Trauma and Tolkien

Specifically coming back from such a gruesome and terrifying World War I was there any Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that affected his writing or led to more creative writing?

PTSD

John Garth really shed some light on Tolkien's state of mind coming out of the war and how it could have potentially influenced his work. I was able to ask him specifically on the case of whether or not Tolkien had any type of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder caused by the World War I experience and how gruesome and terrifying it was. One would assume that his writings and creativity were the source of the war and what he had seen and imagined while he was in battle or in the war. Our distinguished guest said no there was no actual diagnosis of PTSD in Tolkien coming out of the war whatsoever but, it was his belief that there was a connection between what Tolkien experienced on a deep emotional level and his creativity that he brought out. He mentioned that Tolkien would use writing as a way to "exorcise" his fears of the great wave, but the great wave was something much older than the World War I experiences and from his childhood period. But, definitely Tolkien used writing once again to "exorcise" his feeling from the World War and put his feelings and imagination out onto paper in a more vivid fashion.

The word Shell Shock was originally used to describe some PTSD.

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"One has indeed personally to come under the shadow of war to feel fully it’s oppression; but as the years go by it seems now often forgotten that to be caught in youth by 1914 was no less hideous an experience than to be involved in 1939 and the following years. By 1918 all but one of my close friends were dead." (Rings, “foreword”: 9)

Tolkien writes the above quote in his preface to the second edition stating how all of his friends had died in the war except for one of them. To know numerous people and have them dies side by side to you in battle whether you were there or not, it definitely does play a toll on you emotionally. This emotion can drive people many ways. Some worse than others. In Tolkien's case it did not result in PTSD (officially or diagnosed anywhere) but, it did let out a sense of creativity in my opinion. He was able to write all this out onto paper and have such a creative mind, as if his mind was let loose. He had seen life at its worse in war and must have decided to live life to its fullest and not let the terrors hold him back.