From darkness into light

Veteran Lily Mulholland had tried all kinds of interventions. For her, the most effective by far was the Timor Awakening program. 

"Timor Awakening was one of the best experiences of my life. I could not believe the change in my body and my brain after the program," she says. 

"When I got back home, I felt much, much calmer, and for about six months after, I didn't have any of the nightmares that I usually have. "

"It really changed something inside me and released some of the stuff that I didn't even know I'd been carrying around."

Hidden trauma

Lily battled 10 years of mounting, unexplained illnesses before being diagnosed with complex post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).  "The psychiatrist actually linked it back to my time in East Timor, which was a big shock because I had thoroughly enjoyed the experience," Lily shares. 

In 1999, just months after joining the Army as a Public Relations Officer, Lily was posted to East Timor – a nation still reeling from conflict with Indonesia. 

"It was very dangerous for the first couple of weeks," she recalls.   "But I really enjoyed it. I was doing what I was trained for. I was seeing the power of peacekeeping force as a circuit breaker. I didn't quite understand that the trauma and the difficulties we experienced, compounded by my non-stop postings for the next few years, meant that trauma didn't get processed. It had been deep in my body for 20 years, and I just kept getting sicker and sicker."

Then a friend told her about Timor Awakening. 

A pathway to healing 

Run by Veterans Care Association (VCA), Timor Awakening aims to help veterans and their families overcome trauma and live fulfilling lives.   The immersive program runs in Timor-Leste and on the Gold Coast, and is open to all current and ex-serving ADF members, and their partners and close family. Participation is free, thanks to RSL Queensland and other funding partners.  

"Timor Awakening aims to bring people out of darkness and into the light,” VCA President Michael Stone, a former infantry officer, explains.   "It was born from the darkness of a number of us that had suffered extreme trauma and mental health challenges.  The pathways provided through the conventional system – medicate, isolate, compensate – weren't enough. "

"So, we put together our best efforts to create something unique that would hopefully inspire people and create a safe space for healing."  

Importantly, the program is peer-led by Defence members, veterans and partners with lived experience. 

"The key strength of Timor Awakening is that it's run by peers who’ve had trauma, who've had serious mental health challenges, and taken on their own personal challenge to move forward," Michael says.  

"They are role models who show participants that healing is possible." 

Each program is refined based on past participants’ feedback, which continually highlights the program’s effectiveness.  

"Many participants say, ‘This is the best intervention I've had since I've been ill or since I've left the military’," Michael says.  

"On the first day, you’ll often see people are guarded, nervous, depressed. At the end of a program, people are having fun and doing activities together.  "

"There's a real sense of unity, hope, combined purpose and energy, and that's incredibly healing and effective."

Care for mind, body and soul 

The program has given Lily not just practical tools to support her wellbeing, but also hope, direction and a circle of new friends.

"There is nothing like being surrounded by a group of like-minded veterans to help you realise there’s somewhere you belong after you’ve left the ADF," she says.

"You get something here that you don't get anywhere else: a very safe space to explore your darkest places and bring them a bit into the light, surrounded by people who are just there for you."

Timor Awakening is an RSL Queensland supported Peer-Led program designed to help veterans and their partners overcome trauma and renew their sense of purpose. Peer-led programs like these are funded by Dream Home Art Union and are all thanks to people like you, our supporters.