Dee served in three tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq. She experienced two loss-of- consciousness episodes and was close to several explosive device events, including a huge one in which a large vehicle was exploded (VBED). Post-traumatic stress disorder was the diagnosis at Walter Reed. After the acute hospitalization treatment ended and counseling had been in place Dee was referred by her counselor for FNS treatment in the Iraq/Afghanistan (OEF/OIF) veteran TBI/PTSD study. The hyper- vigilance Dee lived with was so severe that she would not leave her quarters until she was so hungry that she had to get food. Accompanying the constant anxiety was a hair-trigger explosiveness that made social relationships difficult.

Dee’s response to treatment was typical of the service members in the study. After only a few treatments she was comfortable walking by herself to Silver Spring, the nearest town center to Walter Reed. Once day she noticed, to her surprise, that she was sitting comfortably with a cup of coffee in a book store with her back to a window. This is not a position that hypervigilant people ever put themselves in because it leaves them vulnerable.

Dee completed treatment with excellent outcomes. She was again able to read easily and remember what she was reading. The cognitive changes were supported by the repeat neuropsychological testing that occurred near the end of the 25 ½-hour sessions. The testing results showed marked improvement and the tester noted “excellent performance” on parts of the evaluation. She scored between 84th and 95th percentile on several tests.

Dee is now in college and making top grades. She announced at the end of the study treatment that she had decided to return to college and become a psychologist. However, in the fall of 2009 her plans changed and she is preparing to go to medical school.

BWB © 2010