Chris Lucas. A Sonographer, graduate student, and veteran of two wars.
"My last deployment to Iraq was my worst deployment. I was stationed in the Sunni triangle and the fighting had escalated and casualties had mounted on the US side. Being a Corpsman/Medic I was on the receiving end of the devastation of war. When I left active service, I was diagnosed with PTSD and sent
along my way into the civilian world. I had come back into the regular world and life seemed to go on. I suffered silently and never said much about what I had been through, not even to my wife who has been
patient with my afflictions. I had discovered Brazilian Jiu Jitsu through my son, who had begun training a year before I started. I didn't think I was able to practice this martial art, since I had gained weight and an injured knee. My son's professor's (and now mine) Johnny Faria and Regis Lebre eased my fears and my anxiety about training and I instantly fell in love with this martial art. This was the outlet I needed tocope with my problems. I learned how important it is to keep your body healthy and your mind clear ofdistractions. Therapeutically it had taught me to forget about the stress of my PTSD, even if it was for that one hour of training. The people I trained with were akin to that of my fellow military servicemen when I was active duty. This was something I had missed and longed for after I left active service, I missed the camaraderie, which was virtually non-existent outside of my academy. These people I train with are my brothers and sisters, my extended family, people that I have fought against and people that I would fight for. I wanted to be a part of this project to showcase to other veterans who suffer from PTSD, that there is a creative, holistic and positive alternative way to cope with PTSD other than just pharmacologic intervention. Western medicine has primarily focused on the pharmacological element of
PTSD treatment. For me, I feel I have found a spiritual and alternative route to cope with PTSD. I believe any martial art is therapeutic for the warrior soul, by chance I chose BJJ. I may not wear my uniform anymore, but I am still a warrior, an American who loves my country and an advocate for our men and women in uniform, I am a Veteran with PTSD. This is why I remain a person who trains."
All photography in the People Who Train series is by photographer Mik Milman. See more of his work here.
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