letters

Things I Need to Say is a book of letters, written by people affected by PTSD and C-PTSD, addressed to PTSD and C-PTSD itself, that we’re planning to release later this year.

PTSD UK was founded out of lived experience, and this project comes from the same place. So many of us have things we’ve wanted to say to PTSD or C-PTSD – things we’ve never said out loud, never written down, never felt allowed to feel. The letter format gives us permission to finally say them.

You don’t need us for this, of course. You can write your letter, keep it in a drawer, read it back when you need to, burn it, tear it up – whatever you need to do with it. The act of writing it is the thing that does the work.

But if you’d like to send it to us, we’ll gather letters together into a book – so that the next person who picks it up, in their own moment of needing to say something, might read your words and feel less alone.

One thing to note: these letters are addressed to PTSD or C-PTSD itself – the condition, the response your mind and body have had to what happened. They’re not letters to the people who hurt you, or to the events that caused your trauma. There’s important writing to be done in those directions too, but this book is specifically about the conversation people want to have with their PTSD or C-PTSD.

What this book isn’t

We’ve made books before. Broken Crayons Still Colour gathered art. Hiding in the Sea from the Rain gathered poetry. Both were beautiful, both were curated, both were polished.

This one isn’t.

This isn’t a book of creative writing. It’s a book of honest writing. Two lines or two pages. Raw or tender or furious or quiet. The kind of thing you’ve maybe never been able to say before. The letter format gives you permission to not be clever, or beautiful, or shaped for an audience. It can just be true.

What your letter might say

There’s no template. Yours might sound like:

• Get out of my life. I’m done with you.
• I hate you. I hate what you took from me. I hate who I was when you were loudest.
• I forgive you. Not for what happened, but for the way you’ve shown up since. You were doing your best with what you had.
• I miss who I was before you. I’m trying to make peace with who I am now.
• Today was a good day. I wanted you to know.
• We’re not friends. We’ll never be friends. But I’m not afraid of you the way I used to be.
• I’m writing this for the version of me who didn’t think she’d still be here. We made it. 

Or it might sound nothing like any of those. Whatever you need to say is the right thing to say.

Who can write

This book is open to anyone affected by PTSD and C-PTSD – whether you have it, you’ve recovered from it, you love someone with it, or you work with people who do. Letters can come from anywhere in the world.

We’re only able to accept entries from people over the age of 18. Young people’s experiences of PTSD and C-PTSD matter just as much, but a project that invites this kind of writing from children needs different safeguarding and consent processes than we’re able to offer at present. It’s something we’re thinking about for the future, with the care it deserves.

Letters need to be submitted in English – simply because that’s what we have the resources to read, edit, and publish in. But please don’t worry about your English being “good enough.” If English isn’t your first language, or if spelling, grammar, or putting words together is hard for you, that’s not a barrier here. Honest words matter far more than polished ones.

How to send your letter

Type it into the form. The simplest way – just write your letter directly into the submission form here.

Write it by hand and email a photo or scan. If writing by hand matters to you, take a clear photo or scan of your letter and send it to us by email to letters <@> PTSDuk.org. We’ll transcribe it carefully – so please write as clearly as you’re able to.

Post it to us. If you’d rather post a physical letter, send it to: PTSD UK, 83 Princes Street, Edinburgh EH2 2ER.

Please include a note with your name preference (full name, first name, pseudonym, or anonymous), confirmation that you agree to the T&Cs of the project and your connection to PTSD or C-PTSD. Posted letters won’t be returned and will be securely destroyed after the selection process. We won’t be able to acknowledge receipt of posted letters individually.

What the book will look like

Honestly? We don’t know yet.

Our current thinking is a small format paperback, with letters presented as text – so that every letter sits with the same dignity on the page, regardless of handwriting or length. But we’re going to wait and see what comes through before we make the final call. If the letters we receive call for something visual, something different, we’ll let them lead. The shape of the book will follow the letters, not the other way round.

Sending and letting go

You can send your letter and walk away from it.

If you’d like to know whether your letter is included, or hear when the book is launched, leave us your email address on the form or when you write to us. But if you’d rather send it anonymously, with no email, no follow-up, no contact – that’s completely fine. For some people, the act of sending it into the world and letting it go is the whole point. We’ll read it just as carefully either way.

Who’ll read your letters

Your letters will be read by Jacqui, the founder of PTSD UK – along with members of the PTSD UK team, and Helen Bluesky-Noon, the designer who shaped Hiding in the Sea from the Rain into the book it became. Every letter will be read with care.

Helen is once again giving her time and her extraordinary design eye to this project, and the book quite simply wouldn’t be possible without her. 

What happens next

The call for letters will be open from 1 June to 30 June 2026.

After that, they’ll be read carefully. We won’t be able to respond to every contributor individually – the expected volume makes it impossible.

Not every letter will make it into the book. We’ll be curating a collection that holds the full range of what people need to say – from rage to tenderness to grief to defiance – within the space we have. If your letter isn’t included, it doesn’t mean it wasn’t important. It was. We simply know we won’t be able to fit them all in.

The practical bits

We’ll be running a pre-order of the book in Autumn 2026, with the book published shortly after. Every penny after print costs supports PTSD UK’s work.

Contributors receive no payment for their letters. Things I Need to Say is, in the truest sense, a gift from people affected by PTSD and C-PTSD, to people affected by PTSD and C-PTSD.

