“I Needed Something Else”: A First Responder’s Journey Through PTSD, Depression & Real Healing

“After a rough childhood and a career in policing, I was diagnosed with complex PTSD and major depressive disorder in 2011… Seeing my doctors, getting medical assessments and taking medication was not showing any significant health improvements. I needed something else.” — Brent

I’ve worked with a lot of people who come to me after years - sometimes decades - of doing all the “right things.” The therapy. The medication. The coping. The surviving. And still feeling like… nothing is changing.

When Brent first walked through my door, it wasn’t for emotional healing.
It wasn’t for trauma.
It wasn’t for the heaviness he had been carrying for over 14 years.

It was for back pain...

What he didn’t know was that red light therapy would be the opening we needed to get to the root of this pain and so many others. And honestly?
That’s how healing often starts. Not with a dramatic moment. Not with some perfect plan. But with a quiet nudge. A “what if.” A moment where you realize the survival you’ve been living in… isn’t enough anymore.

When You’re Doing Everything “Right” and Still Not Getting Better

Brent told me:

“Over 14 years… relationships crumbled, my ability to communicate disappeared, and trusting myself was nearly impossible.”

If you’ve lived with anxiety, depression, or PTSD — especially complex PTSD — you know exactly what this feels like. You can be doing every single thing professionals tell you to do and still feel stuck. Still feel broken. Still feel like you’re failing at life.

But here’s the truth I tell every client:

You’re not failing.
You’re using tools that were never built for the depth of what you’ve lived through.

Sometimes healing depression and healing anxiety require a completely different approach - one that includes the body, the nervous system, your lived history, and the patterns you’ve been carrying your entire life.

Why My Approach Felt Different for Him

During his very first red-light session, I shared how I blend coaching, nervous-system work, trauma-rewiring strategies, and body-based tools for clients with PTSD. Something clicked for him: “Something about Dawn seemed different and that appealed to me.”

The truth? I don’t sugarcoat. I don’t coddle. And I don’t pretend healing is easy.

But I do make it possible.

My work is about digging deep — past the surface stories, past the “I’m fine,” past the survival mode that has been running your whole life. We look at the patterns. We look at the pain. We look at the things you’ve never said out loud. And then… we rebuild. Slowly. Intentionally. Honestly.

And yes… it’s uncomfortable. But it works.

The Real Changes — The Ones People Don’t Think Are Possible

When Brent describes the shifts he experienced, these words still hit me: “I’ve found a profound increase in my confidence, my ability to communicate, and my overall happiness… My relationship with my wife and children has never been better.”

That’s what healing PTSD looks like. Not perfection. Not being “fixed.” Not pretending you’re fine.

Healing is being able to sit with yourself without the intrusive thoughts.
Healing is feeling emotions other than anger.
Healing is making a mistake and knowing it doesn’t define you.
Healing is reconnecting with the people you love.
Healing is feeling safe inside your own skin again.

This is the stuff most people don’t believe can change — especially after 10, 15, or 20 years of pain. But it can. And he’s living proof.

If You’re Reading This and You’re Struggling… Let Me Be Honest With You

You can heal.

Not by ignoring things.
Not by surviving harder.
Not by pushing through like you always have.

You heal by doing the deeper work — the work that includes your emotions, your beliefs, your patterns, your body, your past, and your present reality.

You heal anxiety by retraining the nervous system.
You heal depression by reconnecting with the parts of yourself that shut down to survive.
You heal PTSD by building safety, tools, and awareness where there used to be chaos, shame, or numbness.

Your story won’t look exactly like Brent’s. But your transformation can be just as real.

I Get It — Because I’ve Lived It, Too

This isn’t just a job for me. This is the work I wish someone had done for me when I was drowning in my own trauma. I understand the anger.
The shutdown.
The exhaustion.
The loneliness.
The feeling of being unfixable.

And I know the road back — because I've walked it myself, and I’ve walked it with hundreds of clients. If you’re at the place where you know something needs to change… that’s your opening. That’s where your healing begins.

You Don’t Have to Do This Alone

If Brent’s story speaks to you — if it gives you even 1% of hope — hold onto that.

Healing isn’t a miracle. It’s a process. A path. A choice. And if you’re ready, I’m here to walk it with you. Whenever you’re ready to begin, I’ll be here.

— Dawn