Ryan Culberson: I'm Getting Help for PTSD

Vicki Gunvalson's son-in-law will share his experience with CNN.

By Sarv Kreindler Mar 6, 2014, 9:08 AM ET

One of the biggest blow-ups from last season's Real Housewives of Orange County came from an unexpected quarter, when Ryan Culberson, Vicki Gunvalson's son-in-law and Briana's husband, went on a tirade against Lydia McLaughlin's mom during Vicki's Winter Wonderland party. At the time, both Vicki and Briana attributed it to the Marine being stressed because he was about to go on another tour to Afghanistan.

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Since that incident, Ryan has decided to seek help for the post-traumatic stress that has stemmed from his five combat deployments. Ryan is participating in Save A Warrior, a resiliency program aimed at helping veterans of war zones.

"I've had issues for years that I have left unresolved," Ryan tells Marine Corps Times. "I just really want other Marines to be aware of programs like Save A Warrior and know that it’s OK to seek help."

The five-day program involves physical activities like rock-climbing and horse-riding as well as ceremonial practices and meditation techniques aimed at helping Marines to effectively deal with anxiety in their civilian lives. For Ryan, the program comes at an important time as Briana is getting ready to give birth to their second son.

"This is something I choose to do 100 percent on my own—I didn’t even feel the show needed to know anything about it," he said. "But...the scrutiny of being in the public eye hasn’t made dealing with [the issues] any easier."

A production company will be filming the Save A Warrior retreat for a documentary that is expected to air on CNN.