Veteran working on trauma
Dana 34yo, Army veteran, logistics manager
Veteran · Six years
“I stopped trying to delete what happened and started learning how to carry it.”
Read this first
Veteran working on trauma
161 wordsLife before I started
I came home in 2016 and spent four years being fine at work and unrecognisable at home.
What I was experiencing
Hypervigilance, nightmares, and a startle response that made grocery stores exhausting.
What I'd tried before
VA care, EMDR, two medications, and a period of drinking that I do not talk about lightly.
What I explored
EMDR with a trauma-trained therapist, then a veterans' breathwork group, then a legal supervised programme out of state.
What happened
EMDR moved things that nothing else touched. The group meant I stopped explaining myself from scratch every time.
What surprised me most
That the veterans' group mattered more than any single session.
What didn't help
White-knuckling it. Every time I tried to out-discipline it, it got worse.
What I'm still working through
Fireworks season. Some anniversaries. I plan for them now.
What I learned about myself
That trauma work is not a single event. It is a slow renegotiation with your own nervous system.
Where I am now
Working, married, sleeping most nights. Still have hard weeks and they no longer feel like a relapse.
What I'd tell someone starting out
Find someone who is actually trained in trauma. Not just a good listener. Trained.
Explore what Dana tried
These are the tools and practices Dana named in their story. Tap any one to read what it is, why people use it, and what the evidence says.
See the whole toolkit →Around the fire
React, reply, ask questions. No sourcing, sales, dosing prescriptions or medical advice.
No responses yet — be the first to say something kind.
Make an account to comment on this story.
Your account name can be anything you like — your first name, an alias, or simply “Anonymous”.
Have a journey of your own?
You can write it in stages, save drafts, and publish anonymously. Every submission is reviewed before it goes live.
Share Your Journey