Friday 14 February 2014

Ex-Army and ex-Prison Officer: Glenn's story

To: PTSD Resolution

Hi, my name is Glenn Owen

I am ex-Army and an ex Prison Officer and because of the type of Treatment that I have been fortunate to have had with PTSD Resolution, I no longer feel the victim I once did, nor need the medication I was once on, I no longer have the nightmares I had and I now feel well and able to cope with life once again.

I joined the Army in 1977 aged 18.

During my service I saw active service in N.Ireland once for 6 months and towards the end of my service I had a 2 yr Deployment in the Province, which was also a stressful and eventful time.

I left the Army in 1986 and joined The Prison Service. Whilst I was working at HMP Longlartin I was involved in an incident where a Prisoner had been violently attacked and I attempted to resuscitate and treat him, however his injuries were so severe that he died whilst attempts were being made to keep him alive.

This incident was the catalyst to the start and continuance of my onslaught of PTSD. It was the last straw in a series of events over the years which I likened to the Tilt on a pinball machine, you can flip and knock the machine but if you knock it to hard then it tilts and this is what happened to me.

Firstly I turned to drink to blot out my nightmares and the bad feelings that I was having, I became aggressive to my close family and so to feel better I drank more until I had a complete breakdown in my Doctors Surgery.

I was put on anti-depressants and referred to be accessed by Mental Health services. I was eventually diagnosed with ‘PTSD and I was given most forms of recognised NHS treatment, I had EMDR, Group Therapy and individual therapy, between May 2000 up to July 07. I was put on Seroxset by my treating Psychiatrist But this didn’t seem to work on me in fact it induced me to want to end it all and I was switched on to Venlafaxine, yet more pills,

I was eventually passed on to my local Counselling Services and it was here the I started to see a man named John. John was ex-Army/Navy and it was like someone had turned the light on. 

From this John put me in touch with Jayne Timings (PTSD Resolution) and it was now that I started to get the treatment that I was so in need of.

I had my first session with Jayne on the 4th July 07 and she conducted her assessment of me using then IOES this produced an initial score of 84 out of 92, Which I might add was up on the one I was given at the start of the NHS Treatment so my condition had become worse.
I was afraid at first to open up to her but John had told me that I would be able to trust her so I did and have never looked back. I needed several rewinds as I had accumulated quite a few problems over the years.

Jayne was very patient with me and I do feel that had I not been able to have the treatment with her then I would not be here with you all today. My life is getting back on track and I now relish every day. I am without doubt that all this is down to this type of treatment and would urge other suffers to that it and would beg the powers that be to make it available as a right.

Ends…

As told to Patrick Rea - a writer and Campaign Director for PTSD Resolution