Hall said his family has been there for him from the beginning of his struggles with PTSD. He credits their love and support for where he is today.
“[My family] were the life support I needed,” Hall said. “They were the only ones that were keeping me from going insane.”
After his second deployment from January 2005 to December 2005, Hall’s PTSD reached a crisis point. His temper was short, and it was difficult for his family to communicate with him.
“It was full hell in the household,” Hall said. “And I was the one bringing it.”
So, Hall began treatment for PTSD at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center through theDeployment Health Clinical Center in 2008. Through various treatments, he learned skills that could help him learn to accept difficult emotions and situations and move on from what life was like while he was deployed. Letting go of things that are buried inside for so long is difficult for anyone, but he knew that a turning point had to happen.
The retired major said that point occurred in the spring of 2011, when Tami Hall, his oldest daughter, left for culinary school in Austin, Texas.
“I was watching my oldest daughter leave for college,” Hall said. Suddenly, the weight of the grief and pain he carried overwhelmed him. “After the car left and went out of sight over the hill, I dropped to my knees and wept for my daughter.”
Learning to Enjoy Groups
When Hall developed PTSD, relaxing for him meant going off to a hill and staring out into nothing in particular. Going to events or to the movies was out of the question until he could learn to manage his symptoms.
“My kids would want to go to the movies,” he said. “I hated going to the movies.”
It took time, but Hall has turned a corner in his life and can tolerate some outings. Now, he sees that doing what others want to do can be good for everyone.
“Now, they join me on the hill and stare out into nothing with me, and I do things they like to do,” he said.
After Hall was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2012, such outings became more of a challenge, but he continues to do as much as he can with the family.
Content Via: DoD
Featured Image – Photo courtesy of the Hall family – DoD
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