HEALTH
ARTICLE
Veterans – Share
Your Stories
By Sandra Marinella
W
I
We all have a story.
Sometimes it is the story
of being knocked to the
ground – perhaps when
you discovered infidelity,
or a diagnosis of pancreatic
cancer, or the loss of a
son in combat overseas. If
we aren’t careful, a story
like this can get buried
within us. We can deny it
ever happened, and this
might lead to physical or
psychological problems.
Let’s explore how we can
find and begin to navigate
a story we need to tell.
n 2013 I began to interview veterans to
see if sharing their stories or writing could
help them with their traumatic experi-
ences. Veteran Mathew “Goldie” Goldston
wrote me to say he kept a diary during
his stint as a marine in Afghanistan, and it
helped with his PTSD.
14 | HAPI Guide