Brad SchipkeFounder of Broken To Unbreakable

Is PTSD my fault? Did I cause it?

31 Oct 2025 · 1 min

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0:34

In this brief YouTube monologue, Brad Schipke explains that PTSD is not the sufferer's fault. He describes PTSD as an automatic nervous‑system reaction to overwhelming trauma, emphasizing that individuals do not choose the trauma nor the subsequent survival‑mode response. Schipke warns that self‑blame adds unnecessary pain, and shifts the focus to personal agency: while one cannot control the trauma that occurred, one can choose to pursue recovery, which he frames as a source of power and the path to full healing.

Chapters

Is PTSD my fault? Did I cause it somehow? The answer is no, and it never was. PTSD isn't a choice. It's your body's automatic reaction to something that's overwhelming to it. You didn't choose to go through the trauma. You didn't choose to get stuck in survival mode. Your nervous system did that for you to protect you. It's quite literally a natural process that our bodies go through after a trauma, and blaming yourself just adds another layer of pain that isn't yours to carry. Now, you didn't cause the trauma, but you can choose recovery. That's your power now. That's the thing that you have control of now. And if you do, then you can fully heal and fully release this for good. And I hope that you do.