- I WOULD CLOSE MY EYES,
AND I WOULD STILL HEAR EVERYTHING AROUND,
BUT I WAS ABLE TO JUST HEAR IT BUT YET NOT PROCESS IT,
SO TO SPEAK.
I WAS ABLE TO FEEL TINGLING, YOU KNOW, IN MY TOES
AND THEN UP THROUGH MY LEGS
AND THEN ALL THE WAY, LIKE, THROUGH MY FINGERTIPS,
THROUGH MY HANDS, YOU KNOW, ALL THE WAY UP TO MY HEAD,
AND IT WAS EXHILARATING.
I DON'T KNOW, I KIND OF LIKE TO, YOU KNOW,
RELATE IT TO, I DON'T KNOW,
LIKE, A DRUG.
IT'S LIKE A NATURAL DRUG WITHIN YOURSELF, YOU KNOW,
TO HELP YOU GET THROUGH THINGS, YOU KNOW,
HELP YOU FACE THE WORLD, YOU KNOW,
TO BE ABLE TO DEAL WITH NORMAL EVERYDAY STRESS
INSTEAD OF HIDING AWAY FROM IT.
AND, LIKE, THE PART WHERE, YOU KNOW,
YOUR MIND JUST CREATES
JUST, LIKE, YOU KNOW, A BEAUTIFUL SIGHT
WHERE YOU PUT YOURSELF AT, IT'S JUST LIKE NOTHING AROUND.
I WAS ABLE TO FIND THAT PEACE WITHIN MYSELF.
- TO EXPERIENCE A CALM,
A PEACE.
MY BREATHING, IT WAS AMAZING.
THE CORRELATION BETWEEN OUR MINDS
AND OUR BODIES.
IT WAS JUST AMAZING.
IT'S HARD TO REALLY EVEN DESCRIBE
THE PEACE, THE RELAXATION, THE CLARITY THAT I HAD.
- WELL, IT'S JUST, WHAT THIS EXERCISE DOES
IS IT ALLOWS YOU TO FOCUS ON SOMETHING ELSE.
YOU KNOW, IT TAKES YOU TO, LIKE, YOUR HAPPY SPOT OR SOMETHING,
YOU KNOW, TAKE YOUR MIND OFF
WHAT YOU'RE DEALING WITH, YOU KNOW?
- IF YOU WOULD HAVE ASKED ME 5 YEARS AGO,
I WOULD HAVE TOLD YOU TO GO "F" YOURSELF,
BECAUSE I'M NOT GOING TO TRY IT, YOU KNOW,
BECAUSE I'D THINK THAT'S, LIKE, ALL HIPPIE STUFF,
BUT I WAS A DOUBTER, TOO, AND I DOUBTED ALL THAT,
AND FINALLY, YOU KNOW, IT WAS JUST A LAST-DITCH EFFORT,
AND, FORTUNATELY, IT'S BEEN REALLY HELPING ME OUT.
YOU KNOW, I'M MORE ACTIVE, I'M MORE SOCIAL,
I GO AND TALK TO PEOPLE,
AND ESPECIALLY WITH THOSE OF US, YOU KNOW, THAT I MEET,
LIKE, ON THE STREET OR AT SCHOOL, YOU KNOW,
I ASK THEM, "HEY, YOU KNOW,
"HAVE YOU BEEN EXPERIENCING ANY KIND OF, LIKE, ISSUES,
ANY KIND OF PROBLEMS?" ALL OF THEM SAY NO.
WE ALL DO,
BECAUSE WE ALL DON'T WANT TO HAVE THAT KIND OF TITLE,
YOU KNOW, OF SOMEBODY WITH PTSD,
BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THE GENERAL PUBLIC, CIVILIANS,
PEOPLE THAT NEVER SERVED,
THEY LOOK AT US LIKE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE INFECTIOUS
OR LIKE WE'RE GOING TO KILL THEM,
WHICH I THINK IT'S [BEEP].
BUT, YOU KNOW, I STILL FACE THOSE PROBLEMS EVERY DAY,
BUT IT DOESN'T BOTHER ME LIKE IT USED TO YOU.
YOU KNOW, LIKE WHEN I FIRST STARTED, YOU KNOW,
BECAUSE, LIKE, THROUGH TREATMENTS, YOU KNOW,
THERE IS A LOT OF TRIALS AND ERRORS,
BUT, YOU KNOW, I JUST HAD TO REALIZE
THAT DEALING WITH PTSD IS SOMETHING
THAT I HAVE TO DEAL WITH.
I JUST CAN'T SHY AWAY FROM IT, YOU KNOW?
SO I USE THESE DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES,
YOU KNOW, AND, SAY, BE ABLE TO PUT MYSELF IN A WAY
TO ACTUALLY DEAL WITH SOCIETY.