The horrors of war left Rifleman Sean Gane struggling to make the transition back to civvy street.

The father-of-two, from Steam Mills, signed up for the Forces aged just 16 and witnessed horrific scenes while serving in Afghanistan.

The 42-year-old faced a difficult battle to overcome post-traumatic stress disorder but has taken pioneering therapy through the Warrior Programme charity.

By learning to use modern treatments like Neuro-Linguistic Programming and cognitive therapy, he is now hoping to help other soldiers returning from the battlefield.

"When I came home I just wanted to be back in Afghanistan," said Sean, a territorial soldier with 6Rifles.

"You miss the camaraderie and the things you get to see and do which the average person would only watch in a film.

"At first I didn't think there was anything wrong – for two or three weeks I was just happy to be back with family and friends.

"But going from one extreme to another hits you after a while.

"You're sitting there watching TV and having a cup of tea and your body is thinking 'happy days'. But your brain is wondering what the hell is going on – a week-and-a-half ago you were in the middle of a gunfight – you can't process it."

Sean, who said he had great support from the Rifles and of course his partner Lauren, said the constant threat of danger soldiers experience overlapping into civilian life was also a factor.

"Over there they are putting IEDs in the roads, the walls and the trees," he said.

"When you're back in the UK you're still checking around you because only a few weeks ago your life depended on it."

Sean, who also serves as an army cadet instructor in Cinderford, is hoping to be fully qualified in cognitive therapy by early next year.

"The Warrior Programme is great because it is soldiers helping other soldiers," he said.

"They are the only people who can honestly say 'I know what you've been through'. The PTSD doesn't ever go away, but you can learn to manage it.

"It's all about filing those images in your mind away and controlling them, so that they don't control you.

"If you don't admit you have a problem it's your family and friends that get hurt because you come back as a different person."

l To find out more about the Warrior Programme or to donate, visit http://www.warriorprogramme">www.warriorprogramme.

org.uk.