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In this article, the authors examine post-concussion syndrome (PCS) from an existential-phenomenological perspective, specifically as a Heideggerian analysis of Dasein (or Daseinsanalysis; Condrau, 1988). As a medical syndrome, PCS was once defined in terms of its pathophysiology. However, in the absence of reliable evidence of pathophysiology, PCS has been removed from the DSM-5. We have suspended the natural attitude, in this case the biomedical model, and have taken seriously the symptoms of PCS as indications that meaningful changes have occurred within the structure of the patient’s existence. Following the medical theories of Goldstein (1995) and Gadamer (1996), the authors describe the significance of PCS as it is lived by Tyrese, an NCAA Division II football player whose series of concussions left him permanently sidelined. Careful consideration is paid to the existential dimensions of the syndrome, specifically the backgrounds of temporality, sociality, and attunement. In conclusion, a new approach to rehabilitation is explored.

After a traumatic blow to the head, it is common to experience difficulty focusing, disorientation, dizziness, nausea, sensitivity to light and sound, and often loss of consciousness. These symptoms often persist for several weeks following the concussion before diminishing completely. Post-concussion syndrome (PCS) refers to the persistence of concussion symptoms beyond the normal two-week window. For some, symptoms can continue for several months to several years, even further manifesting into depression, anxiety, and substance abuse in time. Though the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) has continued to grow with each new version, PCS has not been included in its most recent iteration. An acquired brain injury rehabilitation specialist can be recommended for TBI, and a clinical psychologist or psychiatrist can be recommended for Acute Stress Disorder. The authors commend this reclassification because it recognizes that brain injuries are to be studied by neurologists and other medical specialists while transformations to one’s existence are to be studied by psychologists. Nevertheless, while the present analysis aims at PCS in the latter (psychological) sense, it is worth mentioning that acquired brain injury (ABI) specialists have found it appropriate and even necessary to adopt an existential-phenomenological perspectives to more fully conceptualize this phenomenon. This study utilized the Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) and arranged case studies with three athletes who had been forced to retire from sport due to major TBI’s and prolonged PCS. Authors identified common themes across each interview and used free imaginative variation to describe the dimensions of the PCS experience. Specifically, the way participants were able to cope with the loss of identity and meaning after sport, as well as their perceived level of social support in the aftermath of TBI and PCS, played major roles in ameliorating and/or exacerbating both somatic and psychological difficulties associated with TBI and PCS.

The data accounting for the difficulties many OIF and OEF veterans experience upon reintegration into civilian society have been thoroughly documented over the last fifteen years. Among these difficulties, some veterans experience antisocial, self-injurious, and violent tendencies upon returning to civilian life. In this research project, 220 veterans were completed self-report surveys pertaining to their transition from military life to a civilian career. Some of the participants' responses revealed that there was a significant emotional and motivational dimension to the formation of otherwise aggressive and self-destructive tendencies activated upon leaving their military careers and culture. The term combat excitement was coined to articulate participants’ anticipation of enemy contact while deployed. This study demonstrates that high levels of combat excitement correlated with lower life satisfaction and lower civilian solidarity for participants in their civilian lives after leaving an active duty setting. Furthermore, civilians solidarity had a strong positive correlation with life satisfaction for participants. Ultimately, this study looks at how significant strong civilian relationships are vital to the health and life satisfaction of veterans as they leave active duty, as well as how combat excitement can weaken the tendency of veterans to have strong civilian relationships after service.

While many veterans face physical, psychological, and spiritual difficulties, research suggests that the reintegration process from military service to civilian life, is a complex one. Our study focused on the role of moral injury and the disclosure of military experience in this transition, and how they might combine to affect veterans’ life satisfaction. We gave a battery of surveys to a large and diverse sample of veterans, measuring aspects of military culture and service, the moral ramifications of military experiences and attitudes and experiences with disclosing these experiences to civilians. Most important, we found that greater moral injury was associated with greater concerns about disclosure. Greater disclosure concerns were associated with lower perceptions of disclosure support, which in turn was associated with lower life satisfaction. We conclude that these findings suggest that a more nuanced account is required to fully understand the relationship between moral injury, disclosure attitudes, and life satisfaction. For promoting healthy reintegration and greater satisfaction with life, and we discuss several possibilities for future research.

The most recent attention raised regarding the developmental struggles some contact sport athletes face has turned to examining the effects of exposure to head trauma. Specifically, the presence of a singular neuropathology, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), has been found in the brains of dozens of deceased former contact sport athletes who suffered a range of debilitating symptoms. Research into the etiology, course, and effects of CTE has revealed vital findings into understanding the diverse range of behavioral, somatic, cognitive, motor, and affective symptoms experienced by these athletes. However, scientists examining CTE have likewise acknowledged that many of these symptoms do not occur until several years (approximately 6–15) after contact sport athletes leave their careers and the field of play. Coincidentally, alongside the findings in CTE research, an examination of the psychosocial struggles athletes face upon career transition and retirement has revealed a variety of symptoms similar to the range revealed in patients who have been diagnosed with CTE. This paper will provide a selective literature review of the approximately 50 years of research conducted on these psychosocial struggles. The focus of this review will be specifically on how the loss of identity, the breakdown of social structures, and the reinforcement of violent tendencies can play a significant role in exacerbating a similar range of symptoms to CTE.