016: Ask a Therapist

Early Homecoming: Insights from Missionaries who Returned Early

In this episode, Harmony Packer, a therapist at Healthier You in Lindon, Utah who specializes in treating early-returned missionaries, joins me again to answer questions from those who came home from their missions early or from those who care about them. These questions were submitted in advance and were as follows:

1. Was there no one left that could’ve benefited from me on the mission? If I had not been sent home would I have been able to help more people?
2. How do you deal with feelings of failure even though it has been months since you returned home? Will I ever truly get over these feelings?
3. Why do you think when people come home early, they often feel the need to clarify that “it wasn’t for disciplinary reasons”? What can we do to discourage judgement of those that do return for disciplinary reasons?
4. I know I needed to leave early but my home is a toxic place to be how do you deal with that when you got nowhere to go?
5. How do you deal with being told you should return by family or others, but feeling like that is not the best option for you?
6. How do I know if I'm struggling from unresolved trauma? I want to go back out but just don't know when? I don't think I'm ever going to be the same person that I was before after this experience, so how do I know that I'm ready?

Harmony's previous episode with Early Homecoming can be listened to here.