‘Teen Mom’: Maci Bookout Takes Big Step Amid PTSD Struggles From Gas Station Shooting

If you followed along with Maci Bookout’s story on the previous season of Teen Mom OG, you would know that the star has been dealing with lingering effects after witnessing a deadly shooting at a gas station in Tennessee. On Tuesday night’s episode of the series, Bookout opened up about how she’s been doing following the scary incident. While she explained that she still struggles with PTSD, she did express a desire to take a major step to heal after the situation. 

The episode began with Bookout discussing how she’s been feeling with her mom. She told her that she still experiences nightmares about three to four times a week associated with the shooting. The mom-of-three mentioned that certain sounds and feelings (such as a tiled floor) make her recall the incident in question. Bookout hasn’t been able to go to a gas station since the shooting took place, as the locations can be triggering for her. Her husband, Taylor McKinney, has been filling her car up for her. But, since she continues to deal with the effects of the shooting, she sought out help from a therapist.

Bookout explained the situation to her therapist during a video call. She said that she was considering when she should go to a gas station again. In turn, her therapist said that she shouldn’t push herself to go to a gas station if she doesn’t feel entirely comfortable with that. The professional said that she should only go if she wants to, not if she feels as though she needs to. Later on in the episode, Bookout shared with her husband what her therapist told her. She didn’t feel comfortable going to a gas station that same day, but she and McKinney did visit one at a later date. 

The Teen Mom star said that she wanted to take control of the situation, which is why she felt as though she wanted to go to a gas station. McKinney supported Bookout, who drove the vehicle to a nearby gas station, every step of the way. Bookout could be seen getting visibly upset as they pulled up to the location. The episode ended before viewers could see whether Bookout stepped outside of her car to fill it up. Considering that this has been a trying time for the reality star, viewers will likely get to see this story play out even further as the season continues. Disclosure: PopCulture is owned by ViacomCBS Streaming, a division of ViacomCBS.