Sarah Branyan knows firsthand what it’s like to survive military sexual trauma (MST). She also knows what it’s like to make mistakes and have the power to rise above and make a comeback.
And she’s having a positive effect on struggling veterans.
Branyan, an Army veteran, works as a peer support specialist for the C.W. Bill Young Veteran’s Medical Center in Bay Pines, Florida. Specifically, Branyan supports veterans fighting mental health battles and issues stemming from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Her most vital role is leading group sessions with in-patient veterans going through some of the same challenges she faced a couple decades ago.
Branyan’s approach is real and straightforward, which veterans appreciate. During a recent small group session, Branyan asked veterans who they would list as their contacts in case of an emergency.
“All right, what you got?” she said. “You are the only person who can accommodate yourself. So, if you don’t do it. It’s not going to get done.”
Banished from Army, Addiction
Branyan can relate to the veterans she supports because she’s been in dire situations.
Joining the Army at 17, Branyan was excited to begin basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. However, her excitement quickly turned into a nightmare when she was sexually assaulted by a drill sergeant. Because she was a minor, Branyan was waiting to receive a security clearance when she was assaulted.
From there, her life unraveled.
She received a Chapter 11 discharge from service, otherwise known as an Entry Level Separation (ELS) given to recruits that have difficulty adapting to Army life within the first 180 days of active duty. Distraught and depressed, Branyan turned to drugs, becoming addicted to meth, heroin and crack cocaine.
The drugs served as a coping mechanism from the pain and embarrassment of her MST and getting booted out of the military.
“And I just didn’t want to feel like me,” she said. “Didn’t want to feel like I felt in my skin.”
She tried rehabilitation programs but couldn’t kick her drug habits. Then came run-ins with the law and several arrests spanning a tumultuous decade.
“I have gosh, a very extensive criminal record,” she said.
The veteran hit rock bottom when she spent two years in a Maryland prison, but it was the wake-up call she needed. The incarceration provided time for her to overcome her substance abuse. In her peer support group, Branyan doesn’t shy away from discussing her troubled past.
“For sure, I always tell the story that I have felonies on my record, and I work for the federal government,” she said. “So, there is nothing that is insurmountable if you are willing to do the work.”
How Did She Recover?
Besides her prison stint, Branyan also credits the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) for aiding in her recovery. She said the alliance allowed her to shape her path toward overcoming addiction. Branyan recently completed Crisis Intervention Team training through NAMI.
In her peer support group, Branyan emphasizes the power of positivity.
“When you are thinking positively you are not in fight-or-flight mode. So, you are more resilient,” she said. “You are more able to find solutions. You are more creative. All the things that we give up and become self-fulfilling prophecies when we are focused in the negative.”
Crystal Elerbee, one of the group participants, said Branyan’s sessions work because they’re coming from a veteran who faced significant hurdles and found a way to jump over them.
“Somebody who has been there, done that,” said Elerbee. “Somebody that can understand where you have coming from.”
What’s the best part about being a peer support specialist? For Branyan, its watching veterans become stronger mentally.
“Oh, I love it. That’s my favorite thing,” she said. “Because often we don’t get to see the end result. We just must hope we are making a difference. But in this role, I get to see it all the time.”
