500 MILES AN HOUR

Can writing help someone through the healing process of PTSD? The answer to that question is a huge yes! After I returned from Iraq, I had three serious flashbacks where I became nonfunctional for an entire day. Meaning, one moment I was curled up crying, the next moment I was in full rage, and finally, I slipped into a state of deep depression. I felt my life being ripped apart at the seams.

Sometime later I was telling sea stories with our editor at Marine Corps University. I could tell he was fully invested in my story, and I said, "Hey, you should write a story about me." His response was, "No, it's your story. Write it yourself." I walked away from his desk mad, thinking: How can I write a story? I don't know how or where to begin. I can't even write a complete sentence! When I sat back down at my desk, his words kept echoing in my head: Write it yourself.