Jesus delivered Jeremy McMillan of PTSD

After the tragedy of 9/11, Jeremy McMillan, a soldier in the Marine Corps, was deployed twice to the Middle East. He returned unharmed – physically, that is. The memories of war did not leave him, and he began showing signs of PTSD, such as flashbacks and insomnia.

Back in the United States, he began a new position instructing infantry, but his condition had only worsened. He drank a lot (and was a mean drunk), was unable to climb the stairs with anyone following him, and started overreacting to ordinary stimuli, such as jumping for his gun when his wife Danielle switched a light on.

Unable to stand his rages, Danielle would frequently go to live with family, their daughter in tow. Jeremy would draw her back with apologies and promises to improve, which he was unable to keep.

Jeremy shared his struggles with his mother Sue, who encouraged him with Scripture. However, he didn’t want to give up his drinking lifestyle and he “was in denial” about having PTSD, even after landing in the emergency room for a panic attack.

Eventually, as his family situation deteriorated, Jeremy “wanted to change [his] life” and “turn things around,” but he could not with his own power. He hit rock bottom when Danielle started divorce proceedings.

Sue had “spent a lot of time praying and fasting for” Jeremy. Then, God told her, “I will heal him.” At Christmas time, Sue asked Jeremy to accompany her to a healing service at church. At the altar call, Jeremy accepted Jesus as his savior and then received prayer from the pastor. On the spot, Jeremy “lost all desire for alcohol and was delivered from his paranoia and PTSD.”

At the time of his testimony, he said, “Jesus Christ is all divine. I knew at that very moment I was free. You can’t explain the weight that just comes off of you. Whatever that was was gone.” Moreover, Jeremy is now reconciled with his wife.

Bryn Elliot found healing from PTSD in Christ

When Bryn and her older sister Abbe were just two and four years old, a friend of the family began molesting them, and he continued to do so for ten years. As PTSD set in, Bryn began experiencing shame, flashbacks, bad anxiety, nightmares, and suicidality.

When the abuse finally ended, the sisters entered another dark period, this one of their own making. Unfortunately, Abbe had discovered that drugs numbed the pain and she shared alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine with Bryn. Bryn’s mental health suffered as she persisted with drugs. Depressed, she also started medication, and she was fed the chemical imbalance lie of mental illness.

Bryn and her sibling both sought help from rehab. While at rehab, Bryn called her father and told him what had happened to her and her sister. Though the experience was scary for her, her father “made it a lot easier for [her] just to be able to be open with him and to share with him.”

The sisters got mixed in with a bad crowd, which had tragic consequences – Abbe was murdered. As Abbe had been Bryn’s best friend, Bryn descended into “the darkest point in [her] life.” She “would wake up in the morning, actually screaming and crying…” Suicidal and depressed, she got into fights, tore her hair, and struck walls.

Her father, a Christian, handled Abbe’s death easier because he was convinced she was safely with God. Initially, her father’s peace angered her, but eventually, his faith intrigued her. She would sometimes attend prayer meetings at her father’s urging, often showing up intoxicated and leaving in a fit of anger.

At one point, Bryn agreed to go for deliverance. The lady began sharing details of her trauma that nobody else knew. When Bryn asked how she knew, she responded, “God. He wants to heal you today.”

When she was back home, Bryn had her “first encounter with God.” At the time of her testimony, she recounted lying “on the floor… shaking and sobbing for like an hour, just thanking God for showing up for me.” The title of the video attests to the end result.

God freed Shea Watson from PTSD

When Shea was eight, his parents divorced. Shea’s mother had custody of Shea and his sister, but she “went into a wild season.” She would pay her children to “leave the house” and “be gone for a few hours.” Ten-year old Shea would spend his money playing video games at the arcade. There, a child molester took advantage of him for an entire summer.

Afterward, Shea felt broken and ashamed. For several years, he struggled through a sexual identity crisis. In high school, Shea sought affirmation and distraction from his problems by getting involved in multiple sports programs. He had numerous successes and received praise, awards, and scholarships.

Some of Shea’s friends sold drugs, and Shea also started selling. He was arrested during a drug deal. The judge went easy on Shea and sent him into the army.

In the army, Shea performed well, garnering praise from his drill sergeants and climbing the ranks. Yet, he still struggled with negative intrusive thoughts, such as “you’re not good enough.”

Around this time, Shea started believing in Jesus. Though not walking the walk, he proselytized God to others. He partied and drank, and when he met his first wife, did marijuana with her. Factors such as infidelity and her physical violence ended that marriage.

Around this time, his multiple military deployments had taken their toll: he began experiencing flashbacks and delusions and saw “people with blood on their faces.” He landed in a psych ward for six months and remained a patient for two years.

Feeling lost, he was frustrated when psych professionals refused to offer advice. On the positive side, he was led to tell his parents about the molestation.

The Army discharged him, and Shea found a job and moved in with his sister. His mental health continued suffering; psych meds brought lethargy instead of respite. Shea started taking methamphetamine, ecstasy, cocaine. His shame worsened. However, his Christian boss refused to fire him even when his attendance became unpredictable, and his Christian sister refused to kick him out even when their father advised her to do so.

When he met his second wife, he quit the drugs. Initially a decent marriage, pornography and a series of miscarriages caused complications, as did her decision to embrace the party life and drug use. Eventually, she verbalized a desire to find herself and left. Shea had a drink and a sleep aid, awakening to find an army friend performing suicide watch for him.

Afterward, Shea was inspired to pursue God. He asked God to find him a church. Shea made a commitment to “listen” and to “see what [He has] to say and or what [He] can do.” He did indeed find a church that proved helpful; he learned about grace and mercy, concepts with which he was not familiar as he “was always under the impression that when you sin, you lose your salvation.”

Shea continued to go on missions for the Army, and he went on one to Kenya. There, in a weak moment, he succumbed to meth again. Again broken and filled with shame, he cried out to God for help. Then, he dreamed vividly of the crucifixion. He “woke up bawling and crying… completely undone,” and he dedicated his life to Jesus.

At the time of his testimony, Shea recounted, “A miracle was performed in my life that day, kneeling beside a bed, completely broken, in surrender. 2014, February was the last time I ever experienced a nightmare, a delusion, or a flashback. I was healed.”

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