PTSD

You can be standing in your kitchen, looking at the people you love, and feel completely absent. Answering questions. Making meals. Going through the motions. But somewhere inside, you have gone quiet. You are there, yet you don’t feel there at all.

For some people, PTSD brings intrusive memories, nightmares and a body constantly braced for danger. For others, numbness, dissociation and shutdown dominate the experience. Even the simplest task can feel beyond reach. You may move between both states: terrified inside, frozen outside.

Post-traumatic stress disorder affects far more than what you remember. It can disrupt sleep, concentration, relationships, your sense of safety and the connection you feel to yourself. Knowing that you are safe does not always mean you can feel it.

PTSD is often associated with veterans, but it can affect people from every background. Assault, sexual violence, serious accidents, traumatic birth and prolonged emotional abuse can leave lasting effects. You do not have to have been to war for your suffering to deserve care.

There are established treatments and emerging approaches worth understanding, including psychedelic-assisted therapies. These have been significant in our founder’s recovery and deserve a visible, honest place in the conversation.

You do not have to look unwell to be profoundly affected.