Return to Freedom: Combat Veteran Defeats PTSD

Photo Credit Department of the Army

For Veteran’s day, I was asked to rerun this post about a veteran with whom I had the privilege of working in April, 2011.

A few weeks ago, I had the honor of working with a courageous Iraq war combat veteran who sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the war and suffered severe flashbacks.

He asked if Rapid Resolution Therapy (RRT) would work for him, given the TBI. While I told him I was not sure how the TBI would impact things, I was sure we could clear the impact of the trauma. I reassured him that he’d already completed the hard part by surviving the war. He laughed and agreed that meeting with me could not be any worse than what he’d already experienced in combat.

When the soldier arrived at my office, he had a service dog with him, which led me to think he had a visual impairment. So, I offered to fill out the paperwork for him as he verbally gave me his answers. The soldier laughed and said,

“I can see just fine. My service dog accompanies me because my flashbacks have been so bad. When I have a flashback, my dog walks in a circle around me clearing the area to protect me and other people. Then, he licks my face and helps me wake up and come back to the present time and place.”

Wow. I was totally impressed with this soldier and his dog. He told me he’d not been allowed to drive due to the flashbacks, and hated depending on his wife to take him places. He could not be around his children when they were playing due to his low tolerance for loud noises and “screaming” sounds since the war. Here this guy dedicates his life to fighting for our freedom, and now post-traumatic stress had imprisoned him. I was totally dedicated to this mission to fight for his freedom now.

We cleared the emotional impact of his traumatic memories in just under 2 hours. Though the TBI caused him to have some delay in his speech and thought process at times, he had a wonderful sense of humor and a keen intellect. His favorite part of RRT was the “goat and the snowflake” story (see this post for an explanation).

Upon hearing this story and playing the “pants” game to help him stay present, the soldier quickly realized that the horrific images were just images now. Similarly, the emotional intensity he had been feeling cleared as his deeper mind “got it” that those events had been completed and no longer were in existence. We only had to discuss one event in detail, and he was able to apply the same concepts to the other traumatic events he had experienced. I watched in amazement as he smiled and said, “Yes, there is no IED exploding. It no longer exists. My commanding officer is okay now and is not pinned under that truck. I am not getting shot at this moment. There are no piles of beheaded bodies that I have to clean up anymore. Those guys left their bodies and they are at peace now.”

Three days after our session, I gave him a follow-up call. He said, “I feel great. I have not had any flashbacks, even when my kids were screaming or I heard a loud noise. I have been driving again. I am able to imagine being on the beach watching the cranes when I feel stress and it immediately calms me. I am free again.”  Then, three weeks after our session, his psychologist from the VA called to find out what we did because he couldn’t believe how much this better this soldier was doing.

I thanked this brave soldier for his service and we celebrated his return to freedom! You do not have to be imprisoned by trauma or your past. There is a way to return to freedom and reclaim your life.

Courtney Armstrong is a Licensed Professional Counselor as well as a Master Practitioner and Associate Trainer in Rapid Resolution Therapy. She has a private counseling practice in Chattanooga, TN where she specializes in treating trauma, anxiety, and grief. To contact Courtney, click here. To learn more about Rapid Resolution Therapy, click here.