By MP, Service in Iraq, N. Ireland, Bosnia, Kosovo.
"I had my first session which did not involve any in-detail discussion about my trauma; indeed my therapist still has no knowledge of the events which traumatised me. After the session I went away not knowing what to expect: that night my nightmares ceased, I became much calmer and to this day have not had one flashback or re-enactment episode, I threw out my anti depressants. I have re-connected to those around me and been able to hold down a job. I can control my drinking. I feel extremely sad about the two years I drifted through and wasted, and regret all the hurt I caused to those around me.
"But I now feel that I am able to get on with my life without the intrusive effects of PTSD. I hope that the de-traumatising therapy which healed me gets the recognition it truly deserves, and that it is the people suffering who get the opportunity to prove that. Not some stuffed shirt or bean counter in Whitehall.
"The treatment is quick and effective, the alternative is wasteful, and a large group of people who will put burden on an already overstretched NHS, a massive amount of money is already being wasted, it is so obvious to see it is failing." "I was given details of PTSD Resolution by my friend and ex serviceman, He knew that I was going through a particularly bad time in my life, he was out shopping in his local shopping centre in Middlesbrough and saw a guy giving out fliers for PTSD resolution, he then took a snap shot of the flyer and forwarded it to me.
'"When I went to xxxx I had no idea what to expect, he helped me deal with the issues going on inside my head which I had no idea why I was thinking of things that really weren't normal. I had tears and lots of what I called homework to practice, coping mechanisms, one instance of running out of asda in tears, not cool for an ex boxer/rugby player/fireman and Royal Navy I was going through a very difficult time suffering with depression, this was largely due to a very traumatic break up with my partner just after Christmas. I seemed to go deeper and deeper into depression, in January I made the decision to see my doctor who prescribed me with anti-depressants, he discussed the idea of counselling and I told him I would look into this further.
"I tried Suffolk Well-Being and asked about CBT, I had one initial appointment but was told it would then be a few months until I would get a follow up appointment. I also decided to call Combat Stress to see if they could offer any help, I am still waiting for them to get back to me, some 6 months later, they gave me lots of promises and said they would be in touch shortly! I then decided to call PTSD Resolution, I spoke to Angela and an appointment was made there and then. Initially I was quite apprehensive as I didn't believe I was suffering from anything other than depression.
" On the first appointment Angela asked me a few questions about my life, the Army and relationships, we then came up with a plan with how we would approach this. I felt very at ease with Angela and found her very easy to talk to, we identified that my problems stem back to my childhood and issues with my father.
"I had also seen a lot of traumatic events during my time in the Military, of which I had served for 24 years, in many hostile environments. Throughout my life there had been re-occurring problems with relationships, I found it difficult to let anyone in, when I did, I had problems with anger and control issues. During the counselling, my ex partner, was at the forefront of a lot of my problems, we had only recently started seeing each other again and Angela discussed that she should come along to a counselling session.
" However an incident happened just a few days after this where I was arrested and charged, this meant I was no longer able to speak to, or contact Miss Studd, this had a detrimental effect on my progress which seemed to go backwards for a short period. Angela and myself had discussed and made plans on how we would approach this, it was in the format 'drip drip' effect of general life events, psycho education - how your brain works, psycho biology - brain/body connection and also relaxation techniques.
"During my counselling I had stressed to Angela how important the gym was to me, she agreed and highlighted the importance, not just physically, but mentally due to the presence of serotonin in the body and its effect. Angela had written me letters for the court to read, the first letter discussed my counselling and issues we would address, the second letter was the most important to me. My arrest was in February and my first court appearance was in June, this was then adjourned until July. I knew that some restraining conditions were likely to be imposed on me, the most important one to me was the continuation of my membership at the gym, as I had mentioned earlier Angela had written a very thorough letter explaining the importance of the gym and its effects on me, she emphasised that losing the gym would undo all the work we had covered in the last few months.
"I have no doubt that this letter played a major role in the magistrate's decision and thankfully they allowed me to remain at the gym. With regards to PTSD I have had several major traumatic events in my life so it's hard to pinpoint exactly which one was the worst. I believe that Angela has helped me immensely and I can see subtle changes in my life, I'm not fully there yet but I am definitely in a better place than I was 6 months ago. I would highly recommend PTSDR to another sufferer and I have given someone the details to get in contact with this organisation.
"With regards to Angela, I cannot thank her enough for her help and support, she did not need to write any letters to the court on my behalf but she did and as I stated previously this played a major part in the magistrate's decision. I was going through a very stressful 6 months waiting for the final decision by the court and she helped me get through this, now have better skills and can approach relationships differently, I have met someone and it's early days but so far, so good! "
