Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can alter the course of a veteran’s life, imposing difficulties that are hard to articulate, let alone overcome. However, for some, moving through adversity offers the chance to grow, to re-evaluate, and to lay foundations for a more fulfilling future. This journey, known as Post-Traumatic Growth (PTG), is a real possibility especially when guided by practical, peer-based support such as that offered by Veterans in Action (VIA), a charity dedicated to helping veterans across the UK achieve positive change.
PTSD manifests in many ways: flashbacks, disturbances in sleep, persistent negative thoughts, anxiety, and detachment from activities and people. These signs are not simply symptoms, but barriers to ordinary living. Yet, through resilience and the right support, some veterans move beyond these barriers. PTG describes positive psychological change emerging from the struggle with trauma. It does not mean the trauma disappears, but rather that it is worked through and a new, stronger perspective develops.
Veterans in Action take a long-term, non-clinical approach to support, favouring projects and expeditions which allow veterans to take part, grow, and regain purpose while surrounded by peers with shared experiences. The charity does not rely on therapy, but instead uses practical activities and challenges tailored specifically for veterans.
The first sign that PTSD is abating and PTG is emerging is a noticeable shift in the way you process your experience. Rather than seeing your trauma as nothing but adversity, you begin to reflect on what you have learned from it. You may consider the ways your skills in perseverance, problem-solving, and resilience have grown. This newfound search for meaning marks a turning point, essential for growth. VIA’s programmes support this shift by encouraging veterans to take part in purposeful team-driven projects, such as vehicle building, expedition preparation, and long-distance fundraising walks. These experiences help former service personnel reconsider their abilities and regain confidence.
One significant early sign is the willingness to reach out and connect with others. Many veterans affected by PTSD withdraw from family and friends, reluctant to speak about their struggles or to ask for help. When this starts to change, and there is a willingness to attend group projects, join expeditions, or even simply meet other veterans for conversation, it is a marker of moving towards PTG. VIA creates a safe space at its Hampshire centre and during expeditions for veterans to re-engage and support each other, building belonging and trust. Working alongside other veterans in practical environments, such as the Build It project and expedition preparation, fosters camaraderie and breaks down barriers to engagement.
PTSD often robs individuals of interest in hobbies and activities. The return of motivation, to become involved in creating, building, fundraising, or simply walking outdoors is a sign of renewal. VIA’s approach capitalises on this by encouraging veterans to contribute at their own pace, whether rebuilding vehicles, planning journeys, or taking part in long-distance walks. These projects are not merely distractions; they provide a structure for achievement, helping veterans to reclaim purpose and pride in their abilities. Veterans are not pressured, but given the flexibility to re-engage when ready, leading to genuine involvement and self-fulfilment.
As PTG develops, a desire to support others often emerges. Veterans may take leadership roles, support new project members, or offer guidance during expeditions. VIA’s peer-based programmes rely on this principle, veterans who benefit from support in turn offer encouragement to others, creating a cycle of positive change. This step is essential for PTG and is visible in how veterans mentor younger team members or share knowledge and skills from their time in the Forces.
The experience of emotional numbness, anger or anxiety can be all-consuming. As PTG develops, veterans start to notice emotions becoming more accessible and manageable. They report feeling less isolated and more secure, with a greater ability to understand and communicate their emotions among peers. Feedback from VIA’s project participants indicates that working alongside others, striving towards common goals, and having a sense of safety and belonging all contribute to improved emotional wellbeing and self-awareness.
VIA’s model is rooted in participation, team effort, and peer support. Centre-based projects and expeditions constitute the heart of the charity’s work. Veterans learn new skills, restore old ones, and tackle real-world problems as they build vehicles for expeditions or train for challenging outdoor journeys. All participants work at their own pace, but the shared achievement and ongoing involvement help them regain purpose and confidence. The practical aspect of building, planning, and travelling gives tangible milestones, while the relationships formed and strengthened within the projects provide lasting support beyond the clinical realm.
VIA also records expeditions through the Veterans Expeditions Overland YouTube channel, providing participants with a way to reflect on their progress and rekindle positive experiences from project involvement. This unique approach allows for both private review of personal development and public celebration, instilling pride and accomplishment.
The charity’s holistic ALIVE model is especially designed for British veterans, inspired by international research but adapted to meet local needs. It revolves around social, physical, and mental wellbeing through sustained project involvement, adventurous activities, and expeditions. Participation in the Build It phase is required for each expedition, ensuring veterans are not only physically active but also mentally and emotionally invested from the outset. Veterans who might otherwise be isolated find themselves in a welcoming, team-oriented environment and rediscover their sense of belonging, often the very thing lost upon leaving service.
