WEBVTT 00:00:01.000 --> 00:00:02.267 I worked with a male veteran 00:00:02.267 --> 00:00:05.167 who had been sexually assaulted in the military. 00:00:05.167 --> 00:00:07.467 He had tried other PTSD treatments, 00:00:07.467 --> 00:00:10.334 but found it really difficult to talk to his therapist 00:00:10.334 --> 00:00:12.100 about what happened to him, 00:00:12.100 --> 00:00:14.467 and he also found it difficult to do all the assignments 00:00:14.467 --> 00:00:17.467 that he was required to do as part of the treatment. 00:00:17.467 --> 00:00:20.567 He found it very time-consuming because he worked long hours 00:00:20.567 --> 00:00:23.167 and he wanted to also spend time with his family. 00:00:23.167 --> 00:00:26.033 But he knew that his symptoms were really difficult for him 00:00:26.033 --> 00:00:28.400 and getting in the way for him living the kind of life 00:00:28.400 --> 00:00:29.834 that he wanted to live. 00:00:29.834 --> 00:00:31.734 So he was willing to give it one more try 00:00:31.734 --> 00:00:34.000 with Written Exposure Therapy. 00:00:34.000 --> 00:00:35.701 What appealed to him about this treatment 00:00:35.701 --> 00:00:38.734 was that there were no between-session assignments, 00:00:38.734 --> 00:00:42.133 and it's just five sessions, so he felt like he could do that. 00:00:42.133 --> 00:00:44.701 He also really liked that he didn't have to talk out loud 00:00:44.701 --> 00:00:47.100 to the therapist about what had happened to him, 00:00:47.100 --> 00:00:51.234 because he felt a sense of shame and embarrassment about it. 00:00:51.234 --> 00:00:54.868 This veteran had a really good experience doing the treatment. 00:00:54.868 --> 00:00:58.234 He found it easier to write in detail about the events. 00:00:58.234 --> 00:01:01.234 Initially, the sessions were difficult for him. 00:01:01.234 --> 00:01:04.667 It had been something that he hadn't told anybody about. 00:01:04.667 --> 00:01:06.734 He still did have a sense of shame, 00:01:06.734 --> 00:01:09.334 though it was easier for him to write about it. 00:01:09.334 --> 00:01:10.701 As the sessions went on, 00:01:10.701 --> 00:01:13.267 he found it easier and easier to write about. 00:01:13.267 --> 00:01:16.701 He also felt like it was like a weight had been lifted for him, 00:01:16.701 --> 00:01:19.067 because this was finally something that he was able 00:01:19.067 --> 00:01:22.167 to get off his chest and express his feelings. 00:01:22.167 --> 00:01:24.133 He also found that, as he wrote about this, 00:01:24.133 --> 00:01:25.367 he started to remember things 00:01:25.367 --> 00:01:27.534 that he hadn't remembered before, 00:01:27.534 --> 00:01:29.434 and this helped him to realize 00:01:29.434 --> 00:01:31.968 that he couldn't have controlled what happened to him, 00:01:31.968 --> 00:01:33.868 that he wasn't to blame for it, 00:01:33.868 --> 00:01:36.901 and that was a real relief for him. 00:01:36.901 --> 00:01:38.834 He had a really great experience with this, 00:01:38.834 --> 00:01:40.601 and he was able to even tell his wife 00:01:40.601 --> 00:01:42.734 about some of the things that happened to him, 00:01:42.734 --> 00:01:44.634 and that helped their relationship, too, 00:01:44.634 --> 00:01:46.534 because she started to better understand 00:01:46.534 --> 00:01:48.367 what he had been through. 00:01:48.367 --> 00:01:50.501 At the end of it, he finished treatment, 00:01:50.501 --> 00:01:52.901 and he felt really good about where he landed. 00:01:52.901 --> 00:01:54.200 His symptoms were better, 00:01:54.200 --> 00:01:56.434 his relationship with his wife was better, 00:01:56.434 --> 00:01:59.934 and he no longer had the sense of blame and shame 00:01:59.934 --> 00:02:02.133 about the event. 00:02:02.133 --> 00:02:05.334 He had more work to do, and he knew that he needed to continue 00:02:05.334 --> 00:02:07.901 to try to confront things that he had previously avoided, 00:02:07.901 --> 00:02:10.200 but he was really optimistic about what the future 00:02:10.200 --> 00:02:11.467 would hold in store for him.