\u201cFor me, PTSD was something that soldiers got,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cPeople that have been shot at, they get PTSD. And I was like, \u2018it\u2019s not me\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
Korach\u2019s wife believed otherwise. <\/p>\n
He compared himself to colleagues who\u2019d been confronted with traumatic situations, wondering why, or if they were going through the same.<\/p>\n
Korach described PTSD as an \u201cinvisible prison\u201d, and began avoiding things because of paranoia and hypervigilance. <\/p>\n
Sitting at a cafe with his back to people left him tense, and some towns in Northland triggered anxiety.<\/p>\n
He even stopped diving, something he felt had held him together toward the end of his career.<\/p>\n
The sound of sirens and water lapping were triggers too, and nightmares still came regularly. <\/p>\n
Korach medically retired from the force once he accepted his diagnosis. <\/p>\n
But he grieved the loss of what was supposed to be a lifetime career.<\/p>\n
His experience made him feel people didn\u2019t know enough about PTSD. <\/p>\n
Some colleagues and other emergency workers couldn\u2019t understand what he was going through, he said.<\/p>\n
About a year ago, Korach recorded a private YouTube video about his ordeal and sent it to friends and family. <\/p>\n
Motivated by his late grandfather who served in the Navy, Korach began filming and posting episodes publicly this year.<\/p>\n
The work, dubbed Behind the Uniform, gave him purpose.<\/p>\n
\u201cI lost that when I lost my job, and maybe in a small way this can help me get a bit of that back as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Though he felt his videos were going \u201cinto the void\u201d at times, positive feedback kept him going. <\/p>\n
People from all walks of life attended his seminars, whether in emergency services or working as funeral directors. <\/p>\n
His ability to share his testimony with a room full of strangers was evidence of the strides he\u2019d made in two years.<\/p>\n
Korach\u2019s dream was to help young people recognise symptoms early, something he wished for himself. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf it\u2019s just starting or you\u2019re just noticing it, there\u2019s no reason why you might not even be able to continue working.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d love to be able to help out some cops … because we should be investing in our young staff and we should be making sure they can do a full career.\u201d<\/p>\n
Former cop Haydn Korach is on a mission to spread awareness about PTSD after he medically retired from the police force.<\/p>\n
Korach knew he would never be in uniform again.<\/p>\n
Becoming a police officer kick-started his dream after he was robbed in the Whang\u0101rei Rose Gardens at 14.<\/p>\n
When he went to the police station to report the crime, he was chucked in the passenger seat of a police car and watched the arrest unfold. <\/p>\n
He was hooked. <\/p>\n
By 18, Korach was in the police force, but the allure of fast cars and getting bad guys off the street turned into something more. <\/p>\n
Haydn Korach medically retired from the police force in 2023 after he was diagnosed with PTSD. He worked as a police officer for more than 20 years.<\/p>\n
A standout moment was when he helped a woman on holiday in New Zealand break free from an abusive marriage. <\/p>\n
\u201cShe sent me an email, and she was like, \u2018I think I would have died if I had stayed in that situation\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
Korach worked across the North Island during his career, including as a Wellington Police College instructor.<\/p>\n
He worked mostly on the frontline and became a supervisor for Kaikohe and Kait\u0101ia before being promoted to senior sergeant.<\/p>\n
Korach hoped to one day study psychology or work in the welfare space, though he knew there was work still needed and triggers he hadn\u2019t quite figured out.<\/p>\n
Despite that, there was tangible proof of his recovery. <\/p>\n
With the aid of his psychologist, Korach was able to reclaim a love of the ocean that PTSD once stole from him. <\/p>\n
It took 18 months, but he was now able to take his children snorkelling.<\/p>\n