I think about September 11, 2001, daily. I was on the east side of 5th Avenue near the Empire State Building when I heard screams. I looked up. It was 10:28:22 AM, and the North Tower collapsed right before me. <\/p>\n
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After a long journey by foot, ferry, bus, and hitchhiking, I made it home late in the afternoon.<\/p>\n
A few days later, I was back in Manhattan at my desk, trying to be normal. But I couldn\u2019t. I was a mess every second in the city, on the commute, and at home.<\/p>\n
Severe emotional distress and sleepless nights became normal as I tried to carry on with things. It was a continual struggle.<\/p>\n
When the 9\/11 museum opened, I went to have a look. I thought it would be healing. I was wrong. It was my worst day in a long time.<\/p>\n
I started looking for therapists who specialized in PTSD when I got home, and I finally had some relief for the first time in over a decade as we worked through things.<\/p>\n
It helped, but it wasn\u2019t enough. <\/p>\n
Fast forward to January 2019 and I was in Las Vegas for Affiliate Summit. People were talking about going to dispensaries for weed, which was recently legalized in Nevada. I figured I would go along and check it out.<\/p>\n
I had never tried marijuana before this and bought some edibles. I didn\u2019t know what to expect, and I liked how it felt. For the first time in so long, I was at peace and slept well.<\/p>\n
After returning home, I fell back into the regular routine that I\u2019d gotten used to\u2014flashbacks, depression, sleeplessness, nightmares, etc.<\/p>\n
Then in 2021, my therapist recommended medical cannabis as a treatment option following the expansion of the Texas Compassionate Use Program to include PTSD as a qualifying condition.<\/p>\n