South London rap legend Konan has opened up about his battle with PTSD in a candid new documentary that follows the rapper as he receives treatment for the debilitating condition for the first time.
The Rap Game UK host began having flashbacks and other symptoms of PTSD, including anxiety, paranoia, anger, and intense feelings of guilt over a decade ago after his mother was shot and his stepfather killed by gang members who broke into his house attempting to get to Konan.
On Monday (July 3), Konan announced the Channel 4 documentary and shared his hopes to inspire others with PTSD to seek treatment.
“I hope this documentary encourages others to engage in open dialogue, rather than bottling up things like I did,” Konan shared.
A study for Konan – Trapped in Trauma: UNTOLD revealed about 311,000 16- to 24-year-olds in England and Wales have PTSD. Most of the individuals in the study, many of whom are undiagnosed, linked their cases to personal assault and violence.
I hope this documentary encourages others to engage in open dialogue, rather than bottling up things like I did. I hope it inspires them to seek help and actively pursue their own healing and self-improvement journeys. watch here: https://t.co/zJTIPfY4B8 pic.twitter.com/eCPA8fuAuo
— KONAN THE WARRIOR (@konanplaydirty) July 3, 2023
In a new interview with The Guardian, the Krept & Konan rapper shared how therapy changed how he lives with his PTSD diagnosis.
“The therapy has made me open doors that I’ve had closed for a while. It’s made me more emotional,” Konan explained. “I’ve been taking in things and feeling a lot more. During this whole period, I learned to shut everything out and it made me a bit numb. I wasn’t feeling happy about things I was achieving, but when I sat in therapy sessions [the therapist] told me that because I shut off sadness, I couldn’t take in happiness,” he said.