Journey to
Post-Traumatic
Strength
A field guide for healing after trauma
"I want to help as many people with PTSD as I possibly can."
— Dr. Kristopher Hasenauer
A Journey to Post-Traumatic Strength
A field guide for understanding trauma, building emotional control, and moving forward
We knew how to survive. What many of us did not know was how to find peace after survival.
Written by Dr. Kristopher Hasenauer — DMSc physician assistant, 25-year U.S. Army special operations veteran, Special Forces medic, and behavioral health clinician — this is a practical field guide for veterans, first responders, and anyone fighting to find peace after trauma. Twelve chapters. Twelve weeks. Real tools that work, grounded in clinical research and lived experience.
12 Weeks to a Stronger You
A free, open 12-week lesson system — the same material taught in Dr. Hasenauer's Thursday support group for veterans and first responders. Every session is free, forever.
Week 1: Understanding Trauma, Emotions, and the Road to Strength
What trauma is, how it differs from PTS and PTSD, and why emotions are information — not the enemy. The foundation for everything that follows.
Read the session → FM-PTS-02Week 2: PTSD Symptoms, Coping, and the Power of Emotional Intelligence
The four core symptoms of PTSD, coping strategies that actually work, and the first pillar of emotional intelligence: self-awareness.
Read the session → FM-PTS-03Week 3: Combat Stress, PTSD, and Coping Strategies That Work
Combat stress is a normal reaction to an abnormal environment. PTSD is something different. Learn the distinction — and what to do about either one.
Read the session → FM-PTS-04Week 4: Adaptive Coping and Relationship Management
Maladaptive vs. adaptive coping, cognitive restructuring made concrete, and the fourth EQ pillar: relationship management.
Read the session → FM-PTS-05Week 5: Emotions, Feelings, and Your Brain
Emotions and feelings are not the same thing. The six core emotions, and the two brain systems — limbic and cortex — behind every reaction.
Read the session → FM-PTS-06Week 6: Interoception, Self-Regulation, and Your Signature Emotion
Your body's internal sense system, what self-regulation actually means, and identifying the negative emotion that shows up most in your life.
Read the session → FM-PTS-07Week 7: Trap It, Map It, Zap It
The signature three-step tool: trap the emotion, map its source, zap it with an adaptive response. A daily practice for real-time emotional control.
Read the session → FM-PTS-08Week 8: Moral Injury
The intense psychological reaction to doing — or failing to do — something that violates your moral code. Distinct from PTSD, and often the hidden barrier to recovery.
Read the session → FM-PTS-09Week 9: Root Cause and Core Beliefs
Iceberg beliefs: the hidden convictions about yourself, other people, and the world that drive your emotional patterns — and how to start organizing them.
Read the session → FM-PTS-10Week 10: Gaining Control of Your Core Beliefs
Identifying, challenging, and replacing limiting core beliefs — and building your personal Moral Code.
Read the session → FM-PTS-11Week 11: How We Live — Behavior Types
Passive, aggressive, and assertive: three behavioral styles, and how assertiveness becomes the behavioral expression of your values.
Read the session → FM-PTS-12Week 12: Post Traumatic Strength — You Made It
A celebration and consolidation of the full 12-week journey — and the framework for continuing the work.
Read the session →The Thursday Group
A weekly support group for veterans and first responders, taught live by Dr. Hasenauer. Join from anywhere on Zoom.
Join the GroupThis Program Costs Nothing
The lessons are free and open to everyone. If the program helps you and you want to give back, donations go to the Take A Knee Foundation — a 501(c)(3) serving veterans, first responders, and their families.
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