“I had carried stuff around in my head, some of it for over forty years, a lot of it not too nice - thinking that, yes, I know that others suffer from the past but I wasn't that bad. I thought I was coping with it all well enough. Then one night I listed these things on a post on a social media page and jokingly suggested that I must be suffering some sort of PTSD. I wondered if I actually was suffering, looking back at how I viewed things that happened in the past - if I was allowing the past to run and ruin my life. A former serviceman that I had known while serving suggested that I contact PTSD Resolution to see if they could help.
“My enquiry was answered extremely quickly with an appointment organised within a week. My counsellor welcomed me with open arms, being friendly and encouraging from the first moments. She quickly reassured me that I wasn't the only one with the issues that had been bugging me, that many others had been the same and that many more will go through it. We talked - different from talking to family and friends, talking to someone independent but very much on your side. Being able to discuss feelings without judgement or emotion with an expert, I was able to answer many of my own questions, something I'd not done before. Help, advice and reassurance was given in bucketfuls, and that was what I think I required.
“Since? My partner has seen I have been more positive than I was. My manager has noticed a change too. My ‘survivor guilt' has gone, the images are still there but less often and are quickly dismissed and banished to the back of my mind. I feel a lot more ‘let’s get on with life and make the best of what I have and what I have left to come.’ Yes, I have had a couple of downers, but using the techniques taught to me and thinking of what I have got and who I have around me pulls me through a lot more easily, and more quickly than previously. Thank you for your help. Even writing this review assists in matters - hopefully giving help to others, and encouragement to seek the help they need.”