Noticing signs of positive change does not mean the struggle is over, but it is the beginning of a transformation. Veterans who identify these signs in themselves, or loved ones, are encouraged to reach out for practical support. VIA offers a safe, welcoming environment where veterans can grow at their own pace, with no pressure or judgement.
Families and friends play a crucial role, too, in recognising small improvements and fostering them with encouragement. With patience, kindness and practical support, loved ones can help sustain gains made through PTG and ensure the veteran does not feel alone on the journey.
PTSD is a profound challenge, but growth is possible. Transformative change begins with subtle signs, shifts in perspective, a rekindled sense of belonging, renewed motivation, a drive to help others, and greater emotional clarity. Veterans in Action offers practical, long-term help for veterans in the UK, transforming lives through centre-based projects, expeditions, peer support, and skill-building activities. If these early signs resonate with yourself or a veteran you know, do not wait. Take the step towards sustained growth with the support of a community that understands.
I needed focus I needed something to fill my time, well maybe not fill my time but something to focus on like a target, a needed to get back my drive.
I started to help VIA ‘Veterans In Action’ and found something that I could do, use the old skills that I learnt in the army and more since I left which I did not register I had.
I had been missing that motivation to do something that I wanted to do and gain that level of self-gratification and achievement.
Everybody has a skill set, but it’s the motivation to use it we can lose, VIA have various projects on the go all the time, hopefully I have found my niche to help them and myself to gain personal gratification by being a member of a team again and a job well done.
After discussions I realised that it’s this which advances my mental well-being and my ongoing fight against depression and the feeling of worthlessness.
I have woken up, helping hand in hand with fellow soldiers suffering from labelled disorders finding strength from weakness, realising what helps them generally does helps me, the recognition has been an awakening.”
Ian ‘Chalky’ White former 17th/21st Lancers and B Sqn 22 SAS
Veterans In Action have been filming our expeditions for many years for our YouTube Channel, Veterans Expeditions Overland, and through this experience of not only running the expeditions but also capturing footage that enables veterans who have taken part in a place of reference to recapture how they felt by taking part.
The Veterans In Focus project enables veterans to learn new skills and record not only the expeditions we run but also the day-to-day work on all projects connecting them all together so everyone feels involved in all aspects of the work we do.
VIA take a long-term approach to helping veterans who suffer to enable them to grow within a project working alongside their peers. All this can be achieved within this project which can be ongoing and would allow veterans to learn new skills or to pass on skills learned during their time in the services
Some of the outcomes of the project are a sense of purpose, regaining confidence and working in an environment alongside other veterans where they can instantly feel relaxed, chilled-out, secure, and safe.
Veterans can work at their own pace, stop thinking negatively, concentrate, learn new skills, be part of building something, and most importantly where problems are understood this will positively impact mood and stress levels.
For those involved in the project, they can also get involved on an expedition HERE
I became involved with VIA in 2010 after my life took a turn for the worse and was invited along to do some fundraising with them. This helped me no end and in time my life got back on track. I completed a Union Flag Walk with them from Cape Wrath to Land’s End which again helped as walking and talking with other veterans with similar stories was a great help in understanding how I was feeling. I gained control of my life again.
In 2019, I took part in an overland expedition travelling through the Spanish Pyrenees and whilst away my life took a turn for the worse again due to family problems back in the UK. On my return I had to start again and rebuild and focus on the future and with the help of Veterans In Action I got back on track and took control.
I now own and run my own courier business.
Mark Colman former Royal Engineers
To date, we have travelled 25,000 miles travelling through 30 different countries and some of them several times both on overland expeditions for humanitarian aid through the pandemic and more recently supplying medical humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
It is important to note that to take part in one of our overland expeditions we insist that veterans get involved in the BUILD IT part of the project. The reason for this is part of the Post Traumatic Growth process which is our method for helping veterans so that veterans can grow within a team of their peers, learning new skills and relearning old skill sets that may have been forgotten after service.
Leading up to an expedition involves expedition training which will include off-road driving, navigation, camp setups, camp cooking and daily maintenance, something most veterans will understand from their time in the services.
It would be unfair for any individual to turn up on the day of an expedition who hadn’t previously been involved as everyone else would have been working together over a long period of time so due to the very nature of the mental health problems of those we take out on expedition turning up on day 1 for any individual could become very difficult to find where they fit in no matter how welcoming everyone was.
It is the involvement long-term on building the vehicles that enable veterans to grow that gets them to a place where they fully enjoy all aspects of the expedition experience starting from the minute that an overland expedition sets off.