I have a private therapist as well. Other than being a military brat like me, she has no combat experience. She, does, however, have 30 plus years of hearing the same problems wrapped up in different colored ribbons. She played me like a piano! She had seen this or that before and just tapped that special spot...I turned into a blubbering idiot. Tapped another, more blubbering.
She's all jazzed because I'm struggling to get back into my music, or more socilizing, she tells me I've done so much myself and I go WTF??? I point at her and tell her it's all her fault (just kidding), that she has done wonders for me. And we argue over who's doing what for who.
She's magic. I wonder where to go from here.
But I think that a good therapist, that really cares and has the experience doesn't need to be a combat Vet. I mean, PTSD is just a swirl of numerous different conditions playing havoc on our minds. Perhaps that is why it's so hard to treat. One of us is primarily anxious, the next depressed, the next hypervigilent and so forth.
But if you separate the afflictions and treat them individually, you can make progress.
Or maybe I'm just full of it.
Sarg