Art Therapy for Combatrelated Ptsd Recommendations for Research and Practice

Melissa Walker

A fit, uniformed Marine sat before me, focusing intently on the task at manus. He had been working on creating a mask now for virtually two hours. He had never in his life engaged in anything like this before.

This Marine had recently arrived anxious, confused and angry. After 23 years of service to his country, he felt broken and hopeless. Multiple nail injuries had upset his cognitive abilities and caused daily headaches. Traumatic memories were constantly clouding his thoughts. He worried for the safe of his family unit. He was overwhelmed.

Of a sudden, the Marine looked upward at me. "I'm finished," he alleged. He stared at the mask, which was covered in symbolism only he could understand. I wouldn't even begin to endeavor and interpret his intentions, but I wouldn't have to. He hesitated, then began pointing out each area of the mask and explaining its significance.

Afterwards, the Marine stared at me, shocked. "I can't believe I only told you all of that. I've never been able to explain what was bothering me before. And now here information technology is… all in one place."

A Marine who felt cleaved had for the first time establish a way to put all of the pieces together. He would later describe the art therapy process as the cardinal to his healing. "It released the block," he explained, "and so my treatment just soared. For the outset time in 23 years I could actually talk openly to anyone, because it unlocked information technology."

Art Therapy at the NICoE
Art therapy is a psychotherapeutic procedure during which a trained therapist utilizes art-making every bit a symbolic vehicle for communication with the patient (click here to read a lengthier definition of art therapy as well as view practice requirements via the American Art Therapy Clan). At the National Intrepid Heart of Excellence (NICoE), service members coping with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and psychological health concerns are assessed and treated over a four-week integrated care program. According to the National Center for PTSD, Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is oft referred to as the "signature injury" of the conflicts in Iraq and Transitional islamic state of afghanistan, and service members who accept experienced mTBI are at increased take chances of depression and underlying psychological health (PH) conditions to include post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Summerall, 2007).

Art therapy, as well as music therapy and therapeutic writing, is the standard of care at the NICoE. Service members are introduced to creative arts therapy as a way to express themselves and procedure their identities, stressors, transition, and traumatic memories. The post-obit list includes treatment goals and improvements observed at NICoE, with guidance from Collie, Backos, Malchiodi, & Spiegal (2006):

• Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): Increased stamina and frustration tolerance, increased dexterity and hand-eye coordination, improved initiation of sequential activities, increased on-chore duration, job completion improvement
• Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Reduction of arousal/hypervigilance, reconsolidation of memories, increased exposure to/processing of traumatic memories, reactivation of positive emotion
• TBI and PTSD: Decrease in feet, reduction of agitation/anger, increased self esteem, reconnection with/repair of sense of self/identity, increased sense of control and self efficacy

Also observed during grouping fine art therapy at NICoE are Sell and Murrey's (2006) assertions that "social growth encouraged by the art therapist balances the nonverbal representations with exact elicited communication," and "interaction with the art therapist and other group participants promotes social skills and ultimately self-understanding for the client with TBI."

For many service members, art therapy is a prophylactic and validating way to share their feelings and emotions, and every bit it turns out – at that place is a scientific and biological explanation as to why fine art therapy is a benign modality for this population.

Art Therapy, Enquiry, and the Brain
In a good for you brain, the left and correct hemispheres are constantly communicating. According to Bessel van der Kolk (2003), neuroimaging scans advise that when an individual attempts to recall a traumatic result, the left frontal cortex of the brain shuts downward. This includes the Broca's expanse of the brain, which is the center of expressive speech and language. In contrast, the areas of the brain that are activated during trauma lite upwards. These include areas in the right hemisphere of the brain that control emotional and autonomic arousal, and discover threat (Crenshaw, 2006). According to Klorer (2005) art-making activates the same parts of the brain as trauma… indicating that art therapy has the power to bypass the left frontal cortex and stimulate the area of the encephalon responsible for encoding the traumatic memory. When an individual then processes the pregnant behind their artwork with the therapist, they are reactivating the frozen speech surface area of the brain, and therefore reintegrating the two hemispheres.

NICoE hopes to i day glean more data into the neuroscience of fine art therapy via research, and studies for the exploration of the benefits of the creative arts therapies are currently being adult with cautious sensitivity not to disrupt the frail balance of clinical intendance VS cess. A basis-breaking partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts aims to measure the effectiveness of the creative arts therapies for service members and their families, and a formal therapeutic writing protocol for a mixed methodology report is in the IRB submission process.

A Path to Health & Healing
While fine art therapy cannot exist recreated without the therapist present, service members are encouraged to go on art-making autonomously afterwards discharge. Quite often service members share that they have continued exploring the creative arts since leaving the NICoE, and many send photos of their recent work. I service fellow member has set up his own studio and is selling his work and donating the profits to wounded warrior charities. Another has written a screenplay and was awarded a full scholarship to Vassar Higher, where he plans to double major – with his second major focusing on the expressive arts and therapy.

During the recent National Summit:  Arts, Health and Well-existence across the Armed forces Continuum at Walter Reed National Military machine Medical Center, it was encouraging to run into how many community programs and organizations accept been created to aid in the continuity and reintegration of our service members. And while artistic arts therapists will go on to push for an increment in formal positions across the continuum of care, the existence of arts engagement opportunity outside of and as an adjunct to handling is crucial. Information technology is my hope that we continue to work together and network and then that we may streamline efforts and help to ensure service members and their families are aware of the opportunities available to them.

References
1. Summerall, E.L. (2007). Traumatic Brain Injury and PTSD. Retrieved from http://world wide web.ptsd.va.gov/professional/pages/traumatic-brain-injury-ptsd.asp.
2. Collie, Grand., Backos, A., Malchiodi, C., & Spiegal, D. (2006). Art Therapy for Combat Related PTSD: Recommendations for Inquiry and Exercise. Art Therapy: Periodical of the American Fine art Therapy Clan, 23(4), 157-164.
3. Sell, M., & Murrey, Thou. (2006). Alternative Therapies in the Treatment of Brain Injury & Neurobehavioral Disorders: A Practical Guide, (pp.29-39 . Routledge.
4.  van der Kolk, B.A. (2003) "The frontiers of trauma." Presentation at the Psychotherapy Networker Symposium. Washington, DC.
v. Crenshaw, D. (2006). Neuroscience and Trauma Treatment. In Carey, Fifty. (Ed.), Expressive and Creative Arts Methods for Trauma Survivors, (pp. 21-38).Philadelphia, PA: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
6.  Klorer, G.P. (2005). Expressive therapy with severely maltreated children: Neuroscience contributions. Art Therapy: Journal of the American Fine art Therapy Clan, 22(4), 213-220.

For more than art therapy research references, please also visit the "Fine art Therapy Outcomes Bibliography," via the American Art Therapy Clan Research Committee.

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Source: https://blog.americansforthearts.org/2019/05/15/understanding-the-value-of-art-therapy

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