By submitting your letter, you’re giving PTSD UK permission to publish it in the book and use it to promote the project and our work on our website and social media. You keep the copyright on what you’ve written – we just need permission to share it. We may edit letters as needed – correcting spelling and grammar, light editing for length and clarity, or removing identifying details or specific lines that don’t meet our safeguarding guidelines. Where edits would significantly change the meaning of your letter and we can’t reach you to discuss, we won’t include it.

If you change your mind about your letter being included, please get in touch before 1st September 2026 and we’ll remove it. Once the book has gone to print, we can’t recall what’s already been published, but we won’t reprint again in future with your letter in.

The Terms and Conditions ask that letters don’t include identifiable details about other people – names, specific places, or descriptions that could identify someone. Where possible, we’ll edit small details out. Where it isn’t possible without losing the meaning of the letter, we won’t be able to include it.

Before you write – please read this

These letters are not read in real time.

We’ll gather letters throughout June and read them together afterwards. Your letter won’t reach a person the moment it arrives.

If you’re struggling right now, please don’t use this letter as a way to reach out. We’re not a crisis service, and we won’t see your letter in time to help.

Samaritans are there 24 hours a day on 116 123 and you can email us on info@ptsduk.org. You can find more support options on our Get Support page.

Ready?

Take your time. Write when you feel ready. Send when you’re sure.

You can read the full Terms and Conditions below.

Terms and Conditions

By submitting a letter, you agree to the terms below. Please read them carefully before sending.

Eligibility

• This call is open to anyone aged 18 or over
• Letters can be submitted from anywhere in the world
• Multiple submissions are welcome
• There is no cost to submit

What you can submit

Letters must be addressed to PTSD or C-PTSD itself – the condition, the response your mind and body have had to what happened. We are unable to include letters addressed to specific people, perpetrators of abuse or harm, or letters that focus on detailed accounts of traumatic events.

There is no minimum or maximum length. You may submit typed letters via the form, scanned or photographed handwritten letters via email, or physical letters by post.

Identifying details about other people

Letters must not include identifiable details about other people – including names, specific places, or descriptions that could identify someone. We may edit small details out where possible. Where a letter cannot be edited without losing its meaning, we won’t include it in the book.

What we won’t publish

We are committed to publishing letters honestly and unflinchingly, but for safeguarding reasons we will not publish:

• Specific descriptions of suicide methods, attempts, or self-harm methods. Letters can reference having been in those places – we just can’t include detailed descriptions of how. This is also in line with the Samaritans’ guidelines on writing about suicide and self-harm.
• Detailed accounts of traumatic events. Letters can name and reference what happened – “after the assault”, “after the crash”, “what he did to me” – but we can’t include letters that describe the event itself in detail. The letters are addressed to PTSD or C-PTSD, not recountings of the trauma that caused it.
• Names or identifying details of other people, including perpetrators of abuse or harm.
• Content that may constitute defamation.

None of these limits are a judgement on the experiences you may have endured – they are a duty of care to readers, some of whom will be struggling when they pick the book up.

Copyright and how your letter may be used

By submitting, you give PTSD UK a perpetual, royalty-free, non-exclusive, worldwide license to:

• Publish your letter in the Things I Need to Say book
• Use your letter (in part or in full) to promote the book and PTSD UK’s wider work, including in marketing, advertising, social media, and presentations
• Edit your letter as needed for the book – including correcting spelling and grammar, light editing for length and clarity, removing identifying details about other people, and removing specific lines that don’t meet our safeguarding guidelines

Where edits would significantly change the overall meaning of your letter and we can’t reach you to discuss them, we won’t include it in the book.

How you’ll be credited

You can choose how your letter is credited:

• Your full name
• Your first name only
• A pseudonym
• Anonymous

We will respect whichever option you choose. We may also include your connection to PTSD or C-PTSD (which you’ll select on the form) and your country, if you provide it.

Anonymity and contact

You don’t need to provide an email address to submit a letter. If you do, it will be held securely, used only to contact you about your submission or to send you updates about the book if you opt in, and will never be published.

Withdrawing your letter

You can withdraw your letter at any time before the book goes to print. Please email info@ptsduk.org  to do this. Once the book has been printed, we cannot recall copies that have already been distributed, but we will not include your letter in any future printings or in promotional material from that point onward.

Curation

Not every submitted letter will be included in the book. Things I Need to Say is a curated collection. The decision on which letters are included is made by PTSD UK, with the goal of representing the full range of what people need to say to PTSD and C-PTSD – from rage to tenderness to grief to defiance.

If your letter is not included, this is not a reflection on its quality, importance, or honesty.

Submissions and acknowledgement

We will not be able to acknowledge every letter individually. If you provide an email address, you’ll receive an automatic confirmation that your letter has been received. 

Posted letters will not be returned and will be securely destroyed after the selection process.

Privacy

Personal data submitted with your letter will be handled in line with PTSD UK’s Privacy Policy. We will not share your details with third parties.

Originality

By submitting, you confirm that the letter is your own original work and does not infringe on the rights of any third party.

Letters must be substantively the contributor’s own writing. AI tools may be used as an aid (for example, for translation, polishing, or accessibility support), but letters generated by AI rather than written by a person are not eligible for inclusion.

Liability

PTSD UK, its staff, and trustees shall not be liable for any loss, damage, or claims arising directly or indirectly from the submission, inclusion, or non-inclusion of any letter.

Changes to these terms

PTSD UK reserves the right to update these terms. Any changes will be published on this page and will apply from the date of publication.

Governing law

These terms are governed by Scottish law, and the Scottish Courts have exclusive jurisdiction.