A N, Service in N.Ireland, Falklands, Bosnia.

"The PTSD counselling I received has been of great help. I hadn't sought any support since leaving the Forces with un-addressed issues from service in Northern Ireland and Bosnia. '"We didn't dig deep into events that I have carried for over 25 years but the counsellor's explanations of how the mind works to trick us into overplaying past, or unlikely future events, together with breathing and distraction techniques have given me the ability to control some of those negative emotions. The counsellor's calm manner in guiding me through moments of breakdown mid-session gave some immediate success in mastering those emotions. "Traumatic events outside those experienced in the Forces include a near-fatal motorbike crash, a stabbing and watching my mother die. The techniques I learnt during those (the therapy) sessions helped me address all of them. Shortly before starting the 6 counselling sessions I also had a return to Faith. The counsellor gave encouragement with that including useful visual techniques for times of prayer. "Despite experiencing one of the lowest periods of my life to date, December 2015 is the first month in over 25 years that I haven't harbored thoughts of suicide. I know I'm not out of the woods yet, but I'm sure by combining my faith with the techniques and lessons from the counsellor that the dark days will be less and less.'