This article will be the first that began on September 26, 2021. This program will identify my experience with the Road Home Program, administered by Rush Clinical Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, that assists veterans diagnosed with acute Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and help those veterans find solutions to their troubles.
I have lived with this condition for over fifty years, and I have now reached that point in my life needing intense treatment because I can no longer handle the mental adjustments that have left me so depressed. I plan to journal this experience one day at a time to give my readers a complete account of my journey while implementing strategies to lessen the effects of my condition. I don’t expect to rid myself of this trauma by expecting a miracle; however, entry into the program is no less critical than my trying to witness that miracle. I believe that routines can be emotionally damaging. Changing those routines by doing something different could be the answer. However, I must then find something else to do and become my therapist with my tools.
The trauma endured by anyone remains forever, so a program designed to assist those needs is now available. Trained staff’s careful and deliberate interaction walks the veteran through a step-by-step process. The beliefs I have held on to by setting goals to eliminate the effects of PTSD were needed and achieved. Setting goals have always been my pursuit because, without a mission, the progress I seek cannot be attained.
As this experience allows me to reflect, the reflection is not my military journey but the journey I forged early in my childhood. So often, the beginning of an emotional battle starts from the beginning and carries over into adult life. This unattended revelation manifests and must be simplified to understand what’s happening in your life presently. Hopefully, this broadened journey to reach another level of healing will rise and resonate. We’re all soldiers who were proud to serve our country only to return to normal and never found that existence to exist. Normal for me has now been compromised, leaving me just as empty once I returned.
This Article was Last Updated On: February 6, 2022