‘How did I get here?’: Wounded veteran describes transformation from rock bottom
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Taniki Richard’s story is proof that mental health support among post-9/11 veterans is effective. An entrepreneur and peer mentor to other veterans, Richard first had to overcome severe mental health challenges in learning to manage the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) she experienced after returning from active duty in Iraq.
“I wasn’t just working with my physical disabilities,” Richard says. “I was emotionally broken. I didn’t even understand what post-traumatic stress was.”
Richard is the mother of two and wife to another veteran, but she still felt alone in her struggle with mental health. “One day it just became too much,” Richard says. “I was under so much extreme stress and pain that I just wanted it to end. I remember thinking, ‘How did I get here?’”
Despite working as an advocate for fellow servicemen and servicewomen facing physical and mental health challenges, Richard struggled with managing her own trauma returning home from war. Then she found Wounded Warrior Project, a veteran service organization that provides physical, mental health and financial wellness programs, as well as access to intensive clinical treatment programs through their Warrior Care Network of academic medical center partners. Participating in several of Wounded Warrior Project programs helped Richard recover from the brink of suicide to being an advocate for and mentor to other veterans.
Richard’s husband, Brandon, introduced her to Wounded Warrior Project. She says her struggle with PTSD put a strain on their marriage, until the couple took part in Wounded Warrior Project’s mental and physical wellness programs. Both Taniki and Brandon recognized a turning point for their romance and communication, in particular, during Project Odyssey — an adventure-based retreat that teaches skills for overcoming combat stress through outdoor recreational activities — which the couple attended together. "It was an eye-opener, and I think it really saved our marriage,” Brandon says.
Dr. Barbara Rothbaum — executive director of Emory Healthcare Veterans Program, a partner in Wounded Warrior Project’s Warrior Care Network — says there is a need for deeper, widespread mental health awareness. “We send people to war. We should be able to talk about what happens there and then surrounding it. That helps take away some of the stigma about what veterans are experiencing.”
Prioritizing military sexual trauma in mental health treatment
Richard faced PTSD, in part, due to experiencing military sexual trauma (MST), which refers to sexual assault or harassment experienced during military service.
Veteran respondents of the 2020 Annual Wounded Warrior Project Survey reported sleep problems, PTSD, anxiety and depression among their most common self-reported injuries and health problems (as well as physical challenges, such as back, neck and shoulder pain). About 61 percent of female warriors and 4 percent of male warriors experienced sexual harassment, and about 44 percent of female warriors and 2 percent of male warriors experienced sexual assault.
“MST is not a diagnosis,” Dr. Rothbaum says. “We're not treating MST. We're treating PTSD from MST, or depression from MST. It's been shown to be related to higher PTSD severity than any other kind of trauma — civilian or military — and we know that it’s underreported. Luckily, there've been a number of treatments that have been shown to help.”
Within the Warrior Care Network, those treatments include cognitive processing therapy and prolonged exposure therapy. “Cognitive processing therapy looks to evaluate and respond to traumatic memories in a different way,” says Dr. Erin Fletcher, mental and brain health services director at Wounded Warrior Project. “There's a lot that goes into rewriting your narrative about the traumatic event that happened to you, so that you're not getting caught up in distressing or unhelpful beliefs about your experience.”
Wounded Warrior Project also recognizes the significance of women veterans suffering trauma as a minority population among their fellow servicemen and has developed programs just for women, which plays a critical role in creating a safe space for recovery, particularly from MST.
Normalizing mental health awareness to strengthen suicide prevention
Richard spoke about her experience struggling with suicidal thoughts and thoughts during a town hall discussion about veteran mental health, hosted by Wounded Warrior Project and Yahoo News. “I was glad that it didn’t take me losing my life in order to figure out that I had another chance at life,” Richard said.
“I was glad that it didn’t take me losing my life in order to figure out that I had another chance at life.” Taniki Richard
Dr. Jo Sornborger, director of operations at UCLA Operation Mend — a Warrior Care Network partner — insists there is a greater need for mental health services around suicide prevention, arguing there is still a gap in understanding the needs of people who are struggling with suicidal thoughts.
“For mental health, in general,” Dr. Sornborger says, “comfortability with the idea of being able to sit with someone and tell them exactly what’s going on — to feel safe enough to do that with someone who is present and available — is profoundly lacking nationally, especially in less populated areas.”
“Because suicide is so scary for the general public, [people] jump to hospitalization as a safety measure,” Dr. Sornborger says. But she argues there are other critical means of processing suicidal thoughts before reaching the point of hospitalization, particularly hotlines and physical and mental health programs that teach skills for coping with PTSD and suicidal ideation.
“Insight is phenomenal,” Dr. Sornborger says. “But having insight into our own pain doesn’t solve it if you haven’t learned skills to help you.”
Dr. Sornborger’s argument is one reason why Richard remains a staunch advocate for mental health awareness and breaking down the stigmas that prevent veterans from seeking mental health treatment. “When you can ask for help,” Richard says, “you are being the strongest person that you can be for yourself and for those who are around you.”
To learn more about Richard’s story, watch the video above.
If you, or a veteran you know, are considering suicide, please call the Veteran Crisis Hotline at 800-273-8255 (press 1) or text the Veteran Crisis Textline at 838255.
From Wounded Warrior Project:
Wounded Warrior Project is a nonprofit organization established to support and address the physical and mental health needs of post-9/11 injured veterans and their families. To learn more, visit woundedwarriorproject.org.
This article was sponsored by Wounded Warrior Project and co-created by RYOT Studio. Yahoo News editorial staff did not participate in the creation of this content.
