Tonight on BBC Two a film about art therapy and veterans, "Art for Heroes," premieres. It's described as an examination of the role of art therapy in the rehabilitation of military who have returned from combat with posttraumatic stress disorder. Art making is pitched as an "unlikely weapon" against trauma reactions and presenter Tim Samuels explores just how drawing, painting and imagination are helping veterans to repair and recover from the psychological wounds of war. Included is the work of Lukas Konopka, a professor of neurology in Chicago, who has investigated the effects of art therapy on the brain in the treatment of PTSD. To view clips of this BBC production, go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0175nz8.
According to the description accompanying the film, the results of Konopka's work provide strong evidence of art's potential to heal. But apparently this evidence is yet unpublished because I was only able to come up with a reference for a study on the use of EEG measures with a single subject. But nevertheless I am hopeful that the link between art making as therapy and well-being in returning military will eventually be found; there are growing testimonials from veterans themselves that art expression changes lives in ways that traditional interventions may not. If you are looking for growing anecdotal evidence of this link, check out the following films and programs that highlight just why veterans are turning to art for relief, transforming warriors into artists:
And if you missed my post last year on Veteran's Day, check out Military PostSecrets.
Cathy Malchiodi is an art therapist, visual artist, independent scholar, and author of 13 books on arts therapies, including The Art Therapy Sourcebook.
