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Christina Melchiorre
Mrs. DeBock
English IV Honors
3/4/15
PTSD: The Invisible Wounds of War
War has riddled our nations soldiers with a chronic disease that causes unnecessary
damage and pain to their lives. This disease is known as Post-traumatic stress disorder. Over 3
million cases are diagnosed every year in the United States alone, but that number only consists
of those who seek help (Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), 1). The ones who do get
diagnosed have treatments made available to them, but they are limited to medication and
therapy. The former option can lead to addiction which has led therapy to be a healthier option
when dealing with PTSD. There are numerous types of therapies, ranging from exposure therapy
to animal-assistance, but the most bypassed form is art therapy. This kind has helped in
tremendous ways, but it still remains to be one of the least types of therapy to be invested in with
PTSD. The use of art therapy shows a tremendous outlook for combat veterans who suffer from
PTSD because it provides such a positive outlet for them.
With art therapy being so unrecognized by many as a profitable method of treatment for
PTSD patients, it has had little investment of time and research. However, those who have
chosen to expand art therapys horizons have produced satisfactory results. Compared to how the
therapy in use today only focuses on single-event traumas such as car accidents, rape, or in this
case, war, art therapy uses a different method during the healing process. Psychiatrists have

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implemented a seven step plan which will instead target a more gradual process. The process
consists of the reconsolidation of memories, externalization, progressive exposure, reduction of
arousal, reactivation of positive emotion, enhancement of emotional self-efficacy, and improved
self-esteem (Collie, 160). Through this seven step plan, psychiatrists can use art therapy
throughout the process to gain information pertaining to the traumatic event so that the veterans
can heal safely and efficiently. Art therapy allows veterans to revisit their traumatic experiences
in a pleasurable way so that they do not always have to verbally discuss what they have been
through, unlike when they are exposed to traumatic material like videos and pictures thats
content contains replications of their experiences (Collie, 159). Many veteran hospitals are taking
up art therapy as a viable treatment option because of its effectiveness during treatment.
At a veteran hospital in Dallas, Texas, art therapy is a prominent factor for healing with
their veterans. Cindy Hasio, the woman who introduced art therapy to the veterans, states that,
Making arts and crafts can help veterans improve their self-efficacy, gain hope and confidence,
and serve as an outlet for their negative emotions. This is just one of the many hospitals that use
art therapy as a treatment method. The veterans at this particular hospital, who prefer a hands-on
approach, have taken an interest to the arts and crafts side of art such as miniature boat building,
leatherwork, ceramic figure sculpting, and woodwork. Each of the veterans who have PTSD has
gravitated towards arts and crafts because it allows them to express themselves in a non-verbal
way without having to directly face their trauma (Hasio, 49). Not only does it benefit them as an
individual, but it helps the veterans build their social skills back up by interacting with others
who have PTSD as well. They can then learn to sort through their memories of trauma when
interacting with other veterans through art therapy by sharing their work and its representation of
their experiences (Hasio, 54). Some veterans even go on to teach other veterans who suffer from

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PTSD how to cope with it by using art therapy as treatment. All these methods ultimately give
combat veterans who suffer from PTSD the outlet they need to heal, whether that means they are
constructing or conversing.
Once veterans have created a stable mindset and become comfortable with confronting
their traumatic experiences, they then have the chance to explore the different opportunities that
art therapy has given to them. The 2015 National Veterans Creative Arts Competition gives
combat veterans a chance to show off the work they have created through their healing process.
There are many different categories the veterans can enter in which include art, music, dance,
drama, and creative writing (Mackey, 1). The competitions start at a local level and move up to a
national competition. By providing the element of competition and professionalism, it gives the
veterans ambition again, not only to complete personal achievements, but to keep using art
therapy as a method of treatment. The competitions demonstrate that art therapy does work in
restoring the veterans active and positive involvement in everyday life by giving them a reason
to cope with their PTSD. When these competitions are held, locally or nationally, the public can
come and view the works displayed, giving the community the opportunity to learn about art
therapy and to congratulate the veterans for their artistic achievements (Mackey, 2). By giving
the combat veterans a sense of purpose and pride, it restores the positive aspect of serving and
diverts the traumatic memories that they relate to their time in combat. The 2015 National
Veterans Creative Arts Competition gives them a way to express themselves through art so that
they can release the negative emotions associated with their PTSD.
Art therapys methods are very promising because of its ability to provide positive coping
mechanisms for combat veterans suffering from PTSD. Even though art therapy has not been
explored to its full extent, the times that it was invested in procured promising results. By slowly

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introducing combat veterans to art therapy and positively reinforcing their achievements, the
healing process begins. The veterans develop coping mechanisms through art therapy which
range anywhere from ceramic sculpting to painting in acrylics. No matter which method that the
combat veterans choose to invest their time in, each style of art helps their PTSD in the same
way. To allow the veterans to demonstrate how they have healed, competitions are held to
display their works of art and achievements. Instead of proscribing medications that can
potentially lead to addiction or issuing therapies that decide to focus on more direct approaches,
art therapy can be used to allow combat veterans to slowly heal and develop coping mechanisms
for long path ahead of them. By introducing such a positive relief for the veterans, their PTSD
will be just that much easier to cope with.

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Works Cited
Collie, Kate, et al. "Art Therapy For Combat-Related PTSD: Recommendations For Research
And Practice." Art Therapy: Journal Of The American Art Therapy Association 23.4
(2006): ERIC. Web. 12 Feb. 2015.
Hasio, Cindy1, CindyHasio@my.unt.edu. "Searching The Soul: Veterans And Their Arts And
Crafts." Art Education 64.6 (2011): 48-54.Education Full Text (H.W. Wilson). Web. 17
Feb. 2015.
Mackey, Elizabeth. "2015 National Veterans Creative Arts Competition Underway." Vantage
Point (2015): 1-3. Military & Government Collection. Web. 18 Feb. 2015.
"Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)." Symptoms. Web. 10 Mar. 2015.
<http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/post-traumatic-stressdisorder/basics/symptoms/con-20022540?
utm_source=Google&utm_medium=abstract&utm_content=Posttraumatic-stressdisorder&utm_campaign=Knowledge-panel>.