Cheryl Strayed's “Wild”: A case of Post Traumatic Disorder

Cheryl Strayed’s “Wild”: A case of Post Traumatic Disorder
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Cheryl Strayed’s “Wild”: A case of Post Traumatic Disorder
Introduction
“Wild” is the movie adaptation of Cheryl Strayed’s book “Wild” which captures the story of Cheryl’s solo journey across the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). The movie is set in the summer of 1995 when the author was in her late twenties and still struggling to find out who she was. At the time, Cheryl was married, unhappy and her mother was suffering from cancer. Following her mother’s demise, Cheryl’s life takes a turn for the worse, having already lost her father. Her mother’s death hence precipitates the impending disastrous turn her life takes; she can no longer sustain her marriage, cheating on her husband several times, losing him through a divorce and watching her family disintegrate. Four years after the loss of her mother, Cheryl’s downward spiral has reached its climax, and she feels that she has nothing to lose. It is at this point that she impulsively decides to hike the PCT with no training or experience in hiking.
History of Cheryl’s illness
Past Diagnosis
In as far as portrayed in the movie “Wild,” Cheryl has not been previously diagnosed as suffering from any mental illness.
Current diagnosis
Cheryl would ideally be diagnosed as suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, as this is the most likely given this is the most likely
Observations
Behavior
Cheryl demonstrates a cluster of unusual behavior. For instance, she engages in reckless sexual activities with strangers while working as a waitress and in the course of her hike on the Pacific Crest Trail.
Enablers
According to Armour, Műllerová, and Elhai (2016), the term “enabler” in psychology defines persons who, through their actions, encourage the self-destructive behavior of addicts by either criticizing or rescuing the concerned addict. Throughout Cheryl’s trail of the PCT, her former lover fits this description. In fact, Paul comes across as the primary enabler in Cheryl’s case. For instance, it is Paul who comes to Cheryl’s aid at Mojave when she cannot provide the receptionist with an address at the hotel she books. When she phones Paul to tell him that she has used his address for lack of an alternative, Paul responds that it is “cool” with him. In so doing, Paul’s action encourages Cheryl’s to proceed with the next steps of her impulsive decision of hiking the PCT. In fact, he indeed wishes her a happy trail. Again, in most of the numerous outposts Cheryl encounters, Paul encourages her self-destructive, impulsive journey through the letter messages he leaves behind pushing her on.
Notably, most of the strangers Cheryl met on her journey played the role of enablers. Indeed, most of them are willing to help Cheryl as she comes across as someone in dire need of help. They are unaware that Cheryl is not just any other hiker, but someone on a self-destructive journey. The same applies to the truck driver who picks her up at the gas station, helping her to reach the starting point of her trail on the first day of her journey. Equally, the farmer driving a truck fits the “enabler” description since he offers Cheryl some form of alcoholic drink, presumably,...