Tim Samuels investgates:
Art Therapy In Treating Those suffering with PTSD
Watched this documentary tonight and found it left me incredibly moved. Described how so many of our soldiers had come back from various campaigns suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, many going undiagnosed for many, many years. It was quite shocking to come face to face with the pain these guys were still going through after so many years after leaving the services, and was further shocked to hear the statistic that more soldiers have committed suicide after serving in the Falklands War than actually died during that war. Horrific! As if the casualties of war are not enough. Was really struck by all the ex-soldiers who were interviewed who confirmed that the art therapy they had recived had given them a means to express themselves and aided in their coming to terms with their condition much more so than any other form of therapy they had received. Shocking to find that at present there is only one fully trained art therapist in this country treating these guys, but so heart-warming to see the results with those who had received the therapy.
BBC link to this program
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0175nz8
An examination of the role of art therapy in the rehabilitation of ex-servicemen suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Tim Samuels meets veterans of recent British conflicts in the Falklands, the Persian Gulf and Northern Ireland, who reveal their personal battle with PTSD as a result of their military career. They are now using an unlikely weapon to help fight the psychological wounds of war - art.
Visiting art therapy sessions, Samuels discovers how drawing, sculpting and painting are helping the veterans manage the symptoms of PTSD. Dr Lukas Konopka, a professor of neurology in Chicago, has investigated the effects of art therapy on the brain in the treatment of PTSD. The results provide strong evidence of art's potential to heal
Two vid clips are available here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00lr5nv
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