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You treat me just like a human. You don't treat me as if I'm a killer.

Michael Allison (US Marine Corps, 1999-2007) questioned his ability to talk to a therapist because he was afraid of being judged.

Transcript

For several years

I struggled in a space of

can I be vulnerable
with a person?

Can I be transparent
with a person?

And can there be a Jesmond
free type of zone where I'm in

and I don't feel
any guilt or shame

because that's
what I've been carrying.

That's a lot of weight walk
carrying around

with lots of guilt and shame

and being able to find someone
and identify someone where

I could speak to you
and you could understand me.

And you treat me
just like a human.

You don't treat me
as if I'm a killer.

I'm a person
that's going to go out here

and hurt people and absolutely
that's not who I am.

That's not who I want to be.

That's not who I identify
myself as.

And for you to treat me

just like a normal human being
and help me work through some

of the things that
I was dealing with.

Was one of the key things
that I truly appreciated.

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