Today is Veterans Day and we talk to a marine who tried a new therapy to help him with his post traumatic stress disorder, a mental health condition often triggered by the horrors of war.
Scenes like these motivated Joshua Musser to enlist in the Marine Corps. He was sent to Iraq where he fought in the battle of Fallujah, the bloodiest battle of the war. He says, "You get home and get used to being home and everything then you know the nightmares started."
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Joshua was suffering from PTSD and decided to try a new treatment called virtual reality exposure therapy. Under the helmet, Joshua experienced the sights, smells, vibrations and sounds of war, a customized virtual scenario targeted specifically to treat his psychological trauma.
Maryrose Gerardi with Emory Clinical Psychologist says, "People often try not to think about what happened to them and what we found over time is that's the worst thing you can do when you experience a trauma. If you don't think about it, don't process it and deal with it that's what can eventually can cause PTSD."
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Musser says, "They put you back in Iraq where you have one foot here and one foot there the only thing outside of Iraq you hear is her voice. And so when she sees that I'm really starting to stress out, cause I would shake really bad and I would sweat. But she would be in my ear and be pulling me back."
Four months after being treated, Joshua's doctors say his PTSD levels have significantly improved. He says, "Now I can harness all those emotions and now I can feel things. And that's worth everything that I went through."
CNN