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When homicide detective Craig Semple arrived alone at an isolated farmhouse, he knew only that something terrible had happened inside. Before entering through the back door, Craig drew his firearm and mentally prepared himself for a potentially deadly confrontation: “ If you’re confronted with a threat, do not hesitate to pull the trigger. You hesitate, you are dead.”The adrenaline helped prepare him physically—but it also…
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When homicide detective Craig Semple arrived alone at an isolated farmhouse, he knew only that something terrible had happened inside.
Before entering through the back door, Craig drew his firearm and mentally prepared himself for a potentially deadly confrontation: “
If you’re confronted with a threat, do not hesitate to pull the trigger. You hesitate, you are dead.”The adrenaline helped prepare him physically—but it also heightened every sight, sound and smell he encountered inside. Craig later learned that this intense sensory experience contributed to the development of post-traumatic stress disorder.
In this segment from From The Ground Up Show, Craig describes the homicide scene that triggered his PTSD, the nightmares that followed and the pivotal choice that changed the next eight years of his life: seek professional help or keep his struggle secret.
He chose silence.
Craig feared losing the career he loved and being perceived as weak. Instead of asking for help, he attempted to outrun PTSD through alcohol, extreme exercise, constant work and increasingly intense investigations. Years of nightmares, hypervigilance, emotional numbness, chronic sleep deprivation and adrenaline eventually ended in complete psychological burnout.
In this conversation:
• Why Craig entered the homicide scene alone
• How adrenaline can intensify traumatic memories
• The recurring nightmares that revealed something was wrong
• Why Craig concealed his PTSD from everyone around him
• How fear, identity and pride prevented him from seeking help
• The difference between social drinking and self-medication
• Why work and adrenaline became another form of escape
• How eight years of silence ultimately ended his police career
Craig’s story demonstrates why understanding the warning signs of psychological injury—and asking for help early—can be just as important as preparing for the physical dangers of a high-risk profession.
Content note: This segment contains a non-graphic but intense description of a homicide scene, along with discussion of PTSD and alcohol misuse.
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