to each other.

Just as Woods, Kaiser and Abramms suggest in “Seeing Through Maps: Many Ways to See the World”, there are many truths, depending on your perspective. (Wood, Kaiser, Abramms 2006).

“Sometimes one of us sees something the other one misses completely…”

Due to the confrontational nature of discussions and exchanges between other members and the hub, the website must remain locked-down, selective and non-inclusive.

Even with these constrictions, tactical players are still active within the PTSD-TWS virtual site.

When discussing tactical players within sites, Lecturer Victoria Kuttainen referred to users having found ways to strategically impact a website or space by posting links to censored/restricted content according to page admin rules. (Kuttainen, 2017).

Although usually dealt with swiftly, the site has been targeted by anti-war protest groups as well as those identifying as ISIS members who mock and insult the page and its members.

This only proves how far virtual geographical networks have expanded.  From Australia to the United States of America, Canada, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, "cyberspace” is a term that has dissappeared from our vocabulary.

Perhaps because we feel like the virtual world is not a seperate thing but part of our new reality.

If this is the case, perhaps nightmares will make this transition from our subconcious to our conscious as well...

References

Wood, D., Kaiser, W., Abramms, B. (2006). Seeing Through Maps: Many Ways to See the World. United Kingdom: ODT, Incorporated.

Kuttainen, V. (2017). BA1002: Our space: Networks, narratives and the making of place, lecture week 4: Maps. [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://learnjcu.edu.au

Quart, J. (Writer). (2016, July 18). "Treating PTSD With Virtual Reality Therapy. A Way to Heal Trauma." USA:ABC News. Retrieved from URL http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/treating-ptsd-virtual-reality-therapy-heal-trauma/story?id=38742665

Wojcik, Jonathan (Artist). (2014). Insert Nightmare Here [Image]. Retrieved from http://www.bogleech.com/creepy/creepybog-harmburger.html