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"Our nervous system is designed to remember powerful, negative emotional events," said Hebda. "Our survival depends on it. It's just the way we're wired."
An Army behavioral health counselor listened to Jefferson describe his nightmares for about two hours in July 2006 during a routine checkup for post-traumatic stress disorder.
"She explained why I'm having these dreams, and she said it's just normal compared to what I've gone through," said Jefferson.
Jefferson's Army physician has diagnosed him with severe post-traumatic stress disorder.
"Developing post-traumatic stress disorder requires that a person be exposed to a life-threatening situation, that's one of the criteria," said Hebda. "Their response is intense fear, horror or helplessness."
About 60 percent of men and half of all women experience some kind of traumatic event during their lifetimes, according to the National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Most people who experience such an event will develop PTSD in the days or weeks that follow, the center says. Symptoms include reliving the trauma, avoiding places or people that are reminders of the trauma and feelings of irritability.
Jefferson said his Army physician "didn't really tell me if it's going to go away or not."
Born in Saudi Arabia to a mother who works at the U.S. State Department, Jefferson grew up in Arkansas and enlisted in the Army to earn money for college.
Now he plans to leave the Army soon because of his injuries. He's struggling to prove he's eligible for a $50,000 military insurance benefit paid to injured soldiers who were unable to dress or bathe themselves during their recovery.
Already denied once for the insurance payout, Jefferson is appealing the Pentagon's decision. He says the Traumatic Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (TSGLI) program requires soldiers to negotiate through a complicated bureaucracy that puts an unreasonable burden on wounded soldiers. The Army says it cannot comment on specific TSGLI cases.
As for the future, Jefferson wants to use the insurance money for college or to train for a career as a helicopter pilot.
"This really makes you ready to move on," he said. "It's time to go to school and be normal and not have to worry about this. I'm not even 22 years old yet, and I feel like a 40-year-old."
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