Skip to content

At work I find that I was coming across stiff and unapproachable.

Ayla Bennett (US Army, 2004-Present) shares how PTSD and military sexual trauma shaped her interactions at work.

Transcript

At work, I find that

I was coming across

stiff and

unapproachable

which when I became a

recruiter and then later

a career counselor that doesn't

that type of persona did not

facilitate a healthy environment

in order to talk to people

about joining the military

or staying in the military.

So I found that I had to

have informal conversations

and be vulnerable with men

when I did not

want to, but also

my experience told me

that if I'm friendly

even a little bit to a man,

that they're going to

misinterpret that as flirtation.

I found that drinking

after work,

it got to the point

where I was drinking at work,

to be honest with you,

was helping me

to be more comfortable

in an uncomfortable environment.

Published At