You may be home. You may be retired, released from service, or years removed from the experience that changed you.
But sometimes your body doesn’t get the message that the danger is over.
For some Veterans, PTSD looks like constantly scanning the room, needing to know where the exits are, becoming irritated more quickly, struggling with sleep, or feeling uncomfortable in crowds. Certain sounds, smells, places, or conversations may bring you right back to something you would rather leave behind.
For others, it is quieter.
You keep busy. You isolate. You avoid talking about what happened. You may feel disconnected from the people you care about or think:
“They wouldn’t understand.”
And sometimes it really is difficult to explain military experiences to someone who hasn’t lived them.
PTSD Doesn’t Always Look Like Flashbacks
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can develop after experiencing or witnessing traumatic events. For Veterans, this may be related to combat, military sexual trauma, serious injury, exposure to death or suffering, operational stress, moral injury, or other experiences during service.
You might notice:
- always being on alert
- irritability or anger
- nightmares or disrupted sleep
- intrusive memories
- avoiding people, places, or conversations
- feeling numb or disconnected
- difficulty concentrating or relaxing
- guilt about things that happened or decisions you had to make
Your nervous system learned how to help you survive difficult environments. Sometimes those same survival responses continue long after you are home.
“I Should Be Able to Handle This.”
If you spent years being trained to function under pressure, asking for help can feel uncomfortable.
You learned to push through, complete the task, look after the person beside you, and deal with yourself later.
Eventually, “later” arrives.
Therapy does not mean you have to sit across from someone and immediately tell them every detail of what happened. Trauma therapy should begin with safety, trust, and understanding what is happening for you now.
You remain in control of what you share and when you share it.
Your Body May Still Be Protecting You
Trauma isn’t only stored in our thoughts.
Your shoulders may tense before you recognize that you’re anxious. You might automatically choose a seat where you can see the door. A crowded store may leave you exhausted. You may wake suddenly and immediately feel alert.
Instead of asking:
“What’s wrong with me?”
Trauma therapy can help you begin asking:
“What has my mind and body learned to do to protect me?”
That is a very different conversation.
Therapy Can Help You Find Your Way Forward
My approach to trauma therapy is collaborative, culturally responsive, and paced according to the person in front of me. Therapy may include understanding trauma and the nervous system, developing grounding and emotional regulation strategies, and using evidence-informed approaches to process traumatic experiences when you are ready.
Recovery will not look the same for every Veteran.
Maybe you want to sleep better. Feel less angry. Be more present with your partner or children. Walk into a public space without constantly monitoring the room. Or simply feel more like yourself again.
Those are meaningful goals.
At R.E.A.C.H. Therapy & Consultation Service Inc., I provide trauma-focused counselling for Veterans and their family members, as well as others recovering from traumatic experiences.
Seeking support does not erase the strength that helped you survive.
The goal is not to take that strength away. It is to help your mind and body recognize that they don’t have to remain on duty all the time.
Sometimes recovery starts with a conversation. Take another step and connect with me should this speak to you!