87. Special Release: Robert Hartley - From War Zone to Ketamine: A Veteran’s Journey Through Trauma and Healing

The Voices of War

Please note that this entire episode is available on the public channel. To gain access to all other episodes, please subscribe at https://thevoicesofwar.supercast.com/

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Today, I spoke with Robert Hartley, who is a former Australian Army Officer who served for 12 years in the Artillery Corps before transitioning to a civilian career in the technology sector. During his time in the military, Robert deployed on exchange with the British Army on Operation Herrick XII (12) to Helmand Province, Afghanistan in 2010. In his civilian life, Robert has worked for a number of technology companies, including Microsoft, before joining a start-up where he is an Executive Director.

Robert joins me today to discuss his life in the Army, how his deployment to Helmand resulted in a PTSD diagnosis, as well as his journey to recovery, which includes being part of the ketamine program that I discussed at length with Dr Alex Lim a few episodes ago.

Things we covered include:

• Rob’s entry into the Army and the Artillery Corps
• Rotation into Helmand with the British Army
• The thrill of preparing for and going to war
• Use of artillery as a direct-fire weapon
• The reality of Helmand as the ‘kinetic province’
• How the local population perceived the Coalition Forces
• Dealing with numerous casualties
• Reflecting on mateship, camaraderie, and sense of purpose
• The process of desensitisation to war and combat
• Reflection on the burden of command
• The challenge of preserving one’s own moral compass
• The struggle of upholding the delicate facade of morality in battle
• The price of extreme compartmentalisation and rationalisation
• Returning home, signs that things weren’t right and asking for help
• Symptoms, PTSD diagnosis, and importance of command support
• Short-term fixes but eventual relapse, downward spiral, and continual emotional compartmentalisation
• The path to recovery and reconnecting to emotions
• Joining Dr Alex Lim’s ketamine program, onboarding, and treatment initiation
• A reflection on the ketamine treatment, its sensations, experiences, and insights
• Why ketamine remains contentious
• How the ketamine treatment affected Rob’s relationships with his wife and children
• Why seeking help matters!

During this discussion, we referred to the following previous episodes:

Ashley Judd – On combat, mental health and the road to recovery

Dr Alex Lim - On veterans’ mental health: the good, the bad and the promising

Given the nature of this discussion, and the fact that many in our audience are veterans, there is a risk that elements of this episode might be difficult listening for some. If this is the case, I encourage you to seek help through one of the many channels nowadays available, some of which are listed below (Australian audiences only):

All-hours Support Line

(1800 628 036 / [phone] if O/S)

Open Arms (VVCS)

1800 011 046

https://www.openarms.gov.au/

1800 IMSICK

(1800 624 608)

Defence Community Organisation (DCO)

Defence Family Helpline

1800 624 608

http://www.defence.gov.au/dco/

Lifeline

13 11 14

https://www.lifeline.org.au

Suicide Call back service

1300 659 467

https://www.suicidecallbackservice.org.au

Soldier On

1300 620 380

www.soldieron.org.au