Jay Saunders

About

A comedian for every room you can imagine. But… when the room suits – he takes audience on an hysterical journey where they have their assumptions about disability, mental health, PTSD and suicide attempts challenged - with laughter erupting at every revelation.

We believe that Jay was the first comedian to take to the stand up comedy stage with a PTSD assistance dog – and he’s found a way to let Hawke (his assistance dog) take centre stage without the need to bark at an audience…!

Backstory

Jay served in the Royal Navy for 23 years, before being discharged with Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (cPTSD) at the rank of Lieutenant Commander. He was later diagnosed with Imposter Syndrome and Moral Injury Syndrome.

His diagnosis was a double-edged sword – as he thought he was going insane, only to discover he was ill… But his world ended (as it stood at that time) when he was told that he would never command men and women again and could no longer serve his country.

His recovery was, and is, complicated by the fact he didn’t get his cPTSD through Combat Operations, but what he saw and was forced to do on Humanitarian Operations during the Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone. He looked at his fellow wounded veterans that had lost limbs etc – and didn’t feel that he was ”entitled” to have PTSD. It’s only by working with (and supporting other) wounded veterans, that he’s found the peace to laugh, joke and accept the hidden wounds so many of our UK military veterans suffer.

Benefits of doing stand up

Prior to diagnosis, Jay was a keen amateur actor and playwright… But lost the confidence to trust himself and fellow actors on the stage and felt he had lost his creative outlets.

But stand up offered the chance to perform on his own – so he had no one else to blame…! So he took the training offered and has never looked back.

But in reflection, it’s the additional benefits that have made the journey beyond worthwhile! It’s enabled him to challenge all the standard issues that people with PTSD suffer with. It’s forced him to break his social isolation, proven that he can enhance his short-term memory, improve his self-esteem/self-worth and prove that he can break his agoraphobic tendencies.

Jay says:

”If stand up comedy took courage or bravery, I wouldn’t be doing it! It’s easier to stand in the corner of a rough pub and make people laugh for 10 minutes than go into a supermarket…

I’ve been in a supermarket about 10 times since we’ve come out of Covid lockdowns, because I’m always scared of what people might do… On a stand up stage, I know what I’m doing, what the audience will do – and know I’ll walk of the stage feeling tall… It’s better than any medication."