David's Story - From Crisis To Recovery

David* spent nine years serving his country. In 1996, the Army sent him home in disgrace. His crime: being gay. "The world was caving in," he says. "My career had ended. I was very, very isolated.”

For the next three decades, he carried that isolation like a stone. He built a life, found a partner, made friends - but the trauma from his discharge remained.

The Unravelling

Two years ago, the government launched a review into how LGBT Veterans had been treated. For David and hundreds like him, it meant revisiting everything they had locked away. “All of the secrets that we held on to, all of the trauma that we'd been through, which was deeply buried some 30 years later - that trauma started to come out."

By December 2024, David was in crisis. He had attempted suicide three times. He was experiencing psychosis. The mental health breakdown was severe and chronic. He still doesn't know what compelled him to join an online meeting with Fighting With Pride that month. More than 250 LGBT Veterans logged on. David sat in the dark, camera off, unable to speak.

"I was broken completely," he says.

The Message

Someone noticed. In the chat box, a message appeared: a Veteran was in distress. Ashley Lamb, a counsellor with PTSD Resolution, sent David a private message. She was monitoring the meeting informally, there on the sidelines.

"Instantly I felt supported for the first time in many, many years.”

It was just before Christmas and David was in free fall. PTSD Resolution itself was about to close for the holidays. Ashley pulled out every stop. David received help that night and had a full triage assessment the next day. Within 24 hours of first contact, his therapy had begun.

Peeling Back the Layers

"We started at the outside, which was absolutely rotten completely," David recalls. Ashley stabilised him first. She showed him there was hope, another way forward. She supported him through Christmas with practical advice and emotional care.

In January, they began the real work. David had a critical event looming on 13th January - a meeting at Parliament with the Veterans Minister and senior Defence officials. Hundreds of LGBT Veterans were counting on him to represent their case. "I felt the burden was too much," he says. "I decided I could not do that."

Ashley didn't push. She gave him space to see there could be an alternative. She showed him what that looked like. "With her help and support I found the strength, the courage to go to that event and to start really reclaiming my own healing journey."

The Difference

David went to Parliament. He spoke, he advocated, he did what had seemed impossible just days before. The transformation took less than two weeks. “I'm no longer suffering from psychosis or from the apparent symptoms of PTSD,” he says now. "I feel my life is in a very good place. I feel valued. I'm contributing."

He takes a moment before continuing. "If I may say so humbly, I'm stronger than I was before."

What made the difference? David credits the therapy itself - practical, focused, person-centred. But he also points to something else: Ashley meant everything she said. "The people that I've come across at PTSD Resolution actually cared. They weren't just doing it because it was a job. They really genuinely cared."

Ashley is a Veteran herself. That mattered to David, as did the fact she was female, which allowed him to discuss certain issues without fear of judgement. "No matter what I said, it wouldn't shock Ashley," he says. "That gave me the peace of mind and the strength to really disclose what I needed to."

A System That Works

Streamlined administration was key to engaging quickly and effectively. “It was highly organised and very, very practical,” David says. “It was very easy for me to engage with - even when times were difficult, I just answered the text on the phone, pressed the button and I was there - I was in the session.” The simplicity of the process is something he stresses to others: “It was very, very simple. There was nothing convoluted, no huge forms to fill in.”

A Message to Others

David has already recommended other Veterans to PTSD Resolution. When asked what he would tell someone considering asking for help, his answer is immediate.

"Without hesitation, contact PTSD Resolution as the number one provider for mental health resources within the Veterans welfare agencies."

David had tried other services. Combat Stress. Op Courage. Fighting With Pride. The British Legion. SSAFA. "They have not provided the same level of support," he says. "Some will only signpost you to support. Because of the direct referral system that PTSD Resolution has, any Veteran can just pick up the phone, send a message, get the help that they need almost directly - straight to a counsellor."

David thinks about Veterans like himself, struggling to understand what is happening to them, not knowing what to do.

"PTSD Resolution is a frontline resource that really should be widely made available to as many Veterans as possible," he says. "I can only endorse with all credibility everything which the organisation does."

_{*This is a true account by a person who has received therapy by PTSD Resolution. Only the identity has been changed to protect client confidentiality.} 

 

PTSD Resolution provides free therapy to UK Veterans, Reservists and family members. There is no waiting list and no referral is required. For support, visit www.PTSDResolution.org or call 0300 302 0551.

The charity provides therapy to veterans with addiction issues or in prison, as well as to family members including partners and children affected by living with a traumatised Veteran.