Mind Mission: Military Families & Mental Health
The transformative power of digital storytelling shines brightly in this compelling conversation with Laryssa Lamrock, a proud veteran family member who works as the National Strategic Advisor for Families at the Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families. Her journey illuminates how personal narratives can become powerful tools for healing, advocacy, and community building within military and veteran communities struggling with mental health challenges.
Check out more of the Atlas digital stories here.
Laryssa's digital story, aptly titled "Enveloped," explores her experience supporting her husband through PTSD and depression. The metaphor of being gradually enveloped by mist powerfully illustrates how caregivers often relinquish pieces of themselves out of love and commitment, until they become lost in the fog of supporting others. This story represents a universal experience for many caregivers, who sacrifice their own needs while supporting loved ones through illness, injury, or mental health struggles. The process of creating this story proved unexpectedly cathartic for Laryssa, despite her extensive experience discussing mental health in professional settings.
One of the most remarkable aspects of digital storytelling is its ability to bridge divides between different groups. In Laryssa's workshop, veterans and family members initially worried their experiences were too different to share meaningfully. However, the story circle process revealed profound connections as participants validated each other's experiences across the military-family divide. This cross-perspective sharing created powerful moments of empathy and understanding that might not have emerged in more homogeneous groups.
Listen to the podcast Laryssa co-hosts here.
The ripple effects of creating digital stories extend far beyond the workshop experience. Laryssa describes using her digital story as an introduction during professional presentations, instantly building credibility and connection with audiences. These condensed narratives pack emotional impact that traditional introductions cannot match, creating immediate connections with listeners who see reflections of their own experiences. Stories created through Atlas workshops have also been used in psycho-educational settings, helping couples affected by PTSD understand each other's perspectives and develop healthier communication patterns.
Episode 38 Key Messages
0:00 Introduction to Laryssa Lamrock
2:33 Creating a Digital Story at Atlas
5:12 Enveloped: Laryssa's Personal Digital Story
9:33 Sharing Digital Stories with Others
18:48 Supporting Young Adults' Storytelling Journey
25:37 Mind Beyond the Mission Podcast
28:20 Legacy Stories and Final Thoughts
Perhaps most moving is how digital storytelling has opened new channels for intergenerational dialogue within military families. Laryssa describes a powerful workshop with young adult children of veterans with mental health injuries. Their stories, available through the Mindkit revealed profound wisdom, empathy, and resilience, contradicting assumptions that young people might be disconnected from family struggles. The separate space allowed them to express complex feelings about their relationships with their parents without fear of causing hurt, guilt, or discomfort. Every story ultimately circled back to themes of love and connection, demonstrating that even through challenges, the desire for relationship remains central.
Check out the young adult stories here.
Digital storytelling continues to evolve as organizations like Atlas develop innovative approaches to capturing diverse perspectives. From podcast interviews to digital stories to facilitated workshops, these narrative methods create platforms for voices that might otherwise remain unheard. For military and veteran families navigating the complex terrain of mental health, these stories serve as beacons of recognition, validation, and hope – reminding us all that in sharing our stories, we illuminate paths forward not just for ourselves, but for those who will recognize their own journeys in our words.
About Our Guest
Laryssa Lamrock has worked with military, Veteran and first responder Families in different capacities over the last 20 years, including extensive experience in the field of family peer support with Operational Stress Injuries (OSIs) such as anxiety, PTSD and depression. Today, she is the National Strategic Advisor- Families, for Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families. Laryssa strongly believes in the importance of education and support for families of military members, veterans and first responders living with post traumatic injuries. Along with her professional experiences, Laryssa is truly a military family member as she is the daughter, spouse and mother of formerly or currently serving Canadian Armed Forces members. Her personal experiences in supporting a loved one with OSI and her own journey with depression drives her passion for representing and advocating for families. She believes strongly not only in the importance of Family involvement in the recovery process of their loved ones mental health injuries but also in the necessity of Families being supported in their own experiences.
About Co-Created
Co-Created is a podcast that takes you behind the scenes of digital storytelling. On each episode, host Kristy Wolfe dives into conversations with the storytellers and facilitators who bring digital stories to life.
If this particular conversation resonated with you, tell a friend or a colleague about Co-Created or share one of the digital stories we were talking about. You can find the stories here.
Co-Created is presented by Common Language DST, digital storytelling facilitation training for health and wellness changemakers and is supported by the team at Snack Labs.
