Robert's Story
“Combat Stress’ treatment is brilliant - now my old self is coming back.”
When Robert joined the Army, he dreamed of a long career and progression through the ranks. However, his time in the military was cut short after he experienced a serious assault, which left him with PTSD. Here he shares how our expert treatment helped him to live his life again.
“I come from a military family so when I joined the Scots Guards in 2000 at 16 it felt like the right thing to do. However, all my friends back home were having fun and going out, while I was doing things like laying in a ditch soaking wet on exercise, so I chose to leave after a year.
“In 2003 a lot of my Army friends that I’d kept in touch with were sent to Iraq and I felt like I should be there with them. I’d just become a dad, but I rejoined in 2004. I was hoping to have a long, successful career – move up the ladder, get operational experience and travel the world, but it didn’t turn out like that.”
Robert’s eight years’ service included postings to Iraq, Germany, Edinburgh and London where he took up a ceremonial role. “The early years of my time in the Army were the best,” he says. “I got on with everybody and it was before the incident that caused my trauma.”
Robert started to experience PTSD as a result of a serious attack on base in 2006 and the subsequent court martial of the offender five years later. “It was the turning point not just of my career, but my life,” he says.
“I was going through a divorce and everything that comes with it. Sleep became a problem and I kept getting flashbacks of the incident. I lived with fear and anxiety, sleeping with a claw hammer next to me.”
He had been due to be deployed to Afghanistan in 2012 but instead took voluntary redundancy when it was offered to him. Once back on Civvy Street, Robert continued training to be a joiner, which he’d started before he rejoined the Army, but was still experiencing flashbacks and nightmares.
In 2022 a neighbour told Robert how Combat Stress had helped their son. Adamant that he wanted to take back control of his life, Robert called our Helpline. “Someone called me back later and asked me lots of questions,” he says. “One of them was ‘what help can Combat Stress give you?’. That’s when I burst into tears and I knew I really needed help.”
For the next two years Robert received treatment at our Scotland East hub in Edinburgh, first seeing a nurse to learn coping mechanisms and then for sessions with a psychological therapist. He’s now discharged from our treatment.
“Combat Stress’ treatment was absolutely brilliant,” he says. “Slowly but surely my life started changing. I used to be angry but I’m a different person to who I was two years ago. My loved ones are thankful for the fact I’m not so short-tempered and I’m starting to joke and laugh more – everything was so serious, but now my old self is coming back.
“I still have flashbacks and nightmares but not to the level I did – I have Combat Stress to thank for that.”
June 2024