Episode 10 - Sarah M. Carlson: Former C.I.A. analyst Sarah M. Carlson discusses her time in Libya during a revolution and how she dealt with her Post Traumatic following her return to the USAStress

In this episode, Sarah M. Carlson joins J. Paul Nadeau on the show. Sarah served as a targeting analyst in the CIA's Counterterrorism Center. Before that, she served as a counterterrorism analyst at the Defense Intelligence Agency. She also completed rotations to the National Counterterrorism Center and U.S. Northern Command. Her counterterrorism career focused on groups operating in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia and she traveled throughout those regions.

She was in Libya in 2011 around the time Muammar Gaddafi was killed and rebel opposing tribes fought each other viciously to take power. Her time in Libya was intense. She discusses her mission and the constant threat she and her team were under during a revolution that threatened their lives and safety until they were able to escape. What she touches on is how, under extreme duress, one's body can simply shut down. One of the secrets to preventing that is to "stay busy," Sarah says.

Sarah's mission there caused her trauma, and one of the consequences of trauma is that it very often leads to "hiding." Many veterans who return home from war often hide and don’t tell people what they’re nightmares are, or tell others how they’re struggling emotionally, or mentally. Because for a lot of people who experience trauma or who have been emotionally abused - or as in Sarah’s case - have suffered PTSD, where it feels like your mental health is spiraling downward, it can feel like an embarrassing or shameful revelation, and the fear of being ignored or unsupported can be overwhelming. Again, it comes down to the stigma attached to opening up and asking for help.

In Sarah’s case, as you’ll hear, she didn’t receive the help or support she needed – nor did any of her team, once they returned from mission. The CIA did not offer her help, but, as you’ll hear, Sarah recognized her need for help and received it from her loving and supportive family as well as receiving professional help. She’s a survivor and has carried on serving to help others plan for any kind of disaster or evacuation – something she knows about, first hand. In these COVID19 times, having too much idle time on our hands can cause more anxiety and stress, and recognizing that you may be experiencing trauma is the first step to getting help.

Since leaving the CIA, Sarah has continued in public service with local government in the Seattle area as an emergency manager at the county and city levels, where she has specialized in all-hazards preparation, disaster response, and alert and warning.  

She has published multiple articles and her first book, In the Dark of War, is now available. You can find out more about her at www.sarahMcarlson.com.