Lyndsey

With support from the DGS 10-week programme, Lyndsay has seen her family transform. Her husband is calmer, her daughter is thriving, and together, they are growing stronger as a family.

Lyndsay’s life has been profoundly shaped by military culture—both through a previous relationship and her marriage to her husband, whose own experiences of intergenerational trauma and emotional repression have affected the family dynamic. At the time she joined the programme, her family was facing a particularly challenging period: her daughter was struggling with self-harm, her husband was emotionally withdrawn, and Lyndsay found herself absorbing the stress of it all. She describes feeling as though she was living in a “war zone” at home, emotionally and mentally exhausted, trying to control and fix everyone else’s problems.

The programme offered her a vital opportunity to pause and care for herself. In the first three months after completing the programme, Lyndsay regained her independence and learned to establish emotional boundaries—letting go of the need to carry everyone else’s pain:

“I used to need to know why everything was happening. But now, I’ve let go of that. I can’t fix everything, and I don’t need to. Before, I would explode, but now I can talk and breathe through it.”

Since completing the programme, Lyndsay has modelled emotional regulation for her family using practical tools she learnt while on the programme and continues to rely on. A year later, she describes herself as thriving:

“I don’t feel like a mushroom anymore, sitting in the dark. I’ve got a voice again. I’m not just carrying guilt or pain—I’m living. We laugh in the house again. I’ve learned to listen, to give people time without trying to fix them. Just being there is enough.”

Through this journey, Lyndsay has reclaimed her voice, developed resilience, and strengthened her family bonds, showing the profound impact of targeted emotional support and reflective practice, utilizing the healing power of nature.