It took me years to know I had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a condition that often appears after a traumatic event such as a car accident, assault, or even combat. The symptoms can range from awake or asleep flashbacks, hypervigilance, intrusive thoughts, and unbearable fear. I was 27 when I was finally diagnosed with Chronic PTSD and was 27 years into surviving trauma left and right.