Healing Hidden Wounds: Navy Veteran Says Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Helped With PTSD

DENVER (CBS4) -- Veterans Day is a time to remember and honor brave veterans who fought for our freedom. It is also a time to acknowledge that many of those vets are battling some hidden wounds -- including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

"I did a lot of tracking down the bad guys," says Navy veteran Christopher Olsen.

He worked in military intelligence from 1993-2009 and spent time in Iraq and various parts of Europe before moving back to the states.

On this Veterans Day, Oslen says he is grateful to talk about his experiences. Like so many vets, Olsen is trying to heal hidden wounds. The battle inside his head could be a tougher fight than anything he experienced abroad.

"I go from 0-60 in no time."

Olsen is trying to deal with PTSD, depression, and anxiety.

"I have a radar sense that is constantly on -- constantly looking for danger, constantly looking for what's over my shoulder, like if I am in a crowded restaurant and it's crowded I can get anxious and my brain goes into a primitive state," he says.

Two hundred Colorado veterans take their own lives every year. The number is stunningly high.

Olsen feels for his fellow military members. He says it takes a lot work to understand one's troubles.

He says a certain therapy called Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation which offers pulses to the part of the brain that controls mood has helped him tremendously. He says he saw results after several weeks of the treatment.

Olsen believes talking about PTSD could save lives. When people hear that they do not have to suffer alone, he feels it shows people hope.

"It could show someone — 'Oh, I don't have to live this way,'" says Olsen.

For more information on TMS checkout Serenity Mental Health Centers at www.serenitymentalcenters.com.

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