I know how important it is to talk
The former soldier turned explorer tells HANNAH BRITT how the suicide of two friends has made him determined to be open about mental health
GETTING shot at doesn’t faze him. Neither does sailing alone in pirate-infested waters. Indeed former soldier turned explorer, writer and photographer Levison Wood even brushes off the time when, during one of his treacherous expeditions to the Himalayas, his car plummeted 450ft off a cliff.
“I found out recently it was nearly the same height as the Walkie-Talkie building in central London,” he laughs.
That’s not to say plunging off a cliff didn’t rattle him at the time.
“I have no idea how I survived that, I only broke my arm. I was very lucky,” says Levison, 36, who lives in the capital.
“Now the only time I really get scared is when I’m in cars on mountain roads.”
When we meet in a rooftop garden overlooking the Thames, Levison, dressed in a tweed jacket, pink shirt and polka dot pocket square, is the picture of cool.
He doesn’t give much away initially; something he admits he’s been working on.
“As a man I’ve become better at talking about my emotions over time. I’ve been forced to.
“When you are in a position of responsibility and people are looking to you for a bit of guidance then it’s important to set an example,” he says.
And Levison knows first hand how important it is to be open and honest. While filming Channel 4 series Walking The Nile in 2014, which saw him embark on a nine-month expedition along the length of the River Nile, journalist Matt Power died from heatstroke in Uganda and Levison saw him take his last breaths.
He says talking about what happened helped him to come to terms with the tragedy.
“It was a tough time to deal with. The easy option would have been to give up and not carry on but I thought it was important to continue with the journey as a legacy to Matt.
“I was lucky enough to be with my Congolese guide, Boston. We dealt with it by talking about it.”
Levison was an officer in the Army between 2006 and 2010, and served in Afghanistan.
He says as a military man he kept his emotions in check: “Opening up... as a soldier that’s not something you’re attuned to do. “But it’s important to talk about these things. If you bottle it up it doesn’t usually end well. So that’s something I’m very interested in – veterans’ mental health.”
THAT interest was strengthened after two of Levison’s Army colleagues took their own lives.
“The amount of suicides in recent years has been astronomical and especially among veterans. I’ve had friends who have done it. Two of my soldier friends have killed themselves,” he says.
“It’s devastating when your mates die. I was incredibly sad.”
As a result, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is something Levison is very keen to raise awareness of. An anxiety disorder, PTSD is caused by very stressful, frightening or distressing events.
Sufferers can relive the traumatic events in nightmares and flashbacks and may also experience feelings of isolation and irritability as well as guilt.
“More people are aware of it now and it’s talked about more but it’s still something people don’t understand.
“It is especially prevalent in soldiers as they tend to see more distressing things,” says Levison. He says it can be hard for them to cope once they leave the Forces. “When you’re in the Army you’re surrounded by colleagues and the banter all helps,” says Levison.
“In Afghanistan we came under attack. We were shot at and ambushed but you’re with your mates and that is important. You talk about it, you even joke about it. There’s a dark sense of humour which is really useful for soldiers.
“It may sound strange but when you get shot at one of the first things you do is laugh your head off. You say, ‘Oh that was lucky’. It happens all the time.
“So it’s much more difficult when you leave. It might be six years later and suddenly you find yourself alone. You don’t have that support network of people around you to talk about it with.”
Levison says this can lead to feelings of loneliness.
“It’s a slippery slope towards feeling isolated. Which is why it’s important for veterans to form social networks and attend reunions. That’s the time when they can talk about the ‘good old days’. I know it’s a cliché but it’s really important that they do.
“If you’re out there on your own you might be having problems and you can’t discuss it with your family because you don’t want to appear weak.
“Then your family breaks down. It’s such a regular occurrence for ex-soldiers. Before you know it you’re divorced, you’re on your own and that’s when suicides happen.”
Having worked closely with veterans’ charities, ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, Endeavour Fund and Walking With The Wounded, Levison says: “Don’t be afraid to talk, even if it is a bit scary. There is help out there if you need it.
“I’m still mates with a lot of people I knew in the Army. I see them a lot and try to keep in contact. When I’m back I see my family too.”
Last September Levison set off on his most daring expedition yet, a circumnavigation of the Arabian Peninsula.
His five-and-a-half month journey took him through some of the world’s most dangerous countries, including Syria and Iraq.
“These countries are in the news for all the wrong reasons,” he says. “Yet I wanted to look at it through a different lens, without glossing over what’s going on there, but I wanted to see the human side too.”
DURING his trip he was embedded with both Palestinian protesters and hardcore Zionist Jews. In Syria he spent time with members of both Assad’s regime and also the Kurds.
“In Iraq we were embedded with Shia militias. In Lebanon we met Hezbollah,” he says.
“It’s interesting to put yourself in the company of people you probably think are mad, bad, dangerous terrorists.
“It’s not about legitimising what they’re doing, it’s about putting yourself in the minds of others. What you realise is people are people. Wherever you go and whatever side you are on. It also makes you realise that things are very complicated.”
Levison’s Arabian trip was physically demanding.
“The toughest bit was riding across the desert on a camel in 122F (50C )heat,” he says. “That and being on a boat for a week on the Gulf of Aden, one of the most heavily pirated seas in the world, with no companionship apart from some rats and cockroaches.”
He says while going to the gym and keeping fit helped him to prepare physically, mentally readying himself was more difficult.
“The reality is that anything could happen. You have to get yourself in the mindset that you’re going on a journey and you might not come back.
“But I’ve been doing this for 10 years now and I was deployed in the Army, it’s not going to be any more dangerous than that. My family have given up worrying.”
I tell him, I’d rather be at home watching Bake Off on my sofa, and he laughs.
“I’ve learnt that you can push yourself and achieve far more than you thought possible,” he says.
“And when you come back you feel far more appreciative of what you’ve got.”