For some veterans who served in the military, private security or specialized dangerous professions in the private sectors, the hardest part of the job isn’t always the physical danger. Often, it’s the transition back to family and friends after retirement. You go from a high stakes environment where life or death decisions are made in seconds, to a quiet living room where caring family nay often have questions. The contrast can be jarring. Naturally, you want to bridge that gap. You might even want the people you love to understand the invisible world you inhabit even though you’ve retired. But when your work involves classified operations, dangerous situations or non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), sharing info can be disastrous. Sharing might not only hurt your career and national security, but also the psychological well-being of your family.
When you dump graphic, high adrenaline trauma onto someone who has no context for it, you might inflict a psychological injury upon them. They can’t un-hear the details you just dumped on them. It could trigger anxiety and nightmares in them. Your burden becomes theirs, but without the training or understanding of the mission you had to deal with. They might also become fearful when you’re around them.