HARRIS COUNTY, Texas – Chris Fahey served our nation for 18 years. In that time, five deployments, including Afghanistan, commanding more than 100 missions. But when he left the service, he wasn’t the same person.
“My transition out of the active duty military was traumatic in itself,” Fahey recalled. “I felt unprepared, I felt unworthy, felt unloved.”
Saturday, June 27th is National PTSD Awareness Day designed to shed light on post-traumatic stress disorder and erase mental health stigmas. While the day highlights the struggles of all PTSD patients, a bulk of the research has focused on helping military veterans heal and recover.
Chris Fahey said he struggled with a high level of hyper vigilance -- even after returning from war. After seeking counseling he knew more was wrong when he lost connection to the feelings of love and trust for family and close friends. That is when, with the help of the PTSD Clinical team at DeBakey VA Hospital, he realized he was struggling with PTSD.
Dr. Deleene Menefee, a psychologist, is the team’s program director. She says advances have been made in PTSD treatment as the nation has become more aware. New methods keep in mind that there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach.
“Some are time intensive. They require practice outside of the session,” said Menefee. “Some of them require people to be able to write and not everyone wants to do that. So we’re going to tailor it to meet the needs of that individual.”
Fahey says it was multiple methods, and the guidance of his specific counselor that made the difference. It came down to answering a question asked by his counselor -- during each session.
“‘Okay Chris, but what’s next? Okay Chris, I get where you’re at but what’s next,’” Fahey recalled his counselor asking. He said he would also ask, “‘What are we doing next, because we’re not giving up today? Today’s not the day we give up.’”
Fahey said he has restored all of the relationships that were damaged during the most intense days of his struggle. He has since earned a degree in psychology and is now working on a master’s. Most importantly, he has rediscovered purpose and hope.
“There’s one fundamental truth that I’ve learned,” he said. “And it doesn’t matter what we’re experiencing as the course of our mental health issues that you can recover. There’s absolutely nothing we can’t recover from.”
If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, regardless of veteran status, you can call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline any time, day or night, by dialing 988. If you are a veteran in crisis dial 988 and then press 1.