Helping the Military Address PTSD – Jill’s Journey of Healing

For many years, Jill didn’t talk about the burning aircraft that chased her in nightmares, or that she had insomnia and couldn’t get more than 3-4 hours of sleep at night. She had brushed the issues off as “a normal part of life now,” like so many others with post-traumatic stress.

Brain Warrior Story of Jill Chambers

Fast-forward to 2007, when suicides among service members were skyrocketing. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, whom at the time was Admiral Mike Mullen, asked Jill to serve as the first Special Assistant for Returning Warrior Issues. Jill was solely tasked with pinpointing the “Ground Truth” about transitional challenges facing wounded service members and developing dynamic, real-time strategies and recommendations. Admiral Mullen was committed to ensuring that under his watch, no fallen comrade would be left behind. He empowered Jill to work with that end in mind. In 2008, General George Casey publicly honored Jill for her work and launched the Comprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness Program, focused on the Army’s 5 Dimensions of Strength: Social, Emotional, Family, Spiritual, and Physical. After decades of denial, the U.S. Armed Forces finally started talking about and addressing the psychological well-being of service members and their families.

Discovering Help Through Amen Clinics

Once Jill retired in 2009, she realized that she too had PTSD from the events on 9/11/01 and committed three solid months to focusing exclusively on her mental and physical health. When she was introduced to neurofeedback and guided imagery, it completely changed her life. By the end of August, Jill was sleeping better, and her nightmares reduced drastically.

Her newfound passion for integrative healing therapies led her to Dr. Amen’s book, Change Your Brain, Change Your Body. She and her husband committed themselves to practicing The Amen Clinics Method 12 steps of brain healthy living, and it worked. Jill and Michael wanted to be as healthy as possible, so they went to Amen Clinics for full evaluations, including brain SPECT imaging.

Jill was shocked when Dr. Amen showed the results of her SPECT scan. She could now see the parts of her brain where she had a vulnerability to PTSD first-hand. Bringing Dr. Amen’s brain-healthy habits into her life and addressing her PTSD-related insomnia with integrative therapies had resulted in “post-traumatic growth.” The marvel of neuroplasticity had worked in Jill’s favor. She had changed her brain, and by doing so, she also changed her life.

What Can Brain SPECT Imaging Do For You?

Some symptoms of PTSD overlap with those of other conditions, including traumatic brain injury (TBI) where sleep problems, irritability or anger, concentration problems and social isolation are commonly found in both. Because of this, people can be misdiagnosed and given the wrong type of treatment if no one looks at their brain.  Amen Clinics understands PTSD, and we are here to help. Contact us today by calling 888-288-9834 or schedule a visit online.