SAN DIEGO — The Fourth of July weekend is just hours away. Keep veterans in mind as you go about your holiday festivities. Fireworks can be a trigger for veterans who are suffering from PTSD.
"Fireworks for sure can spin some guys up especially guys fresh back from something big," said Justin Sheffield, a former Navy Seal.
Sheffield served from 2000 to 2015. He said all those years of service did take a toll.
"I was in a bad mental state definitely strung out on a lot of medications," he said.
He said nothing seemed to help. Eventually he visited the Brain Treatment Center and discovered a new approach.
"Magnetic resonance therapy, it's electromagnets that are attach to a frequency and essentially pulse on your forehead," he said. "Treatment is about four weeks."
He said his life is forever changed. He was able to get off all the medications he was given for PTSD, can now sleep and think more clearly.
San Diego is home to a Brain Treatment Center. Sheffield now works with All Eagles Oscar, an organization that helps veterans get this treatment.
"They've got PTSD, some are addicted to drugs. We all kind of came out very similar. Some of the medications we were given were pretty rough. So, we're helping guys get off that," he said.
He said the treatment has been very successful.
"The last thing we want is someone to take their life. A lot of times when you get to that point, you're thinking that's the only way out so to speak. It's really great to be in a position to help," he said.
Mental health experts recommend setting off fireworks at predictable times, using noiseless fireworks or attending a drone show to avoid the noise altogether.
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