Life, War and Trauma: CPTSD, Therapy and AI
A Personal Beginning
When my father — my last remaining parent — died in 2021, CPTSD finally erupted into my life with a force I could no longer control. But the truth is, its roots went back to childhood. Back then, I lived through the hidden trauma of growing up gay in a world that felt hostile to who I was. It was like being a child in the Shoah — carrying unbearable fear and shame, unable to tell a soul, not even my own family.
For years afterward, I didn’t see it as CPTSD, and neither did the professionals around me. Therapists told me I was dealing with depression or anxiety, and maybe that was the best framework they had in 2007. Complex PTSD wasn’t a common diagnosis then; perhaps they didn’t know enough yet, or perhaps the language just wasn’t widely used. But no one put their finger on it. No one named what I was really living with.
Losing my father simply stripped away the last defenses I had built, unleashing the hyper-vigilance, intrusive memories, anger management struggles, and existential crises that had been waiting underneath all along.
“PTSD is not the person refusing to let go of the past, but the past refusing to let go of the person.” — Unknown
CPTSD is not an illness that can be cured. It is a condition that must be managed. That truth didn’t come from an app or a new technology — it came from four and a half years of in-depth therapy. Only after that groundwork could I begin to use tools like PTSD Coach and AI in conjunction, helping me control the memories that inevitably resurface.
The Toolkit Today
After therapy gave me the language and resilience to face CPTSD, I needed practical tools I could lean on every day. That’s where the combination of PTSD Coach and AI became indispensable.
PTSD Coach is designed for those living with trauma. On days when memories break through, it gives me quick access to grounding exercises, breathing practices, and symptom tracking. Sometimes just opening it is enough to interrupt the spiral and remind me I am not powerless.
AI, on the other hand, plays a different role. I use it to create structure and clarity when my mind wants to scatter. It reminds me of strategies I’ve learned in therapy, helps me reframe intrusive thoughts into actionable steps, and supports me in grounding and integrating experiences so they don’t remain splintered. AI also helps me in my advocacy work. It even assists me with anger management, helping me pause before reacting, grounding myself, and choosing a response instead of being hijacked by a traumatic memory.
Used together, these tools form a kind of scaffolding: PTSD Coach steadies me in the moment, while AI helps me integrate, build meaning, and channel my energy forward. Neither replaces therapy, but both extend its reach into my daily life.
Even before my father’s passing, I trained for and completed Ironman competitions. But exercise alone wasn’t enough to stop the explosion of CPTSD when he died. Still, movement has been a powerful ally.
“Research shows exercise can ease PTSD symptoms across all four domains — re-experience, avoidance, negative thoughts, and arousal” —VA Research, 2022
For me, exercise works in conjunction with therapy, PTSD Coach, and AI to regulate stress hormones and restore a sense of control.
I even tried weighted blankets, but they made me feel smothered instead of safe. Kona, my dog, is different. She has always picked up on my energy instinctively. When CPTSD flares, she stretches across me like a living weighted blanket — but instead of suffocating me, she grounds me and calms me. Research supports this:
“Even without formal training, dogs can provide profound therapeutic benefits simply through their presence, intuition, and bond with their owner,”
Dr. Nancy R. Gee, Director of the Center for Human-Animal Interaction at Virginia Commonwealth University says.
I never had the money to train Kona formally, but the truth is she already fulfills the role of a therapy dog every single day.
Why It Matters Now
This isn’t just personal. Since October 7, countless Israelis, including myself, are living with trauma — civilians, soldiers, and families alike. While NOTHING can replace in-depth therapy, combining professional treatment with tools like PTSD Coach and AI could give many people a way to manage memories and reclaim some amount of control.
The need is so great that Israel’s own defense establishment has recognized it:
“The Ministry of Defense is calling for AI-based tools that allow accessible self-care around the clock to help prevent deterioration of mental states.”— Calcalistech, Dec 2023
Psychologists are beginning to echo this view. They see a role for AI, not as a replacement for therapy, but as a powerful supplement.
“As a component of mental health treatment from a licensed professional, chatbots can be helpful. I encourage my clients to use them to help with problem-solving skills, work through negative thoughts, practice social skills, provide reminders and monitor symptoms.”— Dr. Deborah Hall, Psychologist, Arizona State University
And as one AI researcher put it:
“If we can use AI to make it easier for survivors to get the support they seek, that’s what social good really means.”— Professor Vaibhav Garg, Virginia Tech
And this is not unique to Israel. Civilians in Ukraine, in regions torn by internal unrest, and in countries scarred by civil wars face the same invisible wounds. What I’ve found helpful here could be just as vital there — simple, accessible tools to complement therapy and give survivors a measure of control over memories that never fully disappear.
From Survivor to Sovereign
But today, with therapy as the foundation, and with PTSD Coach, AI, exercise, and Kona as my scaffolding, I’ve learned that survival isn’t the end of the story — it can also be the beginning of recovery, re-emergence, and reclamation.
I’m still a survivor — but now, I’m not just surviving. I’m truly thriving – and perhaps you can too.
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Sources
Calcalistech, Israel turns to AI to deal with PTSD crisis amid Gaza war, December 2023.
Deborah Hall, PhD, Psychologist, Arizona State University. Quoted in ASU News, September 2025.
Vaibhav Garg, PhD, Professor, Virginia Tech. Quoted in Virginia Tech News, June 2025.
PTSD Coach App, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs & U.S. Department of Defense.
Bessel van der Kolk, MD, The Body Keeps the Score.